Wikipedia

Watford

This article is about the town in Hertfordshire. For other uses, seeWatford (disambiguation).
Not to be confused withWalford,a fictional borough inEastEnders.

Watford(/ˈwɒtfərd/ⓘ) is a town andboroughinHertfordshire,England, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of CentralLondon,on the banks of theRiver Colne.

Watford
Town &borough
Motto:
Be Bold
Watford within Hertfordshire
Watford withinHertfordshire
Coordinates:51°39′18″N0°23′44.5″W/ 51.65500°N 0.395694°W/51.65500; -0.395694
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionEast of England
CountyHertfordshire
BoroughWatford
UK Parliament constituencyWatford
Government
• TypeNon-metropolitan district
• Governing bodyWatford Borough Council
•Elected MayorPeter Taylor(Liberal Democrat)
•MPMatt Turmaine(Labour)
Area
• Borough8.301 sq mi (21.50 km2)
Elevation
233 ft (71 m)
Population
• Borough102,246[1]
Ethnicity(2021)
[1]
•Ethnic groups
List
Religion(2021)
[1]
•Religion
List
Time zoneGMT
• Summer (DST)UTC+1(Summer Time (British))
Postcode area
WD
Area code01923 & 020
Websitewatford.gov.uk

Initially a smallmarket town,theGrand Junction Canalencouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, andbreweries.While industry has declined in Watford, its location nearLondonand transport links have attracted several companies to site their headquarters in the town.Cassiobury Parkis a public park that was once the manor estate of theEarls of Essex.

The town developed next to the River Colne on land belonging toSt Albans Abbey.In the 12th century, a charter was granted allowing a market, and the building ofSt Mary's Churchbegan. The town grew partly due to travellers going toBerkhamsted Castleand the royal palace atKings Langley.Amansionwas built atCassioburyin the 16th century. This was partly rebuilt in the 17th century and anothercountry housewas built atThe Grove.

Clarendon Road, Watford
Clarendon Road

TheGrand Junction Canalin 1798 and theLondon and Birmingham Railwayin 1837 resulted in Watford's rapid growth, with paper-making mills such asJohn Dickinsonat Croxley, influencing the development of printing in the town. Two brewers,BenskinsandSedgwicks,amalgamated and flourished in the town until their closure in the late 20th century.Hertfordshire County Councildesignates Watford to be a major sub-regional centre. Several head offices are based in Watford. International conferences and sporting events have also taken place in Watford, including the 2006World Golf Championship,the2013 Bilderberg Conferenceand the2019 NATO summitwhich all took place atThe Grove.[2]

Watford became anurban districtunder theLocal Government Act 1894and amunicipal boroughby grant of a charter in 1922. The borough, which had 102,246 inhabitants in the 2021 census (up from 90,301 inhabitants at the 2011 census, an increase of 13.23%), is separated fromGreater Londonto the south byThree Rivers District.Watford Borough Councilis the local authority with theMayor of Watfordas its head – one of only 18directly elected mayors in England and Wales.

History

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St Mary's Church, Watford
The Essex Chapel in Saint Mary's Church

Early history

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There is evidence of some limited prehistoric occupation around the Watford area, with a few Celtic and Roman finds, though there is no evidence of a settlement until much later.[3]Watford stands where theRiver Colnecould be crossed on anancient trackwayfrom the southeast to the northwest. Watford's High Street follows the line of part of this route.[4][5]The town was located on the first dry ground above the marshy edges of the River Colne.

The name Watford may have arisen from theOld Englishfor "waet" (full of water – the area was marshy), or "wath" (hunting), andford.[3]St Albans Abbeyclaimed rights to themanor of Casio(then called "Albanestou" ), which included Watford, dating from a grant byKing Offain AD 793.[6]

Cassiobury HouseEstate engraving by Johannes Kip and Leonard Knyff (1707) now in theWatford Museum

The name Watford is first mentioned in anAnglo-Saxoncharter of 1007, where "Watforda" is one of the places marking the boundary of "Oxanhaege". It is not mentioned in theDomesday Bookof 1086, when this area was part of St Albans Abbey's manor of Cashio. In the 12th century the Abbey was granted a charter allowing it to hold a market here, and the building of St Mary's Church began. The settlement's location helped it to grow, since as well as trade along this north–south through route it possessed good communications into the vale ofSt Albansto the east and into the Chiltern Hills along the valley of theRiver Chessto the west.

The town grew modestly, assisted by travellers passing through toBerkhamsted Castleand the royal palace atKings Langley.A big house was built atCassioburyin the 16th century. This was partly rebuilt in the 17th century and another substantial house was built nearby atThe Grove.The houses were expanded and developed throughout the following centuries. Cassiobury became the family seat of theEarls of Essex,and The Grove the seat of theEarls of Clarendon.[3][7]

In 1762,Sparrows Herne Turnpike Roadwas established across the Chilterns. Thetoll roadapproximately followed the route of the originalA41 road.The location of atoll housecan be seen at the bottom of Chalk Hill on the Watford side of Bushey Arches; set in an old flint stone wall is a Sparrows Herne Trust plaque.[8]

In 1778,Daniel Defoedescribed Watford as a "genteel market town, very long, having but one street."[9]

Industrial Revolution

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The London & Birmingham Railway, Watford (1839)

Watford remained an agricultural community with somecottage industryfor many centuries. TheIndustrial Revolutionbrought theGrand Junction Canal(nowGrand Union Canal) from 1798 and theLondon and Birmingham Railwayfrom 1837, both located here for the same reasons the road had followed centuries before, seeking an easy gradient over the Chiltern Hills. The land-owning interests permitted the canal to follow closely by the river Gade, but the prospect of smoke-emittingsteam trainsdrove them to ensure the railway gave a wide berth to the Cassiobury and Grove estates. Consequently, although the road and canal follow the easier valley route, the railway company was forced to build an expensive tunnel underLeavesdento the north of the town.[10]

Watford's original railway stationopened in 1837 on the west side of St Albans Road, a small, single-storey red-brick building. It closed in 1858 when it was replaced by a new, larger station atWatford Junctionapproximately 200 metres (220 yd) further south-east. The old station house still stands today; it is a Grade-II-listed building, now in the middle of a high density housing development, it and was for many years a second-hand cardealership.[11][12]Watford Junction railway station is situated to the north east of the town centre.[13]

These developments gave the town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Grand Union Canal, allowed coal to be brought into the district and paved the way for industrial development. The Watford Gas and Coke Company was formed in 1834 and gas works built. The canal allowed paper-making mills to be sited at Croxley. TheJohn Dickinson and Co.mill beside the canal manufactured the Croxley brand of fine quality paper. There had been brewing in Watford from the 17th century and, by the 19th century, two industrial scale brewersBenskinsandSedgwickswere located in the town.[14]The parish church of St Mary's was extensively restored in 1871.[15]

The town expanded slightly during this time. In 1851 a new street off the High Street was opened, King Street, followed by Queens Road and Clarendon Road in the early 1860s. During this time, Watford had a population of around 6,500[9]The railways also continued to expand from Watford during this period; theWatford and Rickmansworth Railwayopened in 1862 as a short branch line viaWatford High StreettoRickmansworth (Church Street),and another branch was added toCroxley Greenin 1912. The original plan was to extend the Rickmansworth line south connecting Watford toUxbridge;this scheme failed and both the Rickmansworth and Croxley branches closed.[16]

Watford's population had risen to 17,063 by 1891 to become very cramped. Local landowners sold land for the development of the town and it was bought up by commercial interests. Various factories and other works sprung up in Watford, mostly breweries and prints, but also engineering works, a steam laundry, a cold storage company and acocoaprocessing plant. The town expanded rapidly, most of the new inhabitants moving in from London.[9]

20th century

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At the start of the 20th century the town was growing fast. New roads were laid out in Callowland, North Watford, and in West Watford on farmland. Many continued to live in the cramped and unsanitary houses in the yards and alley-ways opening off the High Street.[17]Some of these people were among those who rioted in 1902 when the celebration forKing Edward VII's coronation was postponed.[18]The council had a programme ofslum clearancewhich stopped with the outbreak ofWorld War Iin 1914. Building council houses resumed after the war and in the 1920s the Harebreaks estate was developed.[19]

By the 1920s, printing had become the biggest industry in Watford. The biggest printers in the town were Sun Printers Ltd andOdhams Press.Watford was the biggest printing centre in the world and many advances in printing were made in Watford. DuringWorld War IIthe prints were taken over by the government who used them to print propaganda. After the war, the printing industry began going into decline. Union activity was common in Watford and advances in technology meant much of the industry became obsolete. Odhams Press closed down in 1978 and The Sun moved out of Watford during the 1980s after market reforms allowed it to do so.[20]

In 1925, theMetropolitan RailwayCompany built a branch to Watford, opening a station close toCassiobury Park.[21][22]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Watford was the home of the British designer furniture manufacturerHille.At their premises on St Albans Road, designed by themodernist architectErnő Goldfinger,[23]the designerRobin Dayconceived thepolypropylene stacking chair,now recognised as a classic of modern design.[24]Although Hille left the area in 1983, the listed Goldfinger building still stands on St Albans Road.[25]Modculture found expression through clubs such as theAce of Hertsin the 1960s.[26]

Thede Havillandfactory at Leavesden was responsible for the manufacture of the aircraft engines and later became Leavesden Aerodrome, to the north of Watford. No longer operational, it was converted intoLeavesden Film Studios,now famously the home of theHarry Potterfilms.[27]

Geography

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St Albans Road railway station (1837)
Odhams Press printworks
Dome roundabout (1954)

Watford developed on theRiver Colnein southern Hertfordshire, England, 16 miles (26 km) northwest ofcentral London.Ethnicity is 61.9% white British, 2.3% Irish, 0.1% Gypsy or Irish traveller, 7.7% other white, 17.9% Asian/Asian British, 5.8% black or black British.[28]

The borough had 102,246 inhabitants at the time of the 2021 census.[1]The borough is separated fromGreater Londonto the south by the urbanised parish ofWatford Ruralin theThree Rivers District.The Watford subdivision of theGreater London Urban Area,which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census.[29]

Religion

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Religion in Watford(2021 census)[30]

Christianity(44.45%)
No Religion(24.78%)
Islam(12.97%)
Hinduism(8.21%)
Not Stated (6.17%)
Buddhism(1%)
Judaism(0.92%)
Other (0.84%)
Sikhism(0.65%)


As of the 2021 census, Watford's religious profile roughly reflected that of England and Wales, with a larger Muslim and Hindu population than the average.

Area All people Christian (%) Buddhist (%) Hindu (%) Jewish (%) Muslim (%) Sikh (%) Other (%) No religion (%) Not stated (%)
England and Wales 56,490,048 46.3 0.5 1.8 0.5 6.7 0.9 0.6 36.7 6.0
Watford 102,246 44.45 1.00 8.21 0.92 12.97 0.65 0.84 24.78 6.17

Governance

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Watford has two tiers of local government, at district (borough) and county level:Watford Borough CouncilandHertfordshire County Council.

Watford is one of only 15 authorities in England and Wales headed by adirectly elected mayor.Dorothy Thornhillwas the first directly electedmayor of Watford,elected in May 2002 and re-elected in May 2006 and May 2010. She was the first female directly elected mayor in England and theLiberal Democrats' first directly elected mayor.[31][32]

Since 1999 Watford has been divided into 12wards.[33]Each ward has three councillors who are elected for a four-year term. Watford elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by thefirst past the postsystem of election, for theWatford constituency.Prior to the establishment of this constituency in 1885 the area was part of the three seat constituency ofHertfordshire.[34]

Town twinning

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The council have madetwinninglinks with five towns. The first wasMainz,Germany, in 1956, and the most recent isPesaro,Italy, in 1988; the others areNanterre,[35]Novgorod,andWilmington, Delaware.[36]The council award an honorary status ofFreedom of the Boroughto certain individuals "who have in the opinion of the council, rendered eminent services to the borough"; as of 2020 there are three freemen:Elton John,and two local councillors involved in the twinning process.[37]

Administrative history

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Watford
Local Board District(1850–1894)
Urban District(1894–1922)
Municipal Borough(1922–1974)
Population
• 189116,826[38]
• 197176,705[39]
History
• Created15 August 1850 (Local Board District)
31 December 1894 (Urban District)
18 October 1922 (Municipal Borough)
• Abolished31 March 1974
• Succeeded byWatford Borough Council
•HQWatford
Contained within
• County CouncilHertfordshire

Theancient parishof Watford was included in thehundredofCashio.[40]In 1835, Watford became the centre of apoor law union,and a workhouse was built in 1836–1837 at 60 Vicarage Road (then called Hagden Lane).[41]

In 1850 alocal board of healthwas established for the town. The local board district covered part of the parish of Watford and part of the neighbouring parish ofBushey.[42]The Watford Local Board District came into effect on 15 August 1850, and the first board was elected the following month.[43]

The local board was responsible for building the town's waterworks and sewers. For a time the board held its meetings at an upper room of the waterworks on Local Board Road. In 1891 the board purchased Upton House at 14 High Street for £2,650, converting it to become their offices and meeting place, holding its first meeting in the building on 1 October 1891.[44]

Under theLocal Government Act 1894,the Watford Local Board was reconstituted as Watford Urban District Council with effect from 31 December 1894. The act also stipulated that parishes could not be partly in anurban districtand partly outside it. The old parish of Watford was therefore split, with the part of the parish outside the urban district becoming the parish ofWatford Ruralwith effect from the first parish meeting on 4 December 1894. At the same time, the parish of Bushey was split, with the part within the Watford Urban District becoming a parish called Bushey Urban, which was later renamed Oxhey in 1906. Watford Urban and Bushey Urban / Oxhey were both classed asurban parishesand so did not have parish councils of their own, but were directly administered by Watford Urban District Council.[45]The two urban parishes merged in 1935 to form a single parish called Watford.[46]

Watford became amunicipal boroughon 18 October 1922 when it was granted a charter of incorporation.[47]The council was granted acoat of armson 16 October 1922, two days before it became a borough.[48]

Upton House at 14 High Street continued to serve as the meeting place and offices for Watford Urban District Council and then Watford Borough Council until 1940. In 1938 work began on buildingWatford Town Hallat the junction of Rickmansworth Road and Hempstead Road, and the building officially opened on 5 January 1940.[49]Upton House was subsequently demolished in 1961 and Gade House built on the site.[44]

Under theLocal Government Act 1972Watford kept the same boundaries, but changed from being a municipal borough to anon-metropolitan districtwithborough status.[50]

Economy

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Watford Shopping Centre entrance

Watford is a major regional centre in the northernhome counties.Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford andStevenageto be its major sub-regional centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development.[51]

The High Street is the main focus of activity at night having a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants. The primary shopping area is theHarlequin Shopping Centre,a large purpose-built indoor mall with over 140 shops, restaurants and cafes built during the 1990s, opened officially in June 1992. The owners of the shopping centre, Capital Shopping Centres, changed their name toIntu,resulting in The Harlequin changing name to "intu Watford" from May 2013.[52]Carrying forward £4.5 billion of debt into 2020,[53]the company was not able to survive the retail downturn due to theCOVID-19 crisis,and went intoadministrationin June 2020.[54]The council owns part of the freehold the site, and feels that as the shopping centre is very popular (it was one of top 20 places to shop in the UK in 2019), it will remain open and viable.[55]

The town contains the head offices of a number of national companies such asJ D Wetherspoon,Camelot Group,Bathstore,and Caversham Finance (BrightHouse). Watford is also the UK base of various multi-nationals includingHilton Worldwide,TotalEnergies,TK Maxx,Costco,JJ Kavanagh and Sons,Vinci,BekoandTeleAdapt.Both the 2006World Golf Championshipand the2013 Bilderberg Conference,took place atThe Grove hotel.[2]The town was home to theScammell Lorriesfactory from 1922 until 1988. The site is now a residential area.Tandon Motorcycles,founded by Devdutt Tandon, were manufactured in Colne Way from 1947 until 1959.[56]

Parks

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Daffodils inCassiobury Park
Woodside Athletics Stadium
Cheslyn Gardens

Cassiobury Park

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The name Cassiobury has had various spellings over time. It is derived from 'Caegshoe', which is believed to be the combination of 'caeg', a person's name, and 'hoe', meaning a spur of land. When the land was granted to Sir Richard Morrison in the 16th century, it was called 'Cayshobury', with 'bury' indicating a manor.[3][7]

Cassiobury Parkwas formed from the grounds ofCassiobury Houseand consists of 190 acres (0.77 km2) of open space. The house was demolished in 1927 and the Cassiobury Gates in 1970, for road widening. In July 2007, the park won aGreen Flag Award,which recognises the best green spaces in the country.[57]There is a children's play area, which includes a paddling pool, play equipment, a bouncy castle, anice creamvan, a kiosk where one may buy food, and 10.25 "gauge miniature railway. TheGrand Union Canalpasses through the park.[58]Cassiobury Park is host to the weekly 5k community eventparkrun.[59]

Cheslyn House and Gardens

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Awarded Green Flag status since 2009, Cheslyn has been open to the public since 1965 as a formal gardens and house.[60]The 3.5 acre gardens comprise a formal open area to the front and a semi-natural woodland area to the rear. Henry and Daisy Colbeck originally owned the house and gardens. Mr Colbeck was a renowned local architect, and designed Cheslyn House; he and his wife created the original gardens. The Colbecks travelled extensively, and this is reflected in the range of unusual and exotic plants in the gardens. Since the space has been open to the public it has been further developed, with new features added such as the pond, rock garden, large herbaceous borders and aviary.[61]

Woodside Park

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Awarded Green Flag status since 2011, Woodside Playing Fields cover approximately 59 acres of playing fields, sports facilities and woodland.[62]The site comprises a range of sports facilities including an eight lane synthetic track and stadium, an indoor bowls green, a community centre, cricket squares, football pitches and Woodside Leisure Centre. Woodside Stadium is home to Watford Harriers Athletics Club and hosts national level events such as the British Milers Club Grand Prix.[63]

Heritage

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There are 92 nationallylisted buildingsin Watford. These includeSt Mary's Church,which dates to the 12th century, andHoly Rood Churchwhich dates to 1890.[12]

St Mary's is noted for its interior which was renovated in 1850 by the architectGeorge Gilbert Scottand includes fine oak pews decorated in theGothic Revivalstyle. It also contains the Essex Chapel, which served at the burial place of the nobility of the Cassiobury Estate, including theEarls of Essex.The chapel contains a number of large, ornate marble tombs and memorials dating from the 16th century and later, and was described byPevsneras "the chief glory of Watford Church".[64]

The Roman Catholic Church, Holy Rood, is a much later structure. Built in 1890 byJohn Francis Bentley,the architect responsible forWestminster Cathedralin London, it is noted as a particularity fine example ofGothic Revival architecture.The ornate interior contains stained glass by the designerNathaniel Westlake.[65]

Bushey Arches Viaductis Grade II listed and was built in the 1830s by the London and Birmingham Railway. It crosses a traffic island at the bottom of the Lower High Street.[66]A short distance north-west, theColne Viaductcrosses the river on the outskirts of town,[67]after which the railway entersWatford Tunnel;the south face of the original tunnels is ornately decorated and a listed building.[68]

There are tenconservation areasin Watford; one Grade II Listed Park, and 240 locally listed buildings.[69]

Theatres

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Watford Palace Theatre

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Watford Palace Theatre

TheWatford Palace Theatreopened in 1908 and is the only producing theatre inHertfordshire.It presents an annual traditional pantomime, world premières, dance and family shows. Situated just off the High Street, theEdwardian600-seat theatre underwent a refurbishment in 2004. The Palace houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, café and bar. It also shows films and 'live' and 'as live' streams of opera and ballet during its theatre season.[70]

Pump House

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The Pump House Theatre and Arts Centre is based in an old pumping station situated just off the Lower High Street. The building was converted for use as a theatre, with rehearsal rooms, and meeting place for local arts based groups. Current facilities include a 124-seat theatre, rehearsal rooms, and live music venue. Community groups currently meeting at the Pump House include Dance House (children's ballet), Pump House Clog Morris (women'sMorris dancing), Pump House Jazz (jazz club), Open House (live open mic music),Woodside Morris Men(men's Morris dancing), child, youth and adult theatre groups and also the Giggle Inn comedy club.[71]In 2018, the venue hosted the inaugural Watford Short Film Festival alongside Watford Museum.[72]

Watford Colosseum

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Watford Colosseum was the venue for theSnooker Shoot Outfrom 2017-2020.

Watford Colosseumis an entertainment venue in the town. Established in 1938, as the Assembly Rooms forWatford Town Hall,the complex was extended in 2011 with improvements which included new meeting spaces, a new restaurant and new bar facilities. Performers at the venue have included thesopranoMaria Callasin September 1954[73]and thetenorLuciano Pavarottiin June 1995.[74]The Colosseum has been used to record various film soundtracks and is regularly used to host concerts by theBBC Concert Orchestra,includingFriday Night is Music Night.[75]It has also housed performances by performers includingThe Who,Robbie Williams,andOasis.[75]

The Colosseum is also an important venue for boxing matches withheavyweightboxerTyson Furybuilding on his reputation, shortly after turning professional, in 2009.[76]The venue also has seen some important and highly popular plays taking place and it regularly holds events in support of charities. The2020 Snooker Shoot Outprofessionalsnookertournament was held at the Colosseum between 20 and 23 February 2020.[77]

Museums

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Watford Museum,housed in a former brewery building on the Lower High Street, is home to a collection of fine art and sculpture which includes works byJ. M. W. Turner,SirJoshua Reynolds,William BlakeandJacob Epstein.The museum also hold special collections related to the Cassiobury Estate, Watford Football Club, and local heritage, as well as an archive collection of documents, printed ephemera, photographs and diaries related to Watford townsfolk, local government, nobility and businesses.[78]

Making of Harry Potterstudio tour at Leavesden

The Hertfordshire Fire Museum is dedicated to the history offirefightingin the county. It is based in a purpose-built building at Watford Fire Station, on the same street as Watford Museum. The Museum includes a wide range of vehicles, equipment, uniforms and archive material.[79]

Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesdenis an 80-hectare film studio complex which has been used for a wide range of Hollywood film productions. Part of the site is open to the public and houses theWarner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter,displaying costumes and sets from theHarry Potterfilmswhich were produced at Leavesden. The studio complex is to the north of the borough, around 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the town centre, and a special shuttle bus provides a connection from Watford Junction station to the studios.[27]

Transport

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Road

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Watford is located 15 miles (24 km) north-west ofcentral London.PostWorld War IIroad-building has resulted in Watford being close to severalmotorway junctionson both theM1 motorwayand theM25 London Orbital Motorway.[80]

Buses

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Watford is served by a number of different bus operators, includingArriva Kent Thameside,Arriva Shires & Essex,Carousel,London Sovereign,Lucketts of Watford,Mullanys Coaches,Red Eagle Buses, Red Rose Travel,Sullivan Buses,Unoand Vale Travel.[81]Oyster Cards are accepted on TfL routes142(towards Brent Cross) and258(towards Harrow) into London.Intalink ExplorerandHertfordshire SaverCardare accepted on all but the London Bus routes.[82]

The hourlyGreen Line bus route 724connects Watford Junction station and the town centre toLondon Heathrow Airporton weekdays, with a service once every two hours at weekends and on bank holidays.[83]Regular bus services run between Watford andLuton,but not directly toLuton Airport.

Railway

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Watford Junction, the northern terminus of London Overground

Watford is served by five railway stations and aLondon Undergroundstation.Watford Junctionis on theWest Coast Main Linewith trains fromLondon Eustonto theMidlands,theNorth Westand Scotland. Journey time to London Euston is typically 16 minutes non-stop. The station is mainly served by frequent suburban and regional trains operated byLondon Northwestern,which run toTringandMilton Keynesand the cross-LondonSouthernservice toClapham JunctionviaShepherd's Bush.Two all-stations services terminate at Watford Junction: the suburban service operated byLondon Overground,which runs to Euston; and theAbbey Lineshuttle service toSt Albans Abbey.[84]

The London Overground service from Watford Junction runs south via a suburban loop and stops atWatford High Street,before continuing viaBusheyto London Euston.[85]

Watford tube stationis the terminus of the Watford branch ofLondon Underground'sMetropolitan line.The station is located outside the centre of Watford, close toCassiobury Park.[86]

Direct train services run from Watford Junction toBirmingham International station,forBirmingham Airport.[87]

Map of railways around Watford (2013)
Stations in Central Watford
Pic Station Services Notes
Watford Junction National Rail

London Overground

West Coast Main Line local and regional services

Abbey Line
Cross-London service to Clapham Junction
Watford DC Line

Watford High Street London Overground Watford DC Line
Watford North National Rail Abbey Line
Garston National Rail Abbey Line
Watford tube station London Underground Metropolitan line

Abandoned railway schemes

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In 2008, a proposal was made thatRegional Eurostarservices could run via Watford toParisviaKensington Olympia.[88]In 1999, theSelect Committee on Environment, Transport and the Regionstook the view that Watford was "well placed to become an integrated transport hub" and it recommended that "services from Watford to Paris should commence as soon as possible."[89]The Regional Eurostar scheme eventually came to nothing and was put on hold indefinitely.[90]

A scheme to introducelight railto Watford was conceived in 2009, when it was proposed that the Abbey Line should be converted totram-trainoperation and run byHertfordshire County Council.[91]The project was cancelled due to the complications and expense of transferring the line from National Rail to the county council.[92]

In 2013, theCroxley Rail Linkproject was approved to extend the London Underground Metropolitan line to Watford Junction by reinstating a stretch of the formerWatford and Rickmansworth Railway.[93]As part of the scheme, Watford Metropolitan station would have closed to passengers and been replaced by new stations on the reopened route atCassiobridgeandWatford Vicarage Road.[94]The project did not go ahead due to funding problems.[95]

In August 2014, the transport secretaryPatrick McLoughlinindicated that the government was actively evaluating the extension ofCrossrailas far asTring,with potential Crossrail stops atWembley Central,Harrow & Wealdstone,Bushey,Watford Junction,Kings Langley,Apsley,Hemel HempsteadandBerkhamsted.[96][97]This proposal was subsequently shelved in August 2016 due to "poor overall value for money to the taxpayer".[98]

Air

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Elstree Airfieldis 3 miles (5 km) east of Watford. Several private charter companies and flying clubs are based there. Watford is the base for 2F (Watford) Squadron,Air Training Corps.[99]

Waterways

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The Grand Union Canal, seen from the Metropolitan line

Watford is on the mainGrand Union Canalroute northwards from London. It now sees little commercial use, since the advent of the motorways, but the canal is used for recreational purposes. TheRiver Gadeand theRiver Colneflow through Watford.[100]

Cycling

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Watford town centre and the surrounding area is relatively compact and the terrain is generally quite flat. Over 9 miles (14 km) of new cycle routes have been developed in the town since 2003 and a range of cycle maps are available locally. In Watford, cycling to work makes up 2.2% of all journeys compared with 1.6% across the whole of Hertfordshire.[101]

National Cycle Routes 6and61run across the eastern and southern sides of the town, using the off-road Ebury Way and Abbey Way. There is a continuous cycle route through the north–south axis of the town centre, including the pedestrianised parts along The Parade and High Street. Cycle parking is provided at intermittent points in the town centre and at local centres in the wider town.[102]

North of Watfordexpression

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There is an expression,North of Watford,meaning locations north ofGreater London.[103]Alternatively,North of Watford Junctionwas used with similar meaning referring toWatford Junction railway station's position as the last urban stop on the main railway line out of Euston.[104][105][106]The phrase's original use pre-dates the M1 motorway'sWatford Gap services,[107][108][109]but current use may refer to either Watford or the Watford Gap services.[110]

Education

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Watford Free School, built 1705, closed 1882
See also:Watford Grammar School for Boys § History of the Watford Grammar Schools

The earliest records of schooling in Watford are of a schoolmaster named George Redhead in 1595, and of a Free School receiving an annual donation of £10 in 1640. The school consisted of "a room over two houses belonging to the Church Estate, nearest the churchyard."[4]In 1704,Elizabeth Fullerof Watford Place built a new Free School for forty boys and twenty girls on her land next to the churchyard, with rooms for a master and a mistress.[13]In the mid-19th century, the recorded schools in Watford were Fuller's Free School, by now in a poor state, and the separate boys and girlsnational schoolsof St Mary's in Church Street. All offered elementary education.[111]

The Free School closed in 1882, and its endowment contributed to founding the Watford Endowed Schools, which provided secondary education and charged fees.[112]After these schools, now called theWatford Grammar School for Boysand theWatford Grammar School for Girls,moved to new sites in 1907 and 1912, the building housed the WatfordCentral school,which taught pupils up to the age of 14. St Mary's National Schools closed in 1922, and the site is now a car park.[113][114]TheLondon Orphan Asylum,later Reed's School, was located nearWatford Junction stationbetween 1871 and 1940.[115]

The only independent secondary school in the borough isStanborough School,a day and boarding school operated by theSeventh-day Adventist Church.There are several independent schools nearby, includingPurcell School,a specialist music school.[116]

All the state-fundedprimary schools in Watfordareco-educational.Under an earlier system, schools were divided into infant schools, covering Reception and Years 1 and 2, and junior schools, covering Years 3 to 6. Most such schools have amalgamated to form Junior Mixed Infant schools or (equivalently) primary schools, and all new schools are of this type.[117]

Although all state-funded secondary schools inHertfordshirearecomprehensive,there is a great deal of differentiation in the southwestern corner of the county, centred on Watford but also including most of theThree Riversdistrict andBusheyinHertsmeredistrict. Within this area, there are:[118]

The partially selective schools andBushey Meads Schooloperate common admissions tests in mathematics and non-verbal reasoning each autumn. In addition to those seeking selective places, all applicants to Bushey Meads andQueens' Schoolare required to take the tests, so they are taken by the majority of Year 6 children in the area. The partially selective schools also operate a common test and audition procedure to select children for specialist music places.[118]

Results achieved by the schools atGCSEare also widely spread, including the three highest and the two lowest scoring state schools withinHertfordshire.[121][122]The area also has by far the highest incidence in the county of children allocated to schools to which they had not applied.[123]

The Watford Campus ofWest Herts Collegeis the only grade 1 further education college in the United Kingdom according to a 2011Ofstedreport. TheCentre for Missional Leadership(CML) is the Watford branch of theLondon School of Theology,Europe's largest evangelical theological college.[124]

Media

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Television

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Watford is within theBBC LondonandITV Londonregion. Television signals are received from theCrystal PalaceTV transmitter[125]and the local relay transmitter situated inHemel Hempstead.[126]

Radio

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Local radio stations areBBC Three Counties Radioon 92.1 FM,Heart Hertfordshirehas its studios in The Metro Centre in the town which broadcast on 96.6 FM and community based stations: Vibe 107.6[127]on 107.6 FM and Watford Hospital Radio known as The Pulse Hospital Radio broadcasts to patients from theWatford General Hospital.[128]

Newspapers

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TheWatford Observeris the town's local weekly newspaper.[129]

Sport

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Vicarage Road,home ofWatford FCin 2015

The professional football teamWatford F.C.competes in theEFL Championshipin the2022–2023 season.Watford reached the1984and2019FA Cup Finals, also finishing as league Division One (now thePremier League) runners-up in1983.They were relegated from Division One in 1988. In 1996, Watford was relegated from the new Division One (now theFootball League Championship). Watford won the thenNationwide Division Twochampionship in 1998, then the following season (1998–99) reached the Premier League. The club was relegated the next season. After five years, Watford won theFootball League Championshipplay-off final achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2006, this time beatingLeeds United FCby three goals to nil.[130]

The club was relegated to the Football League Championship after a single season (2006–2007) in the Premier League. It was promoted to the Premier League in 2015, after finishing second in the Championship. The singer-songwriter, SirElton John,is a keen, long-term supporter of Watford FC and a former club chairman. He still maintains his links with Watford as Honorary Life President.[131]Between 1997 and 2013, the club shared its ground,Vicarage Road,withSaracens Rugby Football Club.[132]

Other sports teams include anon-League footballteam,Sun Sports FC,which plays at The Sun Postal Sports & Social Club, theWatford Cheetahs,an American football team which played home games at Fullerians RFC between 2008 and 2012, Glen Rovers, who play both hurling andGaelic football,and Watford Town Cricket Club.[133]

Notable people

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Main article:List of people from Watford

Freedom of the Borough

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The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Boroughof Watford.

Individuals

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Military Units

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References

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