Located in the county of Hertfordshire, and just over 20 miles north of central London, is the town of Hertford (pronounced 'HARTford').

Geographically, Hertford is situated at the confluence of four river valleys: the Lea, Rib, Beane and Mimram. It has been an established settlement since the 7th century or earlier. The name 'Hertford' literally means 'shallow river crossing where harts [stags] are found'.

The area around Hertford was captured by the Danes during the 9th century. The Saxons later turned it into a 'burh', or fortified site, as a defence against future Danish invasions. In 1066 a motte and bailey castle was built on the site of this same fortification. This was later rebuilt between 1170 and 1174, as ordered by Henry II. Today only the gatehouse, motte and part of the walls remain. The gatehouse is an addition from the 15th century during Edward IV's reign, and an example of very early brickwork.

In 1602 Samuel Stone was born in Hertford. In 1633 he sailed the Atlantic to America. A few years later, after making peace with the local Native Americans, he founded the town of Hartford, Connecticut, named after his hometown, albeit with the more phonetic pronunciation. A statue of Samuel Stone can be seen on Mill Bridge.

In 1767 the Lee Navigation opened. This was a process of widening a river, in this case the River Lea (or at some points spelt River Lee I'm just as confused, don't worry), allowing cargo boats to pass through. The river itself leads all the way to Bow in east London. Hertfordshire was the main corn producing county in England during the 18th century. Access to London's corn markets via the waterways led to prosperity in the town.

In addition to corn, Hertfordshire was also a producer of barley. This made the town an ideal fit for Peter McMullen to open a brewery. Thus, in 1827, McMullens was founded one of only a few dozen independent breweries still in operation in the UK.

One of the most striking aspects of Hertford is its architecture. Owing to its prosperity following the Lee Navigation in the 18th century, the buildings are predominantly Georgian and Victorian. There is also a very special building on St Andrew Street dating from around 1450 The Verger's House. This was later renamed to St Nicholas Hall in the 1890s following restoration work. It appears just after the 1minute mark in the video, and with its orange paintwork and Medieval timber frame, is rather hard to miss!

In 1843 Hertford received its first railway connection. Today there are two stations in the town Hertford North and Hertford East. Both provide quick and direct transport links into London for commuters (Kings Cross via Hertford North and Liverpool Street via Hertford East).

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Filmed: 13th June 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/NCPmEEuFc7SAzcy47

Filmed on a Sony FDRAX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECMXYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 St Andrew Street
1:02 Hertford St Andrew Church
1:07 St Andrew Street
1:14 St Nicholas Hall (built circa 1450, known as The Verger's House until 1892)
1:26 St Andrew Street
3:05 Mill Bridge
3:28 River Lea
3:33 Mill Bridge
3:41 Statue of Reverend Samuel Stone
3:45 Mill Bridge
4:04 The Wash
5:08 Fore Street
8:29 South Street
9:14 Railway Street
11:46 Maidenhead Street
13:00 The Wash
13:11 Hertford Castle Grounds
16:40 Hertford Castle Gatehouse
17:22 Hertford Castle Grounds
17:56 Castle Gardens
18:11 Hertford Castle Gatehouse
18:15 Castle Gardens
18:24 Hertford Castle Grounds
19:31 Castle Gardens
19:37 Hertford Castle Grounds