Hertford
- For other places with the same name, see Hertford (disambiguation).
Understand
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire in England and has a population of around 26,000 in 2011. It lies 20 mi (32 km) miles directly north of London. It was the birthplace of Samuel Stone, who is credited with being the founder of Hartford, Connecticut. The medieval town was built next to 1 Hertford Castle. 
that protects the ford through the River Lee replacing an earlier Saxon burh.
Tourist information
- 1 Hertford Town and Tourist Information Centre (Go Hertford), 10-12 The Wash, SG14 1PX, ☏ +44 1992 584322, tic@hertford.gov.uk. Daily 09:30AM-5:00PM.
Get in
By rail
Despite its relatively small size, Hertford has two railway stations:
- 1 Hertford East (HFE), Mill Road, Hertford, SG14 1SB. Regular services to/from London Liverpool Street and Stratford stations.
- 2 Hertford North (HFN), North Road, Hertford, SG14 1NB. Regular services to/from London Moorgate and Stevenage stations.
By bus
Hertford bus station is located at Birchley Green.
- 3 Hertford Bus Station, Bircherley Green, Hertford, SG14 1RL, toll-free: 0300 123 4050.
By road
Hertford is close to the A10, A414, A1(M) and M25. From the A10 take the junction for Hertford at Rush Green. From the A1(M) take Junction 4 for Welywn Garden City and follow the A414 Eastbound. From the M25 Junction 23 links up with the A1(M), or Junction 25 links the A10. The town can be reached in 45 minutes from Stansted Airport via the A10 and A120. It can be reached from London Gatwick and London Heathrow via the M25.
By plane
Hertford can be reached by public transport from all five London airports:
- London Heathrow (LHR IATA) – Greenline 724 bus (2½ hr) or the Piccadilly Line connecting at Finsbury Park to Hertford North (1½ hr).
- London Stansted (STN IATA) – National Express bus route 737 (45 mins); or Greater Anglia train to Broxbourne and change for train to Hertford East.
- London Gatwick (LGW IATA) – Thameslink train to Finsbury Park and change for train to Hertford North.
- London City (LCY IATA) – Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Stratford station, then train to Hertford East.
- London Luton (LTN IATA) – National Express bus route 737 to Hertford East station (1 hr).
Get around
Map of Hertford
Hertford has a small town centre and everything can be seen by walking around.
See
Points of interest include:
- 2 Hertford Castle. Dates back to 900 AD, although there is little remaining. The building is now government offices.
- 3 St. Leonard’s Church, 28 St Leonard's Rd, Bengeo, SG14 3JW (from Port Hill follow Hartham Bank footpath north of Hartham Common), ☏ +44 1992 413 691. A Norman church built about 1120 and the oldest building in Hertford.
- 4 St Nicholas Hall (Beckwith & Son), 43 St Andrew St, SG14 1HZ (next to St Andrews Church), ☏ +44 1992 582 079.
- 5 The home of Alfred Russel Wallace, 11 St. Andrew St. Russell proposed the theory of natural selection more or less at the same time as Charles Darwin. It is marked with a plaque.
- 6 Quaker Meeting House, Railway Street. The oldest purpose-built one in the world (in Railway Street), in use since 1670.
- 7 Shire Hall, 4 Market Place, SG14 1DF, ☏ +44 1992 588998. It was built in 1779 and designed by the noted architect, Robert Adam.
- 8 Samuel Stone memorial, Mill Bridge (next to the Castle Theatre on Mill Bridge). A statue of the founder of Hartford.
- 9 Hertford Museum, 18 Bull Plain, SG14 1DT, ☏ +44 1992 582686. Although small, this museum in the town centre offers a fascinating range of artifacts and an oversight of the history of the town.
- 10 Christ's Hospital (Bluecoat's School), 1 Bluecoats Ave, Hertford SG14 1PB.
Do
- Walk along the rivers. Hertford is at the confluence of four rivers, with the Rivers Beane, Mimram and Rib flowing into the River Lea and forming a navigable canal at Hertford, with the 11 Hertford Castle Weir. next to the Hertford Theatre.
- 1 Hertford Theatre, The Wash SG14 1PS, ☏ +44 1992 531 500, box.office@hertfordtheatre.com.
- 2 Manic Ceramics, 22 Port Vale, SG14 3AB, ☏ +44 1992 554 124. Tu-F 10AM-5PM. Paint your own pottery
Buy
Hertford is a noted centre for shops selling antiques and collectables.
- 1 Mark Wines Antiques, 1 St. Andrew St, SG14 1HZ, ☏ +44 1992 534 522, info@markwinesantiques.co.uk.
- 2 Sworders, 42 St. Andrew St, SG14 1JA, ☏ +44 1992 583 508, hertfordoffice@sworder.co.uk. Fine art auctioneer.
- 3 Rossi's Attic, 4 Mill Bridge, SG14 1PY, ☏ +44 1992 568 933. Vintage shop.
Market
- 4 Hertfords Farmers Market, Salisbury Square, SG14 1BG. 8AM-3PM 2nd Sa every month. Fruit & vegetables, cheese.
Eat
- 1 Oh My Cod (Fish Bar), 39 Cowbridge, SG14 1PN, ☏ +44 1992 505 066. M-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F Sa 11:30-11PM, Su 3-10PM.
- 2 Oishii, 33 Green Dragon Vaults, The Wash, SG14 1PT, ☏ +44 1992 500995, info@Oishiihertford.com. M-F noon-3PM 6-11PM, Sa Su noon-11PM. Japanese restaurant.
- The Riverside Garden Centre (by the river side). Has a fine restaurant. Traditional English breakfast, light lunches, hot and cold snacks, main meals and fresh cream teas.
- 3 Veyso's Brasserie, 97-101 Fore Street, SG14 1AS, ☏ +44 1992 550 055, info@veysos.co.uk. Su-Th noon-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight. Mediterranean restaurant.
Drink
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Hertford is well provisioned with public houses many of which are supplied by the
12 McMullens brewery. in the town:
- 1 The Blackbirds, 15-17 Parliament Square, SG14 1EX (by the war memorial with the hart statue), ☏ +44 1992 509 286, blackbirds.hertford@stonegategroup.co.uk. 11AM-10PM.
- 2 Dog and Whistle, 112 Fore St, SG14 1AB, ☏ +44 1992 552 274, bookings@dogandwhistlepub.co.uk.
- 3 Hertford House Hotel, 1 Fore St, SG14 1DA (by the war memorial with the hart statue), ☏ +44 1992 517 440, enquiries@hertfordhouse.co.uk.
- 4 Lord Haig, 5 South St, SG14 1AZ, ☏ +44 1992 582 706, lordhaig@hotmail.com. 11AM-10PM. McMullens.
- 5 Lomo Bar and Grill, 25A St. Andrew Street, SG14 1HZ, ☏ +44-1992-587772.
- 6 Old Cross Tavern, 8 St Andrew St, SG14 1JA, ☏ +44 1992 558 061, oldcrosstavern@gmail.com. 4:30-10PM.
- 7 The Practitioner, 76-78 Fore St, SG14 1BY, ☏ +44-1992-532200, practitioner.hertford@mcmullens.co.uk.
- 8 The Snug, 32-36 Railway St, SG14 1BA, ☏ +44-1992-587674, hertford@thesnugbar.co.uk.
- 9 White Hart, Salisbury Square, SG14 1BW, ☏ +44 1992 583 605, whitehart.hertford@mcmullens.co.uk.
- 10 The Woolpack, Mill Bridge, SG14 1PZ, ☏ +44 1992 583 766, woolpack.hertford@mcmullens.co.uk.
Not McMullens
Some town centre pubs that don't sell McMullen's Beer:
- 11 The Hertford Bell, 24 Railway St, SG14 1BA, ☏ +44 1992 551 494. 11AM-10PM. Green King
- 12 The Quietman, 2/4 Fore St, SG14 1BZ (by the war memorial with the hart statue), ☏ +44 1992 517 440.
- 13 The Six Templars, 1 The Wash, SG14 1PS, ☏ +44 1992 517 430. 8AM-11PM. Wetherspoons.
- 14 White Horse, Castle St, SG14 1HH, ☏ +44 1992 500 557. M-Th 4-11PM, F Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-10PM. Fullers
Off Centre
Out of Hertford's town centre:
- 15 The Black Horse, 29-31 West St, SG13 8EZ, ☏ +44 1992 583 630, info@theblackhorse.biz. M-Th noon-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-10:30PM. Traditional free house established in 1817.
- 16 Great Eastern Tavern, 29 Railway Pl, SG13 7BS, ☏ +44 1992 582 048. noon-10PM. McMullens
- 17 The Old Barge, 2 The Folly, SG14 1QD (next to the canal), ☏ +44 1992 581 871. W-F 5-9PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-6PM. Real ale and cider free house.
North
To the north of Hertford in Bengeo:
- 18 The Millstream, 88 Port Vale, SG14 3AF, ☏ +44 1992 582 755, millstreamhertford@hotmail.co.uk.
- 19 White Lion, 59 Bengeo St, Bengeo, SG14 3ET, ☏ +44 1992 509 717.
Coffee and milkshakes
- 20 Hertford Coffee Lab, 6 Bull Plain, SG14 1DT. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 9AM-4PM.
- 21 Shaken Cow, 5 Maidenhead Street, SG14 1DP, info@theshakencow.com. F noon-5PM, Sa 9:30AM-5:30PM, Su 11AM-4PM. A shake bar
- 22 Il Vino Cafe (formerly Talbot Arms), 82 Fore St, SG14 1BY (next to the Post Office), ☏ +44 1992 550 582. 8:30AM-4PM. Italian family-run cafe that becomes a restaurant in the evening. Beautiful facade.
Sleep
- 1 Cinnabar Hotel, 88-96 Fore St, SG14 1AA, ☏ +44 1992 660 660. 4-star hotel with night club and 14 individually decorated rooms. Fair restaurant with extensive wine list. £90-150.
- 2 Number One Port Hill, 1 Port Hill, SG14 1PJ, ☏ +44 1992 587350. Gorgeous arty B&B with three rooms in a Georgian town house. No children under 12 or dogs. B&B double £130.
- 3 Salisbury Arms Hotel (was the Bell), Fore St, SG14 1BZ, ☏ +44 1992 583 091. M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 8AM-8:30PM. Beautiful Grade II* 15th-century McMullens Hotel with white pargeted façades. (Closed for renovation as of Aug 2022.)
- 4 The White Horse Hotel, 234 Hertingfordbury Road, Hertingfordbury (1.4 miles west from Hertford along A414, turn south at Thieves Lane roundabout into Hertingfordbury Village), ☏ +44 1992 586791, info@whitehorsehertingfordbury.co.uk. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. A country inn dating from the 15th-century, this pub with guest rooms is in the quiet village of Hertingfordbury. £90+.
Cope
- 2 Public toilet (adjacent to Six Templars by the entrance to the castle). free.
Go next
The surrounding villages are very attractive and very affluent as the area forms part of London's commuter belt.
- To the east, Ware, 3 mi (4.8 km) miles following the River Lea.
- To the west, Hatfield, 8 mi (13 km) miles along the A414 and another 6 mi (9.7 km) to St Albans.
- To the south west through country lanes to Essendon, Brookmans Park and Potters Bar along the B158.
| Routes through Hertford |
| Cambridge ← Buntingford ← | N  S
|
→ Hoddesdon → London |
| Hemel Hempstead ← Hatfield ← | W  E
|
→ Harlow → Maldon |