HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
As you’d expect in a village with over one hundred and fifty years of history, Hertford Heath has many interesting buildings.
There are thirty-seven Grade II Listed buildings in the Parish. They include the Goat, Holy Trinity Church and the College Arms.
The War Memorial
The stone cross in memory of the fallen heroes of Hertford Heath was built in November 1920. Funding came from a churchyard fund with the balance met by the generosity of Mrs Florence Barclay.
The cross is an exact copy of the cross of St Martin at Iona and bears the inscription “Greater love hath no man than this man lay down his life for his friends.” Every year on the Sunday nearest to Armistice Day (11th November), a brief service is held at the War Memorial to remember those from the village who died in action in two world wars.
1914-1918
During World War I, more than 200 men from Hertford Heath were involved. Thirty-four men never returned and three more died from their wounds after their return. Their names are inscribed on the memorial.
Arthur Akers | Charles Akers | Henry Akers | James Akers | William G Brown | William E Bulley | Joshua R Camp | William Camp | Cecil Chandler | Frank Chapman | Frank Childs | Charles H Coles | Frederick J Coles | George Coles | Sydney J Cox | Albert Croft | Arthur A Fletcher | Thomas S. Fletcher | William Gee | Charles J. Gray | Horace Gray | John W Huson | William H Huson | George W Ives | Harry E Judd | John Judd | Thomas Locking | Walter Middleton | Abel Pomfret | Charles Pratt | Harold E F Turner | Frederick G Ward | Henry West | William H West
1939-1945
Ten men from Hertford Heath lost their lives in World War II and their names are also listed on a plaque in the Village Hall.
Noah Ansell | William G Craxford | Alfred G Dickenson | Robert L Frank | Ernest Griffin | John F Hawkins | Jim B Hornett | John P Hyatt | John F Law | Sydney J Rider
The War Memorial was last expertly cleaned by Independent Memorial Inspection in August 2020.
Drinking Fountain on the Village Green
The drinking fountain on the village green dates back to 1898 and is Grade II listed. Standing at three metres tall it’s hard to miss.
At the turn of the Century, much of the village water supply would have been from Artesian wells. The well that supplied the fountain was over 200 feet deep. Most homes in the village connected to the mains water supply around 1908-10 when the Metropolitan Water Board ran a main through the village.
The Board refused to connect the drinking fountain to the main supply at the time, fearing that owners would use it for free instead of the expense of a water supply to their homes.
The fountain was cleaned and restored in 2015.
Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church was built in 1863 as the parish church of Little Amwell on land donated by Viscount Townshend the Lord of the Manor. One hundred years on in 1963 a lynch gate was built to commemorate the centenary.
Its location on the village green makes the church a popular place for weddings and baptisms. The small, friendly Anglican congregation, meet at 10am every Sunday and Thursday and at other times as detailed on the church website. Young people are an essential part of the church and are welcomed to all services. There are also many special activities just for them.
If you are researching your family history or want to find out about relatives who lived in Hertford Heath, the registers of baptisms, weddings and funerals exist back as far as1863, but only the current parish registers are held at Holy Trinity.
All previous registers have been deposited in the Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies Service, in County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford. Anyone can use this service and there is no charge for consulting records.
For more information, visit the CHURCH WEBSITE
The Mission Room
The Mission Room was built in 1882 in Vicarage Causeway. Since that time, it has been used almost constantly by local clubs and organisations.
The records from these organisations reveal some fascinating stories. In 1908 for example, food prepared by the evening cookery classes held in the Mission Room was available at cost price to locals every Friday.
The old village school
The old village school was founded in 1837 as a ‘National School’ for boys and girls and remained as such until 1947. It was built on land provided by the Marquess Townshend.
Originally, the school was built to cater for up to seventy-five boys and seventy-five girls and was closely connected to Haileybury who provided teaching staff. In 1891 an extension was added for forty-five infants.
Although the school became a state school in 1947, it remained closely linked with the church. By 1957, the school was overcrowded but it was not until 1966 before a new school was built. The old school buildings were converted to housing, proving to be a popular spot for house hunters due to the village green outlook.
The current Hertford Heath Primary School and Nursery currently caters for around one hundred and seventy pupils.
More information can be found on the SCHOOL WEBSITE.
Haileybury
The most significant event in the history of Hertford Heath was the foundation of a college at Haileybury by the Honourable East India Company. The land was purchased by them in 1805.
The original College buildings surround a large grassed quadrangle. The Chapel Dome, that can be seen from miles around was erected in 1877. The village grew steadily at this time, and many people moved in to work at the College which provided housing for many of them.
In 1858, the College closed for a few years following a Government act ‘to relieve the East India Company from the obligation to maintain a college at Haileybury’. The buildings were converted to a boy’s school, opening in 1862.
Over the years, many new buildings and facilities have been added. Today, Haileybury is a co-educational boarding and day school for ages 11-18 offering a stimulating environment for boys and girls to challenge themselves, discover their identity and develop into confident and generous adults.
For more information, please visit the HAILEYBURY WEBSITE