Watford, a town located in the northern home counties, boasts several notable features such as Cassiobury Park, which was previously the manor estate of the Earls of Essex, and Watford Football Club, a professional team.
The town’s origin dates back to an Anglo-Saxon settlement situated between a ford of the River Colne and the intersection of two ancient tracks. St Albans Abbey claimed rights to the manor of Cashio, which included Watford. The construction of the parish church of St Mary the Virgin in 1230, along with stalls for a weekly market, took place on the same site as an earlier Saxon church.
Watford’s growth was modest until the 17th century, when the 17th-century houses of Cassiobury and The Grove were developed, primarily assisted by travellers en route to Berkhamsted Castle and the royal palace at Kings Langley. The Grand Junction Canal’s introduction in 1798, followed by the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837, enabled the town to develop more quickly. Paper mills, such as John Dickinson and Co. at Croxley, had a significant impact on printing’s evolution in the town, which continues today.
Two industrial-scale brewers, Benskins and Sedgwicks, flourished in the town until their closure in the late 20th century. Currently, Watford serves as a major regional centre for the northern home counties, with Hertfordshire County Council designating it, along with Stevenage, as its major sub-regional centre. Additionally, the town contains several national companies’ head offices.
Watford became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894 and was granted municipal borough status by charter in 1922. As of the 2011 census, the borough had 90,301 inhabitants. The urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District separates the borough from Greater London to the south.
Watford Metropolitan Line station is located at the end of a branch of the London Underground.
