Hertfordshire - 58 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is one of the home counties in southern England. The county covers an area of 634 square miles. The county derives its name from a hart and a ford, used as the components of the county's coat of arms and of the flag. Hertfordshire County Council is based in Hertford, once the main market town.

Types of Attractions in Hertfordshire

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Hertfordshire

Hatfield House

Hatfield House

Iconic Buildings

A majestic castle built by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I, from 1607 to 1611. There is a marvellous collection of pictures, furnishings and historic armour on display. The estate has been in the Cecil family for 400 years - one of England's foremost political families. Hatfield House is the home of the 7th Marquess of Salisbury.

Hatfield Park

Hatfield Park

Iconic Buildings

Botanical Gardens

Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, just 21 miles north of London, is a fine Jacobean House and Garden in a spectacular countryside setting. It is a prime example of Jacobean architecture. The estate includes extensive grounds and surviving parts of an earlier palace. The house, currently the home of 7th Marquess of Salisbury, is open to the public.

Henry Moore Foundation (Henry Moore Studios & Gardens)

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens is the workplace and family home of 20th-century sculptor Henry Moore: with over 70 acres of sculpture gardens & rolling fields. It has a display of over 20 of Moore's world-famous, monumental sculptures; showcasing his work as he intended, against the landscape he shaped. The Foundation supports innovative sculpture projects through a global grants program, runs exhibitions and research worldwide, and conserves the legacy of Moore himself.

Hertford Museum

Hertford Museum was established by brothers Robert Thornton Andrews and William Frampton Andrews in 1903. The Museum cares for in excess of 100,000 objects. Collections include archaeology, paper ephemera, ethnography, fine art, geology, natural history, photographs, social history and the Hertfordshire Regiment collection.

Howard Park

Howard Park and Gardens is a vital green space in the heart of the town surrounded by mature trees and with formal gardens around the bowls area. It also has quiet areas for reading or relaxation. Created as a central part of the world’s first garden city in Letchworth the park continues to play an important role in the life of Letchworth and makes a significant contribution to the quality of life of those who live and work in or visit the town.

Knebworth House

Knebworth House

Iconic Buildings

Knebworth House was the former Home of the Lytton family for over 500 years, Knebworth was transformed in 1843 from a red brick Tudor house into a veritable feast of Victorian Gothic turrets, gargoyles and gryphons, by writer-statesman Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Other notable family members include Lady Constance Lytton, Hertfordshire’s own Suffragette and the Edwardian architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who married into the Lytton family.

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority comprises of 10,000 acre park with its huge variety of award winning green spaces, world class sports venues and ecologically vital wildlife havens. The park was created by a unique Act of Parliament as a “green lung” for London. Now over 50 years on, the Authority has world class sporting venues, award winning green spaces and habitats in its portfolio.

Lee Valley White Water Centre

Lee Valley White Water Centre

Man-made Structures- Other

Lee Valley White Water Centre is a white-water slalom centre, that was constructed to host the canoe slalom events of the London 2012 Olympic Games. It offers a range of white water activities including white water rafting on the London 2012 Olympic course, corporate days, hen and stag parties, children's parties, and much more.

Lowewood Museum

Lowewood Museum showcases the history of the Borough of Broxbourne. Discover the history of the local area from prehistoric times to the present day. Explore the stories of those who have lived and worked here, from Royal Academy artist James Ward to the Pulhams of Broxbourne, one of the most important garden designers of the Victorian era.

Mill Green Museum and Mill

Mill Green Museum is a restored 18th century working flour mill powered by water to produce flour and demonstrate historic milling practices. Its heart is a working watermill, with 18th and 19th century wooden machinery restored to full working order. It is in regular use to grind organic wheat for a local bakery and for retail sale. Visitors can explore the mill, see it working and chat to the miller on duty. Flour is sold in various sizes.

Moor Park

Moor Park

Parks

Iconic Buildings

Moor Park is a Palladian mansion set within several hundred acres of parkland to the southeast of Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is called Moor Park Mansion because it is in the old park of the Manor of More. It now serves as the clubhouse of Moor Park Golf Club. The house is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England, and the landscaped park is listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens

New River

New River

Lake/ River/ Ponds

The New River is neither new nor a river. It is a water supply aqueduct, completed in 1613, to bring drinking water from Hertfordshire to North London. It used to go from New Gauge in Hertford down as far as Sadlers Wells in Clerkenwell but now the overground waterway now ends at Stoke Newington though there are some ornamental waters along its route south of Stoke Newington.

Old Gorhambury House

Old Gorhambury House

Man-made Structures- Other

Old Ruins

A once immense mansion constructed in 1563-8 by the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Nicholas Bacon. A prolific builder, Sir Nicholas spent many years expanding and adapting the residence - the showpiece of which was undoubtedly an elaborate and expensive porch adorning the entrance. The house was built partly from bricks taken from the old Abbey buildings at St Albans, then in process of demolition following the Benedictine priory's dissolution some 25 years earlier.

Oughtonhead Common Nature Reserve

Oughtonhead Common is a Local Nature Reserve with a wide variety of wildlife habitats. The River Oughton flows alongside the common. Park seats are installed at various locations by the riverside making it a pleasant place to relax and enjoy. The site has a variety of habitats, including wet and dry woodland, the river margin and fen areas. Willow, reed and rush were formerly grown and harvested in the wetter areas, and there was a corn mill at the eastern end. Birds include kingfishers, water

Oxhey Park

Oxhey Park is one of Watford's most iconic parks with the picturesque River Colne flowing through it. With a footbridge, play area, outdoor gym, entrances, new railings and hard landscaping including public art and the central stairway, this is now once again a very well used park in Watford but which recognises its historic connections to the former Wiggenhall Estate.

Panshanger Park

Panshanger Park is a 1,000-acre site situated between Welwyn Garden City and Hertford. It was a heaven for the prople and wildlife. The park contains the largest maiden oak in the country, with a circumference of 7.6 meters. It is believed to have been planted by Queen Elizabeth I. Acorns from the tree have been used as seedlings for notable oaks in other parts of the country, such as the Prince Consort Oak in the Forest of Dean. Winston Churchill planted a sapling from the tree in the park and

Paradise Wildlife Park

Paradise Wildlife Park is a majestic family-run animal park located in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England. The zoo is home to over 800 animals including Amur tigers, white lions, snow leopards, European wolves as well as African penguins, red pandas, Green anacondas, Two-toed sloths, lemurs, meerkats, Bactrian camels, Plain's zebras, Brazilian tapirs, and many more.

Redbournbury Mill

Redbournbury Mill

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

Redbournbury Mill is a fully restored 18th century working watermill on the River Ver just north of St Albans. The mill produces and sells stoneground organic flour, with the adjacent bakery producing a variety of bread from the mill’s organic flours.

River Lee Country Park

River Lee Country Park

Outdoors- Other

River Lee Country Park is a 1,000-acre park with a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy, great for families with young children to couples, walkers, cyclists, and wildlife watchers. The park follows the course of River Lee and has green spaces, country parks, nature reserves, and lakes and sports centers.

Roman Theatre of Verulamium

The Roman Theatre of Verulamium was built in about 140AD it is the only example of its kind in Britain, being a theatre with a stage rather than an Amphitheatre. Initially, the arena would have been used for anything from religious processions and dancing, to wrestling, armed combat and wild beast shows. The theatre differs from the typical Roman theatre in being built on a site that is only slightly sloping, and in its plan.

Map of attractions in Hertfordshire

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