Hatfield: Hertfordshire New Town Built Around an Airfield and a Jacobean Palace
Hatfield has two identities. The old town, centred on Hatfield House, is genuinely historic. The house, a Jacobean mansion completed in 1611 for Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, sits in a 42-acre park and is one of the finest country houses in England. Elizabeth I was at the Old Palace (which still stands in the grounds) when she learned she had become queen in 1558. The new town, designated in 1948, was built around the de Havilland aircraft factory where the Comet, the world's first commercial jet airliner, was produced. The Comet first flew from Hatfield Aerodrome in 1949. The airfield closed in 1993, and the site has been redeveloped as the University of Hertfordshire's de Havilland campus and the Hatfield Business Park.
The population is around 39,000. The Galleria, a large outlet shopping centre built in the shell of a former aircraft hangar, dominates the retail scene. The old town centre on Park Street, below Hatfield House, has a quieter character with a handful of pubs and independents. Hatfield station is on the East Coast Main Line's suburban services, with trains to London King's Cross in about 25 minutes. The A1(M) runs past the eastern edge. The University of Hertfordshire brings roughly 25,000 students into the area. For those interested in adult companionship in the Welwyn Hatfield area, the fast rail connection to King's Cross and the A1(M) access put central London, St Albans, and Stevenage all within easy reach.
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Hatfield has two identities. The old town, centred on Hatfield House, is genuinely historic. The house, a Jacobean mansion completed in 1611 for Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, sits in a 42-acre park and is one of the finest country houses in England. Elizabeth I was at the Old Palace (which still stands in the grounds) when she learned she had become queen in 1558. The new town, designated in 1948, was built around the de Havilland aircraft factory where the Comet, the world's first commercial jet airliner, was produced. The Comet first flew from Hatfield Aerodrome in 1949. The airfield closed in 1993, and the site has been redeveloped as the University of Hertfordshire's de Havilland campus and the Hatfield Business Park.
The population is around 39,000. The Galleria, a large outlet shopping centre built in the shell of a former aircraft hangar, dominates the retail scene. The old town centre on Park Street, below Hatfield House, has a quieter character with a handful of pubs and independents. Hatfield station is on the East Coast Main Line's suburban services, with trains to London King's Cross in about 25 minutes. The A1(M) runs past the eastern edge. The University of Hertfordshire brings roughly 25,000 students into the area. For those interested in adult companionship in the Welwyn Hatfield area, the fast rail connection to King's Cross and the A1(M) access put central London, St Albans, and Stevenage all within easy reach.
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