The town of Hertford is divided in to four areas called wards. These wards are named Bengeo, Sele, Kingsmead and Castle. However, these names don't necessarily reflect the locales they are named after. As examples, there are parts of Bengeo ward that are in the town centre, and there are parts of Sele that are beyond the modern estate.

Castle Ward covers much of the south of Hertford, including the town centre south of the River Lea.

Of the four wards in Hertford, Castle is the largest, reaching from Hertingfordbury in the west to Rush Green in the east - a distance of 5km.

It is a diverse ward with large expanses of green space, housing and employment land, retail and leisure.

In the Census of 2021 there was a population of 9632.

The boundaries of Castle Ward were recently changed by The Boundary Commission. Following the changes, Castle ward became smaller with some areas being moved to the Bengeo ward and Kingmead ward.

Castle Plus is the name given to the new Castle ward and the parts of Bengeo and Kingsmead that were lost following the boundary changes. In other words, the old Castle ward.

Castle Plus also refers to the area not yet covered by a Neighbourhood Plan - of which more below. The town's other three wards have a Neighbourhood Plan, leaving just the old Castle ward without one. However, this is about to change, as Hertford Town Council and the residents of the ward begin the process of drawing up plan for the future within the old boundary.

Map showing the area covered by Castle Plus
(Hertford Town Council)

So what is a Neighbourhood Plan?

Neighbourhood Plans give communities direct powers to shape the development and growth of their local area. The Localism Act 2011 introduced the right for communities to set planning policies that have statutory weight, which are used by the local authority to determine planning applications. Neighbourhood Plans do not replace or override the District’s Local Plan policies, but do have the same legal status.

Contents

In the rest of this feature we'll look in more detail at character of the area.

Residential
Employment
Green Spaces
Amenities
Heritage Assets
The Green Belt

North of the A414

The north-east of Castle Plus includes both modern and Victorian residential properties to the east of the town centre. This includes Ware Road and associated back streets, such as Currie Street, Talbot Street, Villiers Street and Townshend Street

Junction of Ware Road and Townshend Street

Closer to the town centre there are more modern builds in Mill Road and Mead Lane, along with recent additions to the town centre, such as Lea Wharf, Dolphin Yard and Bircherley Court.

The last 20 years have seen over 500 new homes built around Mill Road and Mead Lane

The town centre is a mixed-use area with shops and businesses sitting alongside homes. This is exemplified by the new Lea Wharf development at Bircherley Green, where shops, restaurants and health facilities are found at ground level with homes above.

Lea Wharf has added 98 homes to the town's housing stock

South of the Town Centre

To the south of the town centre are the Victorian streets of Queens Road, Hagsdell Road, Mangrove Road, Morgans Road and Highfield Road.

To the south-west are the town's early council houses in Pearson Avenue and the Hornsmill Estate. Nearby is the more modern Mandeville Road and Tanner Crescent.

Queens Road became residential in the early 20th Centtury

Early council houses on the Horns Mill estate

Modern houses in Mandeville Road

West of the Town Centre

Residential streets to the west of the town centre include some to the north and south of Hertingfordbury Road, including Sele Road, Riversmeet, Willowmead and Beckets.

West Street is notable for its period properties.

Also to the west of the town centre is the abandoned Leahoe House and Leahoe Gardens, a small development of delapidated mid-20th Century homes.

West Street has a high concentration of listed buildings, with many homes dating back to the 17th and 18th Centuries

Leahoe House is an abandoned mansion built in 1876

No longer fit for human habitation, there are 34 homes in Leahoe Gardens

Hertingfordbury

The village of Hertingfordbury is around a mile to the west of the main town.

Hertingfordbury appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hertfordingberie, meaning "Stronghold of the people of Hertford".

The River Mimram runs through the village, which is in the Green Belt and a recognised conservation area.

Mead Business Centre

To the north of the Hertford East railway branch line is the Mead Business Centre, one of a number of employment areas in the Castle Plus area. Businesses such as Herts & Essex Printers, The Fine Confectionery Company, Fumair and MD Electrucal can be found here.

Caxton Hill

South of Ware Road is Caxton Hill, named after printer William Caxton, and home to printers Stephen Austin Ltd. The former gravel pits became an industrial estate in the 1950s and has been home to some of the town's largest employers, including Fluorocarbon and Altro Floors.

The ageing estate has been demolished and is currently being redeveloped.

Mimram Road

Also built aroud the middle of the 20th century is the industrial estate in Mimram Road, south of Hertingfordbury Road. The buildings are now in a poor state of repair and the future of the site is uncertain.

Could these poorly maintained buildings make way for new homes?

County Hall

Until recently, County Hall was the administrative centre of the county council and the largest employer in the town.

The building in Pegs Lane opened in 1939, replacing Shire Hall in the town centre. The building was extended to provide modern office space, meeting rooms and a canteen and restaurant in the 1970s.

County Hall has become increasing expensive to maintain any many administrative staff have now been relocated to offices in neighbouring towns. The council chamber continues to be used by councillors.

The main frontage of County Hall is a Grade II listed building

The site is now being advertised "for disposal" by Saville's on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.

Madford Retail Park

Just east of the town centre of the town's only retail park, hosting a small number of retailers including Majestic Wines, Wickes, Pets At Home, Matalan and Costa Coffee.

Planning permission has recently been granted for a food store on the site.

Madford Retail Park was created following the breakup of the Addis estate

The Town Centre

With over 250 shops, restaurants, bars and service retailers, along with offices and other commercial premises, the town centre is a major employment area. Much of this is located south of the river in the Castle Plus area.

Elsewhere

As well as a farm shop there are also business units available at Foxholes

Balls Park

Balls Park features 63 acres of parkland including lawns, topiary yew trees and a spoon shaped canal surrounded by ornamental tress and shrubs.

The Mansion was built between 1637 and 1640 by Sir John Harrison, and extended in the 18th century to feature a substantial service and stable wing.

In 1901 the estate was sold to the Faudel-Phillips family, who enlarged the house by removing a series of service buildings and constructing a new west wing.

Following the death of Sir Lionel Faudel-Phillips in 1940, the estate was sold to Hertfordshire County Council and used as a teachers' training college.

A secondary school was built on the north-west corner of the site, opening in 1958. Originally called Balls Park Secondary Modern School, it is now an all-through school known as Simon Balle School.

The park is open to the public and popular with dog walkers.

Morgan's Walk

The tree-lined Morgan's Walk was the approach to Brickendonbury, a Georgian house that was later a private preparatory school for boys, and a training centre for agents and resistance workers in industrial sabotage during the Second World War.

The house itself itself is not in the Castle Plus area, but part of the walk and surrounding agricultural fields are. A stream known as the Ashbourne meanders north to south between Morgans Walk and Mangrove Road.

Fields surrounding Morgan's Walk

Terrace Wood

To the east of the Hertford Loop railway line is Terrace wood and surrounding fields, used for growing crops and grazing cattle.

The former Hertingfordbury railway also passes from east to west, now part of the popular Cole Green Way.

The former brickfields in Terrace Wood

Fields to the south of Terrace Wood are used for grazing cattle

Cole Green Way

Cole Green Way is a six mile rail trail used by walkers, cyclist and horseriders, following the path of the former Welwyn Line from Hertford to Welwyn Garden City

The Castle Grounds

The grounds of Hertford Castle are a popular open space and frequently used by the town council for events. The grounds are made up of the moat garden - adjacent to West Street, the main lawn in front of the castle, and the island to the north of the river. The Castle Plus boundary follows the river, so the island is not actually part of area.

Major improvements to the grounds of the castle are planned if a lottery grant is approved.

County Hall Field & Wood

Leahoe House and the surrounding estate were purchased by Hertfordshire County Council in the 1930s. This allowed for the construction of County Hall and the relocation of the council from Shire Hall in the town centre.

The site includes a wood and former cricket pitch. The associated pavilion burnt down in August 2023

County Hall Wood

County Hall field

Schools

There are two secondary schools in the Castle Plus area - Richard Hale and Simon Balle All-through School. Both are academies.

There are also two primary schools - Abel Smith and Morgan's Primary & Nursery.

St.Joseph’s in The Park is a private school in Hertingfordbury.

Simon Balle was originally a secondary school but is now all-through

Richard Hale is the town's oldest school, having been established in the 17th century.

County Hospital

Hertford County Hospital provides a wide range of outpatient, ante/postnatal, diagnostic and therapeutic services.

BEAM

Previously known as Castle Hall, and then Hertford Theatre, the recently redeveloped building now features two auditoria, three cinema screens, community meeting spaces and two cafes.

The site has been used for entertainment for over a century, with a cinema built next to the castle gates in 1914.

BEAM opened in 2024

Churches

There are four churches in the area - the largest being All Saints close to the town centre. St.Joseph's Catholic Church is also close the the town cenre, with Hertford Methodist Church in Ware Road and St.Mary's in Hertingfordbury.

St.Joseph's catholic church in St.John's Street

The Castle Plus area has a wealth of heritage assets, many in the town centre.

Listed buildings and structures in the C+ area include The Corn Exchange, Shire Hall and the former Christ's Hospital school.

A listed building or structure is included in the National Heritage List for England because of its special architectural or historic interest.

Both the town centre and village of Hertingfordbury are Conservation Areas. A Conservation Area is an area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance. They are designated by the Council. Currently, there are 42 conservation areas in East Herts.

In this section we look at a small random selection of the historic buildings that can be found in Castle Plus.

Hertingfordbury Mill

The Grade II listed former corn mill at Hertingfordbury was built in the mid-19th century and operational until 1933.

The Corn Exchange

The Corn Exchange was built on the site of the former Hertford Gaol in Fore Street and completed in 1859. Previously grain was traded in an arcade on the ground floor of Shire Hall.

The Corn Exchange is now a live music venue

Addis Building

The original Addis office building in Ware Road was built in 1935 and is rare example of a streamlined 'moderne' design of the 1930s.

The toothbrush manufacturer was one of the largest employers in Hertford and the business later expanded in to plastic housewares.

The factory closed in 1996 and most of the buildings were demolished to make way for housing.

The original Addis building in Ware Road

Whilst the building to the right of the main entrance is listed, the larger complimentary 1950s building to the left is not.

Morgans School

Some might be surprised to learn that Morgans School is a listed building. It is regarded as a well preserved example of the Hertfordshire County Council system of prefabricated schools developed in the post-war years.

The informal plan is set around a higher assembly hall, and slightly lower space shared by the entrance hall and dining hall. All classrooms face south.

Morgans School opened in April 1950

War Memorial

Parliament Square was created after the First World War by the clearance of shops and cottages which occupied the centre. The stone came from the same quarry as for The Cenotaph, Whitehall.

The War Memorial was unveiled by the Mayor of Hertford, Alderman J Burnett-Smith, on 6th November 1921.

Much of the Castle Plus area is Green Belt and protected from development by the national planning law.

The aim of the Green Belt is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.

Green Belt serves 5 purposes:

• to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas
• to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another
• to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment
• to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns
• to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land

The last local review of the Green Belt was in 2015, before the adoption of the District Plan in 2018. With a new plan currently in its early stages, a further review of the green belt may become necessary to accommodate new homes.

The Green Belt around Hertford

In Conclusion

Castle Plus is the last of Hertford's areas not to be covered by a Neighbourhood Plan.

It is arguably the most diverse area of Hertford, made up of communities living in both urban and rural settings.

The District Plan governs planning policy across East Herts, and a Neighbourhood Plan will add important detail to the policies therein.