Street Names In Hertford
Many streets, squares and yards in Hertford bear the names of noteworthy individuals that have connections with the town. Others have names that reflect their heritage, such as Priory Street or Tanners Crescent.
Local dignitaries have have lent their names to streets, Thomas Fanshaw and A.J.Balfour amongst them. Names such as Duncombe and Dimsdale can be found on pubs as well as streets (although the latter closed in the 1990s). Cecil, Salisbury, Gascoyne. Townshend and Villiers all reflect the role played by The House Of Cecil in the town's history.
The main street in the town centre is named Fore Street, parallel to which ran the lesser Back Street, now known as Railway Street.
Some streets are named after pubs, such as Maidenhead Street and Bull Plain. The Maidenhead closed in 1933 and was later occupied by Woolworths. The Bull Inn is now a camera shop.
Shown below are some street names in the town and details of their origins.
| Albion Close | built on the site of The Albion Inn |
| Archers Close | built on the site of William Archer's scrap metal yard |
| Ashbourne (ditch) | a small stream also known as The Gulphs or The Quicks |
| Baker Street | named after William Baker, Mayor of Hertford 1931-1939 |
| Balfour Street | Named after the Hon.A.J.Balfour, Hertford's MP who became Prime Minister in 1902. |
| Birdie Way | many of the roads on the Pinehurst Estate are named after golfing expressions. The estate was built on land that was once part of East Herts Golf Club |
| Bull Plain | Named after The Bull Inn, which occupied no.15, recently Dress In Love and previously Hertford Cameras. On older maps it is shown as Honey Lane. |
| Byde Street | Named after Sir Thomas Byde, Recorder of London in 1669, who rebuilt the mansion at Ware Park. |
| Carde Close | Edward Carde was Mayor three times in the 17th century |
| Calton Avenue | Joseph Calton was Mayor four times in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. |
| Cecil Road | Named after William Cecil, the second Earl of Salisbury. |
| Claud Hamilton Way | This new road is named after Claud Hamilton, who was the chairman of the Great Eastern Railway from 1893 to 1922. |
| Cockbush Avenue | Named after Cockbush (or Corkbush) Field, the location of the Corkbush Field Mutiny during the English Civil War. |
| Cranbourne Close | Named after Lord Cranbourne, a Hertford MP. |
| Cowbridge | A drover's route into town. Cattle were driven into town over Cowbridge to the market in Old Cross and latterly Bull Plain and then The Ram. |
| Cowper Crescent | After the Earls of Cowper, owners of Panshanger Park |
| Cromwell Road | Named after Oliver Cromwell, who came to the town to quell a mutiny amongst his men during the English Civil War. |
| Currie Street | Named after the early 19th century MP. |
| Davies Street | Originally Railway Terrace, Davies Street is named after Dr.John Davies, lardlord of the properties. He came to Hertford in 1827 and was appointed surgeon to the local militia, later becoming physician to the Infirmary and County Gaol. He was also elected Mayor in 1835. |
| Desborough Close | The Desborough family owned Panshanger Park from 1905 - 1952 when it was sold and the mansion demolished. |
| Dimsdale Street | Probably named after Sir John Dimsdale, a prominent Hertford doctor, who presented the main gates of Christ's Hospital to the school. He later became Baron Dimsdale. |
| Dolphin Yard | Next to the site of the former Glove and Dolphin Inn which existed until 1768 |
| Duncombe Road | Named after Thomas Duncombe, Hertford's Radical MP of the early 19th Century. |
| Fairfax Road | Named after Thomas Fairfax, commander-in-chief of the seventeenth century New Model Army. He came with Oliver Cromwell to the town to quell an uprising in the ranks. |
| Fanshawe Street | Bears the name of Sir Richard Fanshawe, one time owner of Ware Park. |
| Farquhar Street | Sir Minto Farquhar was MP for Hertford from 1857 until his death in 1864. |
| Frampton Street | Named after William Frampton Andrews, who, with his brother, built the houses on Folly Island. The brothers also established the Museum. |
| Gallows Hill | The town gallows stood at the top of the hill south of Stansted Road. |
| Gascoyne Way | Named after the Gascoigne Family. |
| Glovers Close | So-called because of the glove factory that stood on the site, owned by Webb & Co. |
| Holden Close | James Holden 1885-1907 was Locomotive Superintendent of Great Eastern Railways. Holdens Close is built on the site of the first Hertford East station built in 1843. The present station was built in 1888. |
| Hornsmill Road | was previously Horns Road. Horns Mill was originally the Brickendonburry Mill but by 1834 was colloqially called Horns Mill after the Harts Horns Inn wich is recorded as early as 1714. The mill was demolished in 1972 after Webb & Co leather dressers and glove manufacturers closed down. |
| Market Place | The site of the town's medieval market |
| Market Street | The market moved here in 1890 after buildings immediately to the west of the Corn Exchange were demolished to make way for the street. |
| Maidenhead Street | Named after the 17th century Maidenhead Inn, which stood on the site now occupied by Poundstretcher. It was previously known as Cordwainers' Street. |
| Mill Bridge | Reputedly a mill stood in the town centre by The River Lee for over a thousand years. The last - Illots Mill - was demolished in 1967. |
| Old Cross | A market cross stood here to indicate a place for markets and fairs. |
| Palmer Close | Palmer Close and Palmer Road are both named after Mayor Andrew Palmer, who served during the English Civil War. |
| Parliament Square | Created in 1921 by the clearance of buildings on the site and named after Parliament Row, a now partially demolished cottages in which parliament met during the 16th century plague. Queen Elizabeth I was frequently at Hertford Castle during this time. |
| Pegs Lane | William Peg built the first cottages here around 1800. |
| Port Hill | Probably from the Latin porta (a gate). The cutting provides a gateway in to the town from Bengeo and beyond. |
| Priory Street | Named after The Hertford Priory, which stood on the site. |
| Purkiss Road | Beleived to be named after Alexander Purkiss Ginn, Freeman of the Town and major during the early part of the 20th century. |
| Riversmeet | Riversmeet is close to the confluence of the Rivers Lea and Mimram. |
| Sele Farm | Sele Manor was listed in The Domesday Book of 1086 |
| Smeaton Court | Smeaton Court, which lies next to the river, is named after civil engineer John Smeaton, who made improvements to the River Lee Navigation between 1765 and 1770. |
| St.John's Street | Named after the church of St.John, which stood on the site. |
| Talbot Street | Rev.William Talbot and Robert Bourke purchased the land for redevelopment around 1860 |
| Tanners Crescent | So named because of the leather tannery that stood on the site, owned by Webb & Co. |
| The Wash | So called because it was liable to flooding by the River Lee. |
| Thornton Street | Named after Robert Thornton Andrews, who, with his brother, built the houses on Folly Island. The brothers also established the Museum. |
| Villiers Street | Together with Townshend Street, is named after John Villiers Townshend, the fifth Marquess of Salisbury of Hatfield |
| Vixen Drive | Some of the roads on the Foxholes estate have vulpine related names, including Reynards Way, Cublands and Foxes Close. |
This article was last updated on Thursday 9th July 2020