Hertford

Hertford ( , HART-fərd) is a market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is the county town of Hertfordshire and lies 20 miles (32 km) north of Charing Cross in Central London. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 29,418 and the built up area had a population of 28,800. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, near its confluences with the rivers Mimram, Beane, and Rib. The Lea is navigable from the Thames up to Hertford. Fortified settlements were established on each side of the ford at Hertford in 913 AD. The county of Hertfordshire was established at a similar time, being named after and administered from Hertford. Hertford Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest and remained a royal residence until the early seventeenth century. Hertfordshire County Council and East Hertfordshire District Council both have their main offices in the town and are major local employers, as is McMullen's Brewery, which has been based in the town since 1827. The town is also popular with commuters, having two railway lines connecting it to London.