Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Hatfield (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Hatfield House, St Etheldreda's Church, and Mill Green Museum. Also, be sure to include University of Hertfordshire in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Hatfield (England).
Table of Contents
Hatfield House
Ornate Jacobean mansion with gardens. Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I. It is a prime example of Jacobean architecture. The estate includes extensive grounds and surviving parts of an earlier palace. The house is currently the home of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury. It is open to the public.[1]
Address: Great North Road, AL9 5ER Hatfield
St Etheldreda's Church
Church in Hatfield, England. St Etheldreda's is the Anglican parish church of Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. Parts of the building are 13th century and there is evidence there was a church here before this in Saxon times. It is situated in the old village of Hatfield just east of the modern town of Hatfield and close to the walls of Hatfield House, once a royal palace. It once also served Hatfield House as a place of worship as well as the village and so is exceptionally grand for a parish church. The dedication to St Etheldreda derives from the Bishops of Ely for whom she is a patron saint and who once occupied the House when it was a bishops' palace.[2]
Address: 1 Fore Street, Hatfield
Mill Green Museum
Museum in Hatfield, England. Mill Green Museum is a working watermill in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The building is listed grade II* and dates from the 17th century. The local museum is in the old miller's house. Three galleries show changing displays of art and local history.[3]
Address: 2 Mill Green Ln, AL9 5PA Hatfield
University of Hertfordshire
Public university in Hatfield, England. The University of Hertfordshire is a public university in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The university is based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield Technical College, was founded in 1948 and was identified as one of 25 Colleges of Technology in the United Kingdom in 1959. In 1992, Hatfield Polytechnic was granted university status by the British government and subsequently renamed University of Hertfordshire. It is one of the post-1992 universities.
Hertfordshire is mainly based at two campuses - College Lane and de Havilland. As of 2021, it has over 25,130 students, including more than 5,200 international students that together represent 100 countries. The university is one of Hertfordshire's largest employers with over 2,700 staff, 812 of whom are academic members of staff. It has a turnover of more than £235 million. The university has 9 schools: Hertfordshire Business School, Computer Science, Creative Arts, Education, Health and Social Work, Humanities (which oversees its CATS programme), Hertfordshire Law School, Life and Medical Sciences, Physics, Engineering and Computer Science and Hertfordshire Higher Education Consortium. Hertfordshire is a member of University Alliance, Universities UK and European University Association.[4]
Hatfield War Memorial
The Hatfield War Memorial is a war memorial beside the Great North Road in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. It was one of 24 war memorials in England designed by Sir Herbert Baker, that were designated as a national collection by Historic England in 2017. The memorial is located near the gates of Hatfield House, and close to Hatfield railway station. It was unveiled in 1921, to commemorate 139 men from Hatfield killed on service during the First World War. A brick pavilion records the names of the dead, with further names added after the Second World War.
The memorial comprises a Portland stone memorial cross, standing within a garden surrounded by brick walls to the north, west and south sides, and a yew hedge to the east, with an entrance gate in the wall to the south. Portland stone tablets with dedications listing the names of the dead are located in a brick shelter pavilion to the north side of the garden.
The memorial cross is a typical Baker design, with an octagonal cross section, standing on an octagonal base. Baker had proposed a similar design of memorial cross to the Imperial War Graves Commission (now Commonwealth War Graves Commission), but a different design by Sir Reginald Blomfield was selected instead: the Cross of Sacrifice familiar at many CWGC cemeteries. Baker used versions of his cross in many of the municipal war memorials that he was commissioned to design after the First World War. He was also responsible for the design of 113 cemeteries on the Western Front, including Tyne Cot, Delville Wood South African National Memorial and Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial.
The central wheel-headed Latin cross is decorated with roses and lilies representing England and France. It stands on an octagonal shaft and simple octagonal plinth, surrounded by a small octagonal pavement, in the centre of a grass lawn. A rectangular pavilion constructed of red brick stands to the north side of the garden, with three round-headed arches facing towards the cross in the south; the arches were later closed by metal railings. The hipped roof of the pavilion is covered with clay tiles, and the brick floor is laid in a herringbone pattern. The solid side and rear walls bear stone plaques with dedications and lists of names. Baker used similar brick shelters at other memorials, including some for the CWGC on the Western Front.
The Portland stone plaques commemorate the 139 servicemen from Hatfield killed during the First World War. The names of a further 58 men and women were added after the Second World War, along with 34 civilians killed in the 503 bombing raids that affected the area, many targeting the de Havilland aircraft factory nearby.
The memorial was built on land to the east of the Great North Road, near the gates leading to Hatfield House. The site was donated by James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury. Construction cost £1,500. The memorial was unveiled on 12 June 1921 by Thomas Brand, 3rd Viscount Hampden (the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, who had commanded a battalion of the Hertfordshire Regiment) and dedicated by the Bishop of Exeter Lord William Cecil (the younger brother of the 4th Marquess). The names of the dead were read out at the ceremony by Lord Salisbury.
The names of a further 58 men and women were added after the Second World War, along with the names of 34 civilians killed in the 503 bombing raids in the district. Two further names were added in 2014. The memorial was repaired in 1998. The main column was heavily weathered by 2013, and it was replaced in 2015.
The memorial became a Grade II* listed building in May 2017. Nearby are the Grade II listed gates leading to the Grade I listed Hatfield House and its Grade I listed park, and a Grade II listed statue of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times.[5]
Howe Dell
Howe Dell is a 4 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Hatfield in Hertfordshire. The declaring authority is Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. The site is woodland which runs along both sides of a stream with steep sides. The main trees are hornbeam, oak and beech. There is access from Honeysuckle Gardens.[6]
Hatfield Park Farm
Farm, Park, Relax in park
Address: Off Church Street, AL9 5HX Hatfield
Hatfield Town Centre
Library
Oxleys Wood
Park in Hatfield, England. Oxleys Wood is a 1.2 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Hatfield in Hertfordshire. The declaring authority is Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. The wood floods in wet weather, particularly the northern part, which has a pond. Tree species include oak, ash, elm and willow, and they provide a habitat for insects which provide food for birds.
There is access from Deerswood Avenue opposite Badgers Way.[7]
Jim Mcdonald Centre
Address: 3 Mcdonald Court, High View, Hatfield
Motion-Media
Address: The Innovation Centre, Hatfield