Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Hitchin (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: St Mary's Church, British Schools Museum, and Hitchin Priory. Also, be sure to include Hitchin Town Hall in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Hitchin (England).
Table of Contents
St Mary's Church
Church in Hitchin, England. St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England.
St Mary's Church is the largest parish church in Hertfordshire, and is remarkably large for a town of the size of Hitchin—this has been cited as evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade. The present church stands on the site of two previous churches and dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, with its tower dating from around 1190. The church has been Grade I listed since 1951.
During the laying of a new floor in the church in 1911, foundations of a more ancient Saxon church building were found. In form, they appear to be a basilican church of a 7th-century type, with a later enlarged chancel and transepts, perhaps added in the 10th century. These may have been the remains of a Benedictine monastery said to have been first on the site and to have been founded by Offa, King of Mercia (r. 757–796).[1]
British Schools Museum
Museum in Hitchin, England. The British Schools Museum is an educational museum based in original Edwardian and Victorian school buildings in Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. The museum complex is made up of Grade II listed school buildings housing infants, girls and boys schools with houses for Master and Mistress. It includes a monitorial schoolroom based on the educational theories of Joseph Lancaster for 300 boys, which opened in 1837, and a rare galleried classroom, dating from 1853.[2]
Address: 41/42 Queen Street, SG4 9TS Hitchin
Hitchin Priory
Hitchin Priory in Hitchin in Hertfordshire is today a hotel built in about 1700 on the site of a Carmelite friary founded in 1317, which was closed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII. Parts of the original priory are incorporated in the existing building, which has been a Grade I listed building on the Register of Historic England since 1951.[3]
Address: Tilehouse St, SG5 2DL, Hitchin
Hitchin Town Hall
Event venue in Hitchin, England. Hitchin Town Hall is a municipal structure in Brand Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Hitchin Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.[4]
Address: Brand Street, Hitchin
Queen Mother Theatre
Theatre in Hitchin, England. The Queen Mother Theatre is a modern purpose-built theatre located on Walsworth Road in Hitchin in Hertfordshire. Named for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the theatre offers a varied programme of amateur productions. It is the home of the local performing group the Bancroft Players and the critically acclaimed Big Spirit Youth Theatre founded in 1984 and which included the actor Ben Whishaw among its members.
In 1977 the Bancroft Players made plans for a purpose-built theatre in Hitchin and launched an appeal for £80,000 to begin work. At first the fundraising efforts were slow but by 1981 the group was able to make a start; however, the £8000 raised from the 1981-1982 season was insufficient to complete the build. In September 1982 the foundation stone was laid by Jimmy Hill, the President of the Appeal to raise the funds for the new theatre. At the same ceremony local resident Richard Whitmore told the assembled crowd that Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who had connections with the area, had been approached for permission to name the theatre after her. It was suggested to her that the new theatre be named the Queen Elizabeth Theatre but instead she suggested the alternative name The Queen Mother Theatre. Thus the theatre has the distinction of being the United Kingdom's only theatre to carry this name.
The theatre finally opened in 1983 with a production of A Man for All Seasons. Since then the theatre has been extended to include a larger foyer and a new workshop and studio, now named the Richard Whitmore Studio. The actor Ben Whishaw was a member of the youth group Big Spirit Youth Theatre based at the theatre.[5]
Address: Walsworth Road, SG4 9YA Hitchin
Hitchin Cemetery
Burial ground. Hitchin Cemetery, also known as St John's Road Cemetery, is the main burial ground for the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The cemetery is located on Hitchin Hill, with Standhill Road running along the north-western boundary and St. John's Road along the south-eastern boundary. It has been owned and managed by North Hertfordshire District Council since 1974 and has a Chapel which can accommodate about 50 mourners which is available for the burial of all faiths.[6]
Purwell Meadows
Nature preserve in Hitchin, England. Purwell Meadows is an 8.6 hectare nature reserve in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1994. It is owned and managed by North Hertfordshire District Council.
The River Purwell runs through the meadows: it has been modified to provide power to a watermill which is no longer in operation. Wildlife includes kingfishers and water voles.
There is also a football pitch, a basketball court and a junior play area.
There is access from Cambridge Road, Purwell Lane and Willian Road.[7]
Oughtonhead Common
Nature preserve in Pirton, England. Oughton Nature Reserve in Hitchin in Hertfordshire is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. The 6.2-hectare site on the north bank of the River Oughton is not publicly accessible, but it can be viewed across the river from Oughtonhead Common.
The site has a variety of habitats, including wet and dry woodland, the river margin and fen areas. Willow, reed and rush were formerly grown and harvested in the wetter areas, and there was a corn mill at the eastern end. Birds include kingfishers, water rails and woodcock, and there are mammals such as water shrews.[8]
Address: Oughtonhead Common, Hitchin
Butts Close
Park in Hitchin, England. Butts Close is an 11-acre park in the town of Hitchin, Hertfordshire that used to once be a sporting ground for archery. The name refers to the archery butts that used to be on it during the Late medieval and Tudor times. During those years it was much larger but in the last centuries buildings such as a leisure centre and grammar school have been built on it. The remaining Butts Close is still used for modern fêtes and other special occasions though.[9]
Oughtonhead Lane
Oughtonhead Lane is a 0.9 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The local planning authority is North Hertfordshire District Council. The site has been identified as of national importance in the Geological Conservation Review.
The site probably dates to the Hoxnian interglacial 420,000 to 300,000 years ago. It was then a marsh fed by springs, and it has a tufa which contains fossil land snails and mammal bones which show the climate and local environmental conditions.
The site is a public lane and a shallow trench would be required to expose the geology.[10]
Westmill
Westmill is a residential area of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It was originally built as a council housing estate in the 1920s. There is a primary school, Oughton Junior, Infant and Nursery School. It forms part of Oughton ward for local government purposes.
It is close to the Oughtonhead Common, a Local Nature Reserve, and Oughtonhead Lane, a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.[11]