Discover Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:High_Street,_Hemel_Hempstead.jpg
Author: Oxfordian Kissuth


Hemel Hempstead is a town in Dacorum district, in Hertfordshire, England. It occupies a chalkland valley where the River Gade meets the River Bulbourne. Hemel Hempstead is 43 km (27 mi) to the north-west of London. It has a population of 81,000 people (2012 estimate).

Although modern-day Hemel Hempstead dates to the post-World War II period, the original town was founded back in the 8th century, and human habitation goes back even further, to Roman times and perhaps earlier. Its name has evolved over time from Henamsted or High Hempstead during Anglo-Saxon time, appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hamelhamstede.

St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hemel_Hempstead_-_St_Mary%27s_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_407742.jpg
Author: Nigel Cox


Perhaps the oldest place of worship in Hemel Hempstead is its parish church of St Mary's, which dates to 1140. With its 61-meter (200-foot) spire, which was built in the 12th century and was one of the tallest in Europe during its construction, St Mary's is regardedas one of the finest Norman-era parish churches in the country.

Hemel Hempstead received a Royal charter in 1539 from King Henry VIII to hold a market on Thursdays and a fair on Corpus Christi Day. Its geographical located between London and the Midlands region benefited it infrastructure-wise, though it remained largely agricultural till the 19th century.

After the Second World War, Hemel Hempstead was cohosed as one of the sites for New Towns to house those displaced by bombings that devastate London. Redevelopment got on the way almost immediately, and the first residents of New Town moved in in April 1949. Today Hemel Hempstead is a well-developed town with many modern amenities and shopping centers. Among the retailers with branches in Hemel Hempstead include Sainsbury's, Debenhams, Waterstones, Starbucks and HMV, among others.

Visiting Hemel Hempstead

From London, take the M1 motorway until Exit 8, which leads towards Hemel Hempstead.

Places of Interest in Hemel Hempstead

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.