Hatfield is a town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...

, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess of Salisbury, forms the nucleus of the old town. From the 1930s when

de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...

opened a factory until the 1990s when

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...

closed it, aircraft design and manufacture employed more people there than any other industry. Hatfield was one of the post-war

New Towns A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

built around London and has much modernist architecture from the period. The University of Hertfordshire is based there. Hatfield lies north of London beside the A1(M) motorway and has direct trains to

London King's Cross railway station King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United Kin ...

, Finsbury Park and Moorgate. There has been a strong increase in commuters who work in London moving into the area. In 2022, TV property expert Phil Spencer named Hatfield as the second best place to live for regular commuters to London, based on train times, house prices and the attractions the town has.

History

Early history

During the early

period, Hatfield was known as 'Hetfelle'. However, when King Edgar gave to the monastery of Ely in the year 970, it had become known as 'Haethfeld'. Hatfield is recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as the property of the Abbey of Ely, and unusually, the original census data which compilers of Domesday used survives, giving us slightly more information than in the final Domesday record. No other records remain until 1226, when Henry III granted the

Bishops of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of north- ...

rights to an annual four-day fair and a weekly market. The town was then called Bishop's Hatfield. Hatfield House is the seat of the Cecil family, the Marquesses of Salisbury. Elizabeth Tudor was confined there for three years in what is now known as The Old Palace in Hatfield Park. Legend has it that she learnt here of her accession as queen in 1558, while sat under an oak tree in the Park. She held her first Council in the Great Hall (The Old Palace) of Hatfield. In 1851, the route of the Great North Road (now the A1000) was altered to avoid cutting through the grounds of Hatfield House. The town grew up around the gates of Hatfield House. Old Hatfield retains many historic buildings, notably the Old Palace,

St Etheldreda ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

's Church and Hatfield House. The Old Palace was built by the Bishop of Ely,

Cardinal Morton John Morton ( – 15 September 1500) was an English cleric, civil lawyer and administrator during the period of the Wars of the Roses. He entered royal service under Henry VI of England, Henry VI and was a trusted councillor under Edward IV ...

, in 1497, during the reign of Henry VII, and the only surviving wing is still used today for Elizabethan-style banquets.

St Etheldreda's Church St Etheldreda's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Ely Place, off Charterhouse Street in Holborn, London. The building is one of only two surviving in London from the reign of Edward I, and dates from between 1250 and 1290. It is dedicated ...

was founded by the monks from Ely, and the first wooden church, built in 1285, was probably sited where the existing building stands overlooking the old town. The church of St Etheldreda, well situated towards the top of the hill, contains an Early English round arch with the dog-tooth moulding, but for the rest is Decorated and

Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It c ...

, and largely restored. The chapel north of the chancel is known as the Salisbury chapel, and was erected by

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the ...

, who was buried here. It is in a combination of classic and Gothic styles. In a private portion of the churchyard is buried, among others of the family,

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen ...

Aerospace industry

In 1930 the

airfield and aircraft factory was opened at Hatfield and by 1949 it had become the largest employer in the town, with almost 4,000 staff. It was taken over by

Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...

in 1960 and merged into

in 1978. In the 1930s it produced a range of small biplanes. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

it produced the Mosquito fighter bomber and developed the

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

, the second British production jet aircraft after the Gloster Meteor. After the war, facilities were expanded and it developed the

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...

airliner (the world's first production jet liner), the

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mar ...

airliner, and an early

bizjet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...

, the DH125. British Aerospace closed the Hatfield site in 1993 having moved the

BAe 146 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro Internation ...

production line to Woodford Aerodrome. The land was used as a film set for

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

's movie '' Saving Private Ryan'' and most of the BBC/ HBO television drama '' Band of Brothers''. It was later developed for housing, higher education, commerce and retail. Today, Hatfield's aviation history is remembered by the names of certain local streets and pubs (e. g. Comet Way, The Airfield, Dragon Road) as well as ''The Comet Hotel'' (now owned by Ramada) built in the 1930s. ''The Harrier Pub'' (formerly ''The Hilltop'') is actually named after the Harrier bird, not the aircraft, hence the original pub sign showing the bird. The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, at Salisbury Hall in nearby London Colney, preserves and displays many historic de Havilland aeroplanes and related archives.

New Town

The Abercrombie Plan for London in 1944 proposed a

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in Hatfield. It was designated in the New Towns Act 1946, forming part of the initial Hertfordshire group with nearby

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Steven ...

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948). It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and ...

and

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a new ...

. The Government allocated for Hatfield New Town, with a population target of 25,000. Brett, Lionel, ''Hatfield New Town'', Report of the Hatfield Development Corporation, 1949 (By 2001 the population had reached 27,833.) The Hatfield Development Corporation, tasked with creating the New Town, chose to build a new town centre, rejecting Old Hatfield because it was on the wrong side of the railway, without space for expansion and "with its intimate village character, out of scale with the town it would have to serve." They chose instead St Albans Road on the town's east–west bus route. A road pattern was planned that offered no temptation to through traffic to take short cuts through the town and which enabled local traffic to move rapidly. Hatfield retains New Town characteristics, including much modernist architecture of the 1950s and the trees and open spaces that were outlined in the original design. As of 2017, a redevelopment of the town centre was planned.

Sport

Hatfield Town F.C. plays

Non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is s ...

at Gosling Sports Park. The Welwyn Garden City Hockey Club are a field hockey club based in Hatfield. Hatfield Athletic Football Club competes in the Herts Senior County League and plays its games at Lemsford. The town has a public swimming pool and four sports/leisure centres (two with indoor swimming pools).

Governance

Hatfield is part of Welwyn Hatfield borough council in the county of Hertfordshire and is twinned with the Dutch port town of Zierikzee. Hatfield is part of the Welwyn Hatfield constituency, which also includes

. The

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Welwyn Hatfield is

Grant Shapps Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who is serving as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since October 2022. He previously served as Secretary of State for Transport in the Johnson governm ...

, a Conservative.

Climate

Hatfield experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cfb'') like most of the United Kingdom.

Culture and recreation

Hatfield has a nine-screen Odeon cinema, a stately home (Hatfield House), a museum (Mill Green Museum), a contemporary art gallery (Art and Design Gallery), a theatre (The Weston Auditorium) and a music venue (The Forum Hertfordshire). There are shopping centres in the new town: the Galleria (indoor shopping centre), The Stable Yard (Hatfield House), and three supermarkets (ASDA, ALDI and Tesco).

Education

Hatfield contains numerous primary and secondary schools, including St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School, Howe Dell Primary School, Countess Anne School, Onslow St Audrey's School, Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School and the independent day and private boarding girls' school Queenswood School (only to name a few). In addition to the important areas in the town, the University of Hertfordshire is also included by many. A large section of the airfield site was purchased by the University and the £120-million de Havilland Campus, incorporating a £15-million Sports Village, was opened in September 2003. The university has closed its sites at

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

and

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, n ...

; faculties situated there have been moved to the de Havilland Campus. The equine branch of the

Royal Veterinary College , mottoeng = Confront disease at onset , established = (became a constituent part of University of London in 1949) , endowment = £10.5 million (2021) , budget = £106.0 million (20 ...

is based in Hatfield.

Places of interest

* Hatfield House * Hatfield War Memorial *The Forum Hertfordshire (music venue) University of Hertfordshire. In 2011, the music video for Ed Sheeran's Lego House, featuring

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

's Rupert Grint, was filmed in Hatfield. Filming took place at The Forum venue, located on University of Hertfordshire, College Lane campus. Filming of the video took place during Sheeran's performance at the venue on 8 October 2011. Many students were involved during filming, as they made up most of the audience at the Forum that day. * Mill Green Museum and watermill *Art and Design Gallery (contemporary art gallery) University of Hertfordshire *The Weston Auditorium (theatre and cinema) University of Hertfordshire *The Galleria *Hatfield Business Park, the former de Havilland plant, later BAE Systems Hatfield, was used as a location for '' Saving Private Ryan'' (film) and '' Band of Brothers'' (TV series).

Transport

Hatfield is to the north of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It is from London Luton Airport. The

A1(M) A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the cap ...

runs through a tunnel beneath the town, which is also close to the M25. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was the northern terminus of the

Hatfield and Reading Turnpike The Hatfield and Reading Turnpike was an England, English Toll road, turnpike road created in the 1760s to provide a route that connected the Great North Road (Great Britain), Great North Road (the modern A1) with the A5 road (Great Britain) ...

that allowed travelers from the north to continue their journey to the west without going through the congestion of London. The East Coast railway line from London to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

runs through the town, separating the old and new parts. A commuter service connects

Hatfield railway station Hatfield railway station serves the town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. The station is managed by Great Northern. It is measured from on the East Coast Main Line. History Hatfield was formerly the junction of a branch to St Al ...

London King's Cross King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United Kin ...

. A new railway station and car park opened in late 2015. The frequent train service runs direct from Hatfield Station to London King's Cross (21 minutes) via Finsbury Park (16 minutes, Victoria Underground Line) on fast trains running two or three times an hour. An additional train service calls at all stations to Moorgate in the City of London. Hatfield is well served by buses with regular services to all nearby towns and villages and as far as North London. Bus services are run by Uno, Arriva and Centrebus who are all part of the local Intalink Partnership. There was a fatal

rail crash A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an acc ...

at Hatfield in 2000, which brought track-maintenance deficiencies to public attention. A garden beside the

East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running b ...

was built as a memorial to the crash victims.

Notable residents

Business

* Michael Birch (born 1970), founder of the social network

BEBO Bebo ( ) was an American social networking website that originally operated from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2013 and relaunched in February 2021. The site relaunched several times after its bankruptcy with a number of short-lived offerings, ...

, lived in Hatfield. * Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882–1965), founder of De Havilland Aircraft Company * Jack Olding (Henry John Douglas Olding, fl. mid-20th c.), wartime tank and tractor importer, came from Hatfield.

Music and dance

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

, a 1970s rock band, came from Hatfield. * Colin Blunstone (born 1945), of the Zombies lived in Hatfield. *

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such ...

(born 1941), folk musician, was born in Hatfield. * Sandra Conley (born 1943), principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. *

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

(born 1946), folk musician, moved to Hatfield at the age of 10 and spent the rest of his childhood there. * Barbara Gaskin (born 1950), pop singer, No. 1 with "It's My Party". *

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...

(1926–2016), record producer for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, lived in Hatfield in the 1950s. * Alan Shacklock (born 1950), pop musician and record producer, lived in Hatfield. * Sal Solo (Christopher Scott Stevens, born 1961), rock singer, was born in Hatfield. * Mick Taylor (born 1949),

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

guitarist 1969–1974, grew up in Hatfield. * Tracey Thorn (born 1962), lead singer of Everything But The Girl, was born in Hatfield and attended Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School.

Politics, nobility and royalty

(c. 1563–1612), statesman *

Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

(1830–1903), Conservative politician, lived at Hatfield House and was buried at St Etheldreda Church. * Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury (1893–1972), Conservative politician * William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779–1848), prime minister, was buried at St Etheldreda Church. * Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784–1865), prime minister *Elizabeth Tudor, later

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

(1533–1603), lived at Hatfield House (Hatfield Old Palace). *

Malcolm Wicks Malcolm Hunt Wicks (1 July 1947 – 29 September 2012) was a British Labour Party politician and academic specialising in social policy. He was a member of parliament (MP) from 1992, first for Croydon North West and then for Croydon North, unt ...

(1947–2012), Labour Party politician and Minister for Energy, was born in Hatfield.

Religion

Walter Curle Walter Curle (or Curll; 1575 – 1647) was an English bishop, a close supporter of William Laud. Born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, he was educated at St Albans School and at Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated c. 1592), transferri ...

(1575–1647),

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except ...

and a close supporter of William Laud, was born in Hatfield. * John Morton (c. 1420–1500), Cardinal and

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nor ...

, built Hatfield Old Palace.

Science and scholarship

* L. H. Sumanadasa (1910–1986), aviator and university founder, learned to fly at Hatfield. * John Tradescant the elder (c. 1570s–1638), botanist, gardener and naturalist, was head gardener at Hatfield House.

Sports

* Keith Abbis (born 1932), Brighton and Hove Albion footballer * Samir Carruthers (born 1993), Sheffield United footballer, is from Hatfield. * Matthew Connolly (born 1987), QPR defender, lived and attended primary school in Hatfield. * Iain Dowie (born 1965), West Ham player, QPR manager & BBC pundit, was born and raised in Hatfield and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Hertfordshire. * Valentine Faithfull (1820–1894), first-class cricketer and clergyman, was born in Hatfield. *

Rodney Marsh Rodney William Marsh (born 11 October 1944) is an English former footballer and football coach; he later worked as a broadcaster. A forward, he won nine caps for England between 1971 and 1973, scoring one international goal. Brought up in th ...

(born 1944), QPR footballer, is from Hatfield. * Francis Pember (1862–1954), first-class cricketer, was born in Hatfield. *

Billy Joe Saunders Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British professional boxer. He is the first fighter from the Travelling community to win world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title from 2015 to 2018 and the W ...

(born 1989),

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...

middleweight world champion boxer * Korey Smith (born 1991)

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

footballer was born and grew up in Hatfield

Stage, media and film

Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom ''The Kumars at No. 42''. H ...

(born 1963), comedian and broadcaster, lived in Hatfield whilst studying at the University of Hertfordshire. * John Cazabon (1914–1983), actor on stage, screen and radio, was born in Hatfield. * Pippa Haywood (born 1961), television, stage and radio actress, was born in Hatfield. * Diane-Louise Jordan (born 1960), television presenter, grew up in Hatfield. * David Kossoff (1919–2005), broadcaster and father of Paul Kossoff of the 1960s rock band Free, lived in Hatfield. * Derek Martin (born 1933), actor known especially for role of

Charlie Slater Charlie Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Derek Martin. Charlie's first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000. He is played by Jason McGregor in fla ...

in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' *

Gerry Northam Gerald Douglas Edward "Gerry" Northam (born 28 June 1947) is a British BBC Radio presenter and an investigative journalist. Early life He was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. He grew up in Cricklewood and Edgware, in what was the heart of Midd ...

(born 1947), radio presenter and investigative journalist, was born in Hatfield. * Guy Ritchie (born 1968), film director famous for '' Snatch'' and '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'', was born in Hatfield. *

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again f ...

, born in Hatfield.

Writing

* Moniza Alvi (born 1954), poet and writer, grew up in Hatfield. *

Barbara Cartland Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) published as Barbara Cartland was an English writer, known as the Queen of Romance, who published both contemporary and historical romance novels, the latter set primarily duri ...

(1901–2000), author of romances, lived in Hatfield. *

Geoffrey Drage Geoffrey Drage (17 August 1860 – 7 March 1955) was an English writer and Conservative Party politician. He was concerned particularly with the problems of the poor. Early life and family Drage was the son of Dr Charles Drage (1825–1922) ...

(1860–1955), non-fiction writer and politician, was born in Hatfield. *

Nathaniel Lee Nathaniel Lee (c. 1653 – 6 May 1692) was an English dramatist. He was the son of Dr Richard Lee, a Presbyterian clergyman who was rector of Hatfield and held many preferments under the Commonwealth; Dr Lee was chaplain to George Monck, afte ...

(c. 1653–1692), poet and playwright, was born in Hatfield, where his father was rector.

Nearby towns and villages

* Bell Bar * Borehamwood * Brookmans Park *

Colney Heath Colney Heath is a large village in Hertfordshire, England. The village became a civil parish in 1947 when the St. Peter Rural parish was split to form Colney Heath and London Colney. There is a converted windmill in the village. The civil pari ...

* Lemsford, village within Hatfield civil parish *

Letty Green Letty Green is a village in the parish of Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, England. St John’s Church, Letty Green, the deconsecrated former parish church, is a grade II listed building, and Woolmer's Park country house is grade II* listed an ...

* London Colney * Newgate Street, village within Hatfield civil parish * Potters Bar *

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ...

* Welham Green *

References

{{Authority control Towns in Hertfordshire Civil parishes in Hertfordshire New towns in England New towns started in the 1940s