Batchworth was once a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and is now a

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and part of

Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in south-west Hertfordshire, England, located approximately north-west of central London, south-west of Watford and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal ( ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. The parish of Batchworth was created on 1 April 2017 consisting of two Three Rivers District Council

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s: Rickmansworth Town, and Moor Park and Eastbury. The first election to Batchworth Parish Council was on 4 May 2017. There are eight councillors; four in each ward. The

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the Canals of the United Kingdom, British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another to Birmi ...

passes through Batchworth. The Batchworth Canal Centre is alongside the Grand Union

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

, near the junction of the A404 and A4145 roads. This is the home of the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust who run a visitors centre, a working heritage boat, a small outdoor cafe and co-ordination of the annual Rickmansworth Canal Festival. The future of the historic cotton mill is uncertain following its need of urgent repairs. Batchworth Sea Scouts have their headquarters alongside the canal. The Batchworth Dragons

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

club were born out of the scout group and competes at a national and international level. Batchworth Lake, created by the extraction of gravel for the original

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, is used for

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two skis. The sport requires sufficien ...

and forms part of Rickmansworth Aquadrome. Batchworth Heath is four hectares (ten acres) of designated

common land Common land is collective land (sometimes only open to those whose nation governs the land) in which all persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

around the junction of Batchworth Heath Hill, Batchworth Lane and White Hill, owned and managed by

Three Rivers District Council 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cul ...

. The habitat is heathland with an ancient pond and rich wildlife. Since July 2015 the site has been listed by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

as a Local Nature Reserve, but according to Three Rivers Council this is an error and they have asked Natural England to remove it from the list. File:Rickmansworth Canal with barge ca 1895.jpg, Batchworth Lock No 81
Under the A404 bridge, Batchworth
''(circa 1895'') File:Batchworth Lock No 81, Grand Union Canal - geograph.org.uk - 1505248.jpg, Batchworth Lock No 81
Grand Union Canal
From the A404 bridge, Batchworth (1977) File:Rickmansworth, The Bury - geograph.org.uk - 1244958.jpg, The Bury File:Grand Union Canal in Rickmansworth - geograph.org.uk - 603417.jpg, Grand Union Canal in Batchworth File:Batchworth Heath 5.JPG, Batchworth Heath File:Rickmansworth Aquadrome 002.jpg, Batchworth Lake

References

Populated places in Hertfordshire Civil parishes in Hertfordshire Three Rivers District {{Hertfordshire-geo-stub

See also

References