Welwyn

Not to be confused with Welwyn Garden City.

Coordinates: 51°49′52″N 0°12′54″W / 51.831°N 0.215°W / 51.831; -0.215

Welwyn
St Mary the Virgin, Welwyn
Welwyn  Welwyn shown within Hertfordshire
Population	3,254
OS grid reference	TL225165
District	Welwyn Hatfield
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELWYN
Postcode district	AL6
Dialling code	01438
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Welwyn Hatfield
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Welwyn ( /ˈwɛlɪn/) is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The parish also includes the villages of Digswell and Oaklands. It is sometimes called Old Welwyn to distinguish it from the newer settlement of Welwyn Garden City, about a mile to the south.

History

Situated in the valley of the River Mimram, Welwyn was first settled in the Iron Age^{[citation needed]}. The Belgae colonised the area in the 1st century BC^{[citation needed]} (although the Catuvellauni are more often associated with this area) and later it was settled by the Romans. Many Roman artifacts have been found, and the remains of a Roman bath house may be visited. Much later, in the 17th century, as it lies on the old Great North Road, it became an important staging post and a number of coaching inns remain as public houses. After the Great Northern Railway by-passed the village due to the objections of local landowners, Welwyn became less important. Having previously been seen as a town on par with Hatfield and Stevenage, it gradually was seen as a village. The 20th century brought major expansion to the area, as estates to the south, west and north of the village were built up.

A Norman church was built on the site about 1190. The nave of the present church (St Mary's), was built in the 13th century, the chancel arch being the most obvious early structure. There are two medieval corbels at the east end of the south aisle. Patronage of the church passed through several hands until in 1549 it was sold to the Wilshere family, who lived at The Frythe until relatively recently.

Transport

Welwyn was noted for its congestion since the beginning of the 20th century and in 1927 got what is claimed to be the first by-pass in Britain. The A1 was upgraded to motorway standards north of Welwyn in the 1960s and in 1973 the motorway was extended south past the village, by-passing the existing by-pass. Today the village is the point where the 6-lane motorway merges into 4-lanes and is the site of extensive traffic jams in the evening peak. A decade ago there were extensive plans to widen the whole road through the area to 8 lanes, and upgrade the existing junction to create a long one-way system running the length of the village. These plans were shelved, but recently plans to provide a climbing lane at least on the section north of the village have been discussed.

Buses are provided by Arriva and Centrebus, with some assistance from Hertfordshire County Council. Arriva's 300/301 Centraline service links Welwyn to the major nearby towns of Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, as well as neighbouring villages Woolmer Green and Knebworth. The 301 additionally connects both the nearby hospitals in Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, while the 300 provides a direct link to recreational areas such as Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City and Verulamium Roman town in St Albans. Buses run every 15 minutes Monday-Friday, every 20 minutes Saturday, and hourly on Sunday. Additional bi-hourly service 314 is provided by Centrebus, connecting Welwyn to Codicote and Hitchin.

Green Line Coaches 797 stops on the by-pass, providing an hourly direct link to areas of North London and the West End.

The nearest railway station is Welwyn North railway station in the nearby village of Digswell, about a mile east from the village. Trains are operated by First Capital Connect and run every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday south to London and north to Hitchin and Stevenage, with an hourly service to Letchworth and Cambridge and to Peterborough. On Sundays an hourly service operates from London to Cambridge only. There is no bus link to the station, although buses do link to nearby Welwyn Garden City railway station.

Education

There are two schools in Welwyn.

The larger school is Welwyn St. Mary's Church of England Primary School, situated off London Road which takes children aged between 4 and 11 years of age (Reception to Year 6). Originally built in 1940 as a secondary school,^[1] the school was later converted to a primary school. The second is Oaklands Primary School, which incorporates Acorns Preschool and Playgroup.

There is also Tenterfield Nursery School which is situated on London Road close to the primary school. It takes children aged 3 to 4 years of age.

Secondary education is provided through schools in nearby towns, such as Monks Walk School, in Welwyn Garden city, and Stanborough School near Stanborough Lakes.

Local Points of Interest

The village has a brief association, celebrated by a blue plaque on a building on Church Street, with Vincent Van Gogh, who visited his sister (having walked from London) while she was staying in Welwyn.

In the fields surrounding the nearby Danesbury House, now converted into accommodation, is a dilapidated and neglected former fernery designed by Anthony Parsons (then Gardener for the Danesbury Estate)^[2] and constructed by the second James Pulham (known as James 2, being the second of four successive James Pulhams within that family) of James Pulham & Son fame in 1859^[3][4]. It was built in a small chalk pit in the grounds of Danesbury Park and has a fine view across the valley - sadly now occupied by the A1(M) motorway. In its day it was well admired, with one W Robinson (writing in "The English Flower Garden", published in 1883), stating that "In the home counties there is probably not a better fernery than at Danesbury."^[5]

See also

• Population figures (PDF)
• The Artful Potter - Pottery Painting for Adults and Kids
• Card Inspirations - Card Making Classes and Shop

References

1. ^ Welwyn St Mary's School Website
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ Works of James Pulham & Son
4. ^ [2]
5. ^ [3]

External links

Media related to Welwyn at Wikimedia Commons