Butts Close is an park in the town of

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

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 govern ...

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.

Facts and events

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

used to practice archery at Butts Close when he visited Hitchin. Between WWI and WWII, on the north side of Butts Close there was sited a tank, allegedly "Fearless" but actually a different model from the real "Fearless," and a 16cm German Howitzer. They were popular play areas for local children, but were taken away just before World War II and scrapped. {{Coord, 51, 57, 08, N, 00, 17, 00, W, display=title Parks and open spaces in Hertfordshire Hitchin