hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
in
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 ...
, England, south-west of
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
near
Chiswell Green
Chiswell Green is a village, to the south of St. Albans, in the parish of St Stephen and district of City of St Albans in Hertfordshire. It has a population of approximately 2,800. It is in the civil parish of St. Stephen.
It is located on the N ...
. It is in the civil parish of
St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
.
History
It is believed by historians that the area around Potters Crouch was originally a part of the
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
town of
Verulamium
Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...
following evidence of 1st century AD Roman debris being found in the area. The name of Potters Crouch is believed to have originated in the 13th century as the home of a potter working in the area. It is speculated that this potter was Richard Le Pottere, who was succeeded by his son William Pottere in the trade. In 1344, it was referred to as Le Pottercrouch. The village was originally owned by the
Earls of Verulam
Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at the same time. Verulam had previously ...
until 1931 when it was handed over to The Crown and managed as part of The
Crown Estates
The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priva ...
.
Since 1977, Potters Crouch and its surrounding area was formally designated a conservation area by
St Albans City and District
The City and District of St Albans () is a local authority district in Hertfordshire in the East of England region. The main urban settlements are St Albans and Harpenden. The council offices are in St Albans.
History
St Albans City and Dist ...
council. The village is served by the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
. In 2012, it was revealed that Potters Crouch had a problem with water pressure following a fire in the same year whereby the
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Hertfordshire, England. HFRS covers an area of and a population of 1.19million.
The service headquarters is located in Hertford whilst the ...
required use of the local water supply, which led to a lower quality of water services provided to local houses.
Pub
Potters Crouch has a pub, the Holly Bush, which was constructed in the 17th century. It became a grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...