Tonwell is a small village in Bengeo Rural parish, Hertfordshire. The village is situated just off the A602 (formerly B1001), having been bypassed in 1987 - making the A10 and therefore

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and

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easily accessible by road. Tonwell has a population of about 300 persons, being included at the 2011 Census in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

of Bengeo Rural. The demographic is similar to that of Hertfordshire itself, with a number of family properties as well as those more suited to elderly people. Near the village are Paynes Hall (south of the village by half a mile, where the A602 crosses the

River Rib The River Rib originates near the East Hertfordshire village of Therfield and runs parallel with the A10 through Chipping, Wyddial, Buntingford, Westmill, Braughing, Puckeridge and Standon, before dividing the villages of Thundridge ...

); Bengeo Temple farm; and the parkland at Sacombe (listed in the landscape character assessment as a rare and significant example of Victorian parkland.) Tonwell has close ties to the neighbouring hamlet of Chapmore End; the only other settlement in the parish. The two settlements have held combined events such as the village fete, and events in the village hall in Tonwell. Village amenities include
school
(built in 1858), village hall, and the Robin Hood and Little John (free house) pub. Tonwell Water Tower

The village shop and

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was closed by the owners in the 1980s and converted into a restaurant, now part of the pub. The nearest food stores or post office are situated in

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 ...

Watton-at-Stone Watton-at-Stone is a village in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated midway between the towns of Stevenage and Hertford in the valley of the River Beane. The 2011 census showed a population of 2,272 living in 946 households. Watton-at-S ...

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, some two to three miles away. There are footpaths from the village but in view of the distance, residents generally have to use their own cars, a taxi or the very infrequent bus service. The Church of St Mary's in Tonwell oEadjoins the village school, and contains a Norman era

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(relocated from St Nicholas' church in Hertford in about 1700). The church also contains wood panelling from the

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, which was installed in the church after the

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following bomb damage. In the 1990s, the church fell into disrepair, and eventually in the 2000s services were suspended. In 2005 the church was officially closed and renovated with the village school being extended into the church to cope with rising pupil numbers.

Tonwell Water Tower

The skyline of the village is dominated by the futuristic 1960s

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most ...

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conjun ...

. In 2007 it was listed at Grade II. The water tower has a capacity of 50,000 gallons and was built in 1964. It was designed by Edmund C. Percey of Scherrer and Hicks. It is now disused and may be converted for residential use.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Hertfordshire Water towers in the United Kingdom