Hitchin () is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

in the

North Hertfordshire North Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth Garden City and the largest town is Hitchin. The district also includes the towns of Baldock and Royston ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

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 ...

, England. The town dates from at least the

7th century The 7th century is the period from 601 through 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. The spread of Islam and the Muslim conquests began with the unification of Arabia by the Islamic prophet Muhammad starting in 622 ...

. It lies in the valley of the

River Hiz The River Hiz is a small () tributary river in Hertfordshire that feeds the River Ivel that, in turn, feeds the River Great Ouse. Starting at its source of a chalk fed spring just south of the village of Charlton, the river winds its way thr ...

at the north-eastern end of the

Chiltern Hills The Chiltern Hills or the Chilterns are a chalk escarpment in southern England, located to the north-west of London, covering across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire; they stretch from Goring-on-Thames in the south- ...

. It is north-west of the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils 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 (crossing), ford on ...

, and north of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The population at the 2021 census was 35,220. Hitchin grew around a market place and the adjoining parish church of

St Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

on the western banks of the River Hiz. At the southern end of the town centre is

Hitchin Priory Hitchin Priory in Hitchin in Hertfordshire is today a hotel built in about 1700 on the site of a Carmelites, Carmelite Priory, friary founded in 1317, which was closed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII of Engla ...

, a former

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

dating back to 1317, which was partially rebuilt into a large country house with extensive parkland following the dissolution of the monasteries. The

ancient 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 ...

of Hitchin covered a large rural area as well as the town itself, including several

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

which subsequently became separate parishes, including Langley, Preston,

St Ippolyts St Ippolyts (historically St Ippollitts) is a village and civil parish on the southern edge of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. As well as the village itself, the parish includes the hamlet of Gosmore and southern parts of the Hitchin built up ...

and

Walsworth Walsworth is a part of the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It was originally a village about a mile north east of the town, and later became incorporated into it, although it is still referred to as a village by some locals. Hitchin ...

. The town's economy was historically based on serving as the market town for the surrounding agricultural area, which was primarily arable with some sheep farming.

Lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

has long been grown in the fields around the town, and an early industry in the town was lavender distilleries. The Great Northern Railway built its main line from

London King's Cross King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the List of busiest railway stations in ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

through the town;

Hitchin railway station Hitchin railway station serves the market town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It is located approximately north east of the town centre and north of London King's Cross railway station, London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Unti ...

opened with the line in 1850. The Cambridge line opened shortly afterwards, diverging from the main line just north of Hitchin, which therefore became an important junction station. The A1 motorway passes Hitchin a short distance to the east. The town's historic character and accessibility make it popular with

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

History

Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people, a tribe holding 300 hides of land as mentioned in a 7th-century document,Gover, J E B, Mawer, A and Stenton, F M 1938 ''The Place-Names of Hertfordshire'' English Place-Names Society volume XV, 8 the

Tribal Hidage Image:Tribal Hidage 2.svg, 400px, alt=insert description of map here, The tribes of the Tribal Hidage. Where an appropriate article exists, it can be found by clicking on the name. rect 275 75 375 100 w:Elmet rect 375 100 450 150 w:Hatfield Ch ...

. Hicce, or Hicca, may mean ''the people of the horse.'' The tribal name is

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

and derives from the Middle Anglian people. The ancient

Icknield Way The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills. Background It is generally said to be, withi ...

runs just north of Hitchin, passing through the neighbouring village of

Ickleford Ickleford is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It lies immediately north of the town of Hitchin, from which it is separated by the River Oughton. It lies west of the River Hiz and to the ea ...

. It has been suggested that Hitchin was the location of '

Clofesho The Councils of Clovesho or Clofesho were a series of synods attended by Anglo-Saxon kings, bishops, abbots and nobles in the 8th and 9th centuries. They took place at an unknown location in the Kingdom of Mercia. Location The location of the p ...

', the place chosen in 673 by

Theodore of Tarsus Theodore of Tarsus (; 60219 September 690) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 668 to 690. Theodore grew up in Tarsus, but fled to Constantinople after the Persian Empire conquered Tarsus and other cities. After studying there, he relocated to ...

the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

during the

Synod of Hertford The Council of Hertford was the first general council of the Anglo-Saxon Church. It was convened in Anglo-Saxon ''Herutford,'' most likely modern Hertford (but Hartford, Cambridgeshire has been proposed), in 672 by Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop ...

, the first meeting of representatives of the fledgling

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

churches of

Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval England covers the period from the end of Roman Empire, Roman imperial rule in Roman Britain, Britain in the 5th century until the Norman Conquest in 1066. Compared to modern England, the territory of the ...

, to hold annual synods of the churches as Theodore attempted to consolidate and centralise Christianity in England. By 1086 Hitchin is described as a

Royal Manor 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 priv ...

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

: the feudal services of

avera and inward In medieval England, avera and inward (or inguard) were feudal obligations assessed against a royal demesne. The terms refer to various services rendered to the crown in lieu of payment in coin. ''Avera'' is connected with carrying items by horse ...

, usually found in the eastern counties, especially

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

and

, were due from the

sokemen __NOTOC__ The term ''soke'' (; in Old English: ', connected ultimately with ', "to seek"), at the time of the Norman conquest of England, generally denoted "jurisdiction", but its vague usage makes it lack a single, precise definition. Anglo-Saxo ...

, but the manor of Hitchin was unique in levying inward. Evidence has been found to suggest that the town was once provided with an earthen bank and ditch fortification, probably in the early tenth century but this did not last. The modern spelling of the town first appears in 1618 in the ''"Hertfordshire Feet of Fines"''. Hitchin History - geograph

The name of the town also is associated with the small river that runs through it, most picturesquely in front of the east end of

St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations. Notable uses of the term may refer to: Albania ...

, the town's parish church. The river is noted on maps as the

. Contrary to how most people now pronounce the name, that is to say as spelt, the 'z' is an abbreviated character for a 'tch' sound in the Domesday Book (as in the name of the town). It would have been pronounced 'River Hitch'. ''The Hicca Way'' is an walking route along the River Hiz Valley, believed to have been used for trade between the Danes and English in the Anglo-Saxon age. It is also likely that Hitch Wood, which lies some south of the town also derives its name from the Hicce tribe, who gave their name to Hitchin. St Marys Hitchin

St Mary's Church is remarkably large for a town of its size and was once a minster. The size of the church is evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade. It is the largest parish church in

. Most of the church dates from the 15th century, with its tower dating from around 1190. During the laying of a new floor in the church in 1911, foundations of a more ancient church building were found. In form, they appear to be a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

n church of a 7th-century type, with a later enlarged

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

and

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s, perhaps added in the 10th century. This makes the church older than the story (not recorded before the 15th century) that the church was founded by

Offa Offa ( 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death in 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of ...

, king of

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

757-796. In 1697, Hitchin (and the nearby village of

Offley Offley is a civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The main village is Great Offley, also known as Offley, which stands on a ridge of high ground. The parish covers most of the area between the towns of Hit ...

) were subject to what is thought to have been the most severe

hail Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...

storm in recorded British history. Hailstones over 4 inches in diameter were reported. Hitchin lavender fields

In the High Medieval Period the town was surrounded by open arable fields, divided into shotts and narrow strips, that survived into the early 19th century. The town flourished on the wool trade, the sheep being pastured on the high hills to the south. By the 17th century the town was a staging post for coaches coming from

. By the middle of the 19th century the railway had arrived, and with it a new way of life for Hitchin. Hitchin established itself as a major centre for grain trading after the

Corn Exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchanges. Such trade was common in towns ...

was built in the

market place A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

in 1853. Hitchin was also a centre for manufacturing products from the lavender which was cultivated in the surrounding area, with multiple lavender distilleries operating in the town. The latter half of the 20th century has also brought great changes in communication to Hitchin. Motorways have shortened the journey time and brought

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

, a few miles away on the M1, and the A1 (M) even closer. By the close of the 20th century, Hitchin had developed a strong commuter interest being midway between London and Cambridge. Hitchin also developed a fairly strong

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

community based around the

area. During the medieval period, both a priory (Newbigging, now known as The Biggin) and a friary (now known as

) were established, both of which closed during

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

's Dissolution of the Monasteries. They were never reformed, although The Biggin was for many years used as

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

s. The

British Schools Museum The British Schools Museum is an educational museum based in original Edwardian and Victorian school buildings in Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. The museum complex is made up of listed school buildings housing infants, girls and boys schoo ...

in Hitchin is home to the world's only surviving complete Lancasterian Schoolroom, which was built in 1837 to teach boys by the Lancasterian method (

peer tutoring Peer mentoring is a form of mentorship that usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific experience (peer mentor) and a person who is new to that experience (the peer mentee). An example would be an experienced student bein ...

). This unique community project demonstrates the foundation of education for all. Girton College – a pioneer in women's education – was established on 16 October 1869 under the name of College for Women at Benslow House in Hitchin, which was considered to be a convenient distance from Cambridge and London. It was thought to be less 'risky' and less controversial to locate the college away from Cambridge in the beginning. The college moved to Cambridge a few years later and adopted its present name,

Girton College Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the univ ...

Governance

Hitchin is in the

. There is no town council in Hitchin, which is an

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...

, administered directly by

North Hertfordshire District Council North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, with higher order functions provided by

Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England. The council was created in 1889. It is responsible for a wide range of public services in the county, including social c ...

. Residents elect 13 members to the

. There are five electoral wards in Hitchin: Bearton,

Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...

Oughton Oughton is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolphus Oughton (c. 1685–1736), British Army officer and politician *Diana Oughton (1942–1970), American radical *Duncan Oughton (born 1977), New Zealand (soccer) footballer *Geor ...

, Priory and

. The 13 Hitchin councillors on the district council meet as the Hitchin Committee. The town is represented in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

by the constituency of

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...

. The incumbent Labour Party MP for the former Mid Bedfordshire constituency

Alistair Strathern Alistair Luke Strathern (born 5 March 1990) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hitchin since 2024. He previously served as MP for Mid Bedfordshire after winning a by-election in 2023. E ...

was elected in 2024. Before 1997 Hitchin was included in the constituency of

. From 1997-2024 it was in the constituency of

Hitchin and Harpenden Hitchin and Harpenden was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1997 general election until 2024 general election. The seat was represented by the Conservative Party for the duration of its existence. F ...

Parish

The

of Hitchin covered an extensive rural area as well as the town itself, including Langley, Preston and

; the latter became a separate parish in the middle ages. The parish of Hitchin was administered by its

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

, in the same way as most rural areas; no borough corporation was established for the town, despite some limited moves in that direction in the thirteenth century. Hitchin also gave its name to one of the hundreds of Hertfordshire. The Hitchin

Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...

was established in 1835, covering the parish of Hitchin and many of the surrounding parishes in north-western Hertfordshire, plus the parish of Holwell which was in Bedfordshire. In 1891 the parish had a population of 9,510.

Local Board

In 1850 a

local board of health A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...

was established for the town. Such boards were created under the Public Health Act 1848, and were focussed on improving public health in towns. The first election to the Hitchin Local Board was held on 2 May 1850. The board proceeded to build a waterworks and install new sewers for the town, which had previously used the River Hiz as a public sewer. However, the board quickly became embroiled in legal disputes with Joshua Ransom, owner of Grove Mill, who complained about the flow of water and sewage at his mill. No solution could be found which would allow the board to continue to operate, and gradually all the board members resigned. By December 1857 the board only had three members, at which point it effectively ceased to function. New members were elected in March 1858, but none was prepared to take the declaration of office unless Ransom accepted an offer of settlement which had been put to him. He did not accept the offer and so the board became defunct, and the town was once again governed by the parish vestry alone. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' was scathing of the Hitchin Local Board's inability to negotiate a solution, saying "...they simply resigned, like rustics of unfertile brains...". Legal action continued for some years afterwards trying to resolve who was liable for the old board's debts. In August 1872

sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...

s were established, with public health and local government responsibilities being given to

boards of guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

of the poor law unions for all areas which did not have urban authorities (including local boards). As Hitchin's previous local board was defunct, the town therefore became part of the Hitchin Rural Sanitary District, governed by the Hitchin Board of Guardians. On 31 October 1872 a meeting was held in the town with the aim of securing a new board to allow the town to govern itself independently. A new board was eventually granted, with the first meeting being held on 24 December 1873 at the (old) Town Hall.

Hitchin Urban District

Under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

, urban sanitary districts became urban districts on 31 December 1894. Hitchin Local Board therefore became Hitchin Urban District Council. The act also stipulated that a parish could not be partly in an urban district and partly outside it. The old parish of Hitchin was therefore split, with the parts outside the urban district becoming the three separate civil parishes of Langley, Preston, and Walsworth with effect from their first parish meetings on 4 December 1894. The three new rural parishes were all included in the

Hitchin Rural District Hitchin Rural District was a rural district in Hertfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974, covering an area in the north of the county. Evolution The district had its origins in the Hitchin Rural Sanitary District. This had been created unde ...

. The Urban District Council took over the existing Town Hall on Brand Street, which had been built in 1840. In 1900 the council built a new

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

on the opposite side of the street, incorporating a large public hall. The older building became known as Old Town Hall, but continued to serve as office space for the council in addition to the new Town Hall. On 1 April 1921, Walsworth parish was abolished and the area was incorporated into Hitchin Urban District. Hitchin Urban District Council was granted a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

on 25 November 1936. Hitchin Urban District was abolished under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, becoming part of the district of North Hertfordshire on 1 April 1974. No

successor parish Successor parishes are Civil parishes in England, civil parishes with a parish councils in England, parish council, created in England in 1974. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of Urban district (England and Wales), urban d ...

was created for the town, and so it became an

Transport

Rail

is on the East Coast Main Line Great Northern Line, and is also on the Cambridge Line as the last stop before it diverges towards Cambridge, to the northeast of Hitchin. The station is a call on services provided by

Govia Thameslink Railway Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is a British train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, TSGN rail franchise. Within the franchise, GTR runs trains under the sub-brands: Thameslink, Great North ...

under its Great Northern and Thameslink brands. These provide direct connections to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Letchworth Garden City Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first Garden city movement, garden city. The population at the time of the 2021 United Kin ...

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

and London Kings Cross; as well as

St Pancras International St Pancras railway station (), officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, F ...

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...

, Three Bridges and

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. Journeys to London and Cambridge typically take 33 minutes. Journeys to Stevenage take 5 minutes, Peterborough 45 minutes, and Gatwick Airport 78 minutes. Hitchin Rail Users Group serves as the local voluntary group actively consulting with train companies on behalf of local people.

Road

The A505, A600 and A602 roads intersect in Hitchin, which is about from the

A1(M) motorway A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate controlled-access highway, motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1, a major north–south road which connects Greater ...

and about from the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

Aviation

Hitchin is about from Luton Airport, with a direct bus service linking the two. The connections are provided by National Express (number 787) and Arriva in Herts and Essex (100 Saphire services).

Buses

Hitchin is well served by local buses including Arriva, Centrebus, Grant Palmer, Stagecoach and Uno.

Education

There are several primary schools in Hitchin. Secondary education is provided at

Hitchin Girls' School Hitchin Girls' School (HGS) is a secondary school with academy status in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. The school has 1079 students and is in a consortium for sixth form teaching with Hitchin Boys' School and The Priory School. It gained ac ...

Hitchin Boys' School Hitchin Boys' School (HBS) is an 11–18 boys academy-status secondary school, with sixth form, located in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. Founded in 1632 by John Mattocke, the single-sex school currently educates around 1,500 boys. The sixth ...

and the Priory School. There is a campus of the

North Hertfordshire College North Hertfordshire College ("NHC") is a further education and higher education college operating in Stevenage, Hitchin, and Letchworth Garden City. NHC was established on 1 April 1991, through the amalgamation of Stevenage College, Hitchin Co ...

in Hitchin, and it is also the home of the

Benslow Music Trust Benslow Music Trust is a charitable trust established to promote music education. The trust is based in the Benslow area of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England, and primarily operates as an adult education college. Under its trading name of Bensl ...

which provides music education for adults, while North Herts Music School adjoined to Hitchin Girls' School delivers music lessons & activities for children & young people. The

Emil Dale Academy Emil Dale Academy is a musical theatre school founded in Hitchin, Hertfordshire before relocating to Letchworth in 2024. The Hertfordshire school offers a Bachelor of Arts degree awarded by the University of Bedfordshire, BTEC Level 3 diploma, a ...

was formerly located on Wilbury Way in Hitchin before moving to

Letchworth Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2021 census was 33,990. Letchworth ...

. EDA is a drama school where students train and study for a BA (hons) degree in Musical Theatre in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire. The school also has a sixth form and a weekend school. North Hertfordshire Museum has an extensive collection that tells the story of the town and wider area from prehistoric times. The

is housed in original Edwardian and Victorian school buildings.

Culture and community

In March 2013 a poll in ''

'' voted Hitchin the 9th best town in the UK in which to live. Hitchin hosts an annual Arts and Music Festival with over 100 events taking place during the month. Hitchin Festival includes picnics, concerts, theatre, ghost walks, art exhibitions, comedy club, talks, summer fetes and fireworks. Since 2014, Hitchin has hosted a yarn festival. Music plays a very big part all year round with many venues hosting regular gigs. Hitchin Folk Club is one of the longest running and most respected clubs in the country meeting at The Cricket Pavilion, Lucas Lane on Sunday evenings; Hitchin Light Orchestra, Hitchin Symphony Orchestra and Hitchin Chamber Orchestra give regular concerts often in St Mary's Church and Hitchin Band perform around the country in brass band championship competition as well as the home town. An independent music venue, Club 85, hosts an "eclectic mix of contemporary bands and DJs" in the area. There are three theatres in the town. The Factory Playhouse is located on Wilbury Way and is the theatre of

. They host several full-scale musicals each year with professional producers, directors, choreographers and West End musicians. The Market Theatre, Hitchin is a professional theatre, has a year-round programme including comedy plays, thrillers, historical shows, jazz nights and cocktail evenings. The Market Theatre is known for its annual Adult Panto (running between December and May) which also tours nationally. Additionally, the Queen Mother Theatre hosts the town's Bancroft Players, Big Spirit Youth Theatre and occasional visiting companies as well as Hitchin Films in the Richard Whitmore Studio. Hitchin Market remains one of the largest in the area with general markets every Tuesday and Saturday, a bric-a-brac and collectables market on Fridays, and a Sunday Car Boot. There are also Local Produce and Crafts specialist markets on the last Saturday of each month. A Lifestyle market is held on every second Saturday of the month, while infrequently there are occasional Art Markets. Hitchin Markets is also the venue for the annual Duck Race during Hitchin Festival. The town centre has a wealth of independent retailers in food and drink and fashion and the historic core is a place to find niche boutiques. Since 1995, Hitchin has benefited from award-winning town centre management and in 2009 established one of Hertfordshire's first Business Improvement Districts. In 2019 the town's centre was a finalist for England in the

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UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great British High Street Awards. There are a number of organisations for young people, including 1066 Hitchin Squadron ATC, Hitchin Army Cadets, Sea Cadets Letchworth and Hitchin, as well as various

scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

groups. The main burial ground for the town is

Hitchin Cemetery Hitchin Cemetery, also known as St John's Road Cemetery, is the main burial ground for the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The cemetery is located on Hitchin Hill, with Standhill Road running along the north-western boundary and St. John's Road ...

on St. John's Road. Hitchin is twinned with: * Flag of France

Nuits-St-Georges Nuits-Saint-Georges () is a communes of France, commune in the arrondissement of Beaune of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in Eastern France. Wine Nuits-Saint-Georges is ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Bingen am Rhein Bingen am Rhein () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The settlement's original name was Bingium, a Celtic languages, Celtic word that may have meant "hole in the rock", a description of the shoal behind the ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Sport in Hitchin

Rugby Union

Hitchin Rugby Club was founded in 1954 and competes in

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

at all age levels within the Hitchin area. This includes teams at ages 7 to 12, 13 to 17, under 19s, seniors, over 35s, and a Ladies side. The club's highlights have included playing at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

in the final of the national Junior RFU Cup in 1993 and the establishment of the country's first Academy. Currently membership stands at over 500 people. The club are also active as a voluntary group with their community development programme.

Association Football

Hitchin Town F.C. Hitchin Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. They are currently members of the . Founded in 1865 and known as 'The Canaries', Hitchin Town have been based at Top Field since their f ...

was established in 1865 and later reformed in 1928. It is one of only three clubs who competed in the inaugural

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, paying the then £25 entry fee (£2,892 in 2019 adjusted for inflation), and continue to compete. They claim to be the second oldest club in English football, but some dispute this due to the reformation in the 1920s. The side currently compete in the Southern League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of English football. The club play at 4,554-capacity ground Top Field, in the north of the town, and came close to achieving promotion in the late 2010s, but have recently come into a more troubled spell. Their highlights include wins in the F.A. Cup against higher ranked sides Hereford United in 1994 and Bristol Rovers in 1995 during which period they developed a reputation for "giant-killing". The side count Hitchin-born England international

Jack Wilshere Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere (born 1 January 1992) is an English Association football, football coach and former professional Association football, player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the interim head coach of EFL Championshi ...

among their supporters. Wilshire studied at the Priory School in the town and now runs a youth scheme called the Jack Wilshere Soccer School. The club were featured by

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...

during their coverage of Non-League Day 2019 (taking place on 12 October each year), with the broadcaster following the match day experience at the club.

Other sports

Hitchin is also home to Blueharts Hockey Club, a leading club since 1946, with 7 men's teams and 7 women's team plus a thriving junior section. It also houses

Hitchin Cricket Club Hitchin Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1877, when Hertfordshire played Essex. Hertfordshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match on the ...

, which has been an important cricket club within the area since 1866. Hitchin Swimming Club are based locally and competes at local, county and regional level. The Hitchin Nomads Cycling Club, which caters for many competitive and non-competitive cycling disciplines, was formed in the town in 1931. It is affiliated to British Cycling, the Cyclists' Touring Club, Cycling time trials and local cycling associations. Notable former members include pre-eminent cycling

travel writer The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered ...

Harold Briercliffe Harold Briercliffe (1910-1994) was an English author of a series of cycle touring guides. These were a spin-off from the magazine ''Cycling'' (a magazine now published as ''Cycling Weekly''). They were cheaply made volumes with attractive colour ...

and Max Pendleton, father of

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

gold-medallist and track cycling World Champion

Victoria Pendleton Victoria Louise Pendleton (born 24 September 1980) is a British former Track cycling, track cyclist who specialised in the Sprint (cycling), sprint, team sprint and keirin disciplines. She is a former Cycling at the Summer Olympics, Olympic, Wo ...

. Formed in 2003 and known as FVS TRI until November 2009, Team Trisports is a Hitchin-based triathlon club. In addition to triathlon, the club an England Athletics and British Cycling affiliate. Hitchin Running Club was formed in 2008 and is one of the most popular clubs in the town. They enjoy a large fan base and many local people of all abilities take part in the social activities. They are based at the rugby club and are a not for profit organisation.

Districts of Hitchin

* Bearton *

Benslow Benslow is a district of Hitchin, 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 n ...

* Poets Estate * Purwell * Sunnyside *

* West Hitchin *

Westmill Westmill is an English village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, with an area of 1036 hectares. A population of 264 was recorded in the 2001 National Census. It lies just to the south of Buntingford, beside th ...

Nearby settlements

is a village situated on the northern outskirts of Hitchin, and to the south are

Charlton Charlton may refer to: People * Charlton (surname) * Charlton (given name) Places Australia * Charlton, Queensland * Charlton, Victoria * Division of Charlton, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in New South Wales ...

and Gosmore. The nearest towns are

Baldock Baldock ( ) is a historic market town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The River Ivel rises from springs in the town. It lies north of London and north northwest of the county town of Hertford. Nearby towns inc ...

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

and

Notable people

Filmography

Mike Leigh's 1982 film ''

Home Sweet Home Home Sweet Home may refer to: Film * ''Home, Sweet Home'' (1914 film), a film about the life of John Howard Payne * ''Home Sweet Home'' (1917 film), a British silent film * ''Home Sweet Home'' (1926 film), a silent film drama * ''Home, Swe ...

'' for BBC Television was set in Hitchin. Hitchin Market Square 2018

Part of the 2010 BBC TV series ''

Just William ''Just William'' is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for ...

'' was filmed at the

. Scenes from the BBC drama series ''

Doctor Foster Doctor Foster may refer to: * "Doctor Foster" (nursery rhyme), an English nursery rhyme * ''Doctor Foster'' (TV series), a British television drama * Dr Foster Intelligence Dr Foster Intelligence is a provider of healthcare information in the U ...

'' were filmed in Hitchin. The

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

science fiction TV series ''

Humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'' was also filmed in the town. BBC One "Lens" idents have been filmed at Windmill Hill in Hitchin. Scenes from 2022 film '' My Policeman'' were filmed at Hitchin Swimming Centre. In September 2023, scenes from series 2 of the ITV drama '' Tell Me Everything'' were filmed in Hitchin; locations included Windmill Hill and outside St Mary's Church.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by

BBC East BBC East is one of BBC's English Regions covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and parts of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (including the City of Milton Keynes). It is headquartered in The Forum ...

and

ITV Anglia ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

. Television signals are received from the

Sandy Heath Sandy Heath transmitting station is a television and radio broadcasting station in England, located between Sandy, Bedfordshire and Potton near the B1042. It is owned by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1965, originally broadcas ...

TV transmitter. The town's local radio stations are

BBC Three Counties Radio BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Grove Park in Dunstable. According ...

on 95.5 FM and

Heart Hertfordshire Heart Hertfordshire (previously known as ''Hertfordshire's Mercury 96.6'') is an Independent Local Radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts across Hertfordshire. In 2005, it was ...

(originally BOB FM) on 106.9 FM. The local newspapers are The Comet and

Hertfordshire Mercury The ''Hertfordshire Mercury'' is a weekly newspaper covering east and north Hertfordshire and parts of west Essex. It used to be published every Friday but from December 3, 2009, its publication day switched to Thursdays. The ''Mercury'' has fou ...

References

External links

Hitchin Historical Society

Hitchin Society

Historical Map of Hitchin Pubs
an interactive map of Hitchin public houses both current and closed. * {{Authority control Towns in Hertfordshire Market towns in Hertfordshire Unparished areas in Hertfordshire Former civil parishes in Hertfordshire North Hertfordshire District