Bengeo is a parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is referenced in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, where it is called "Belingehou". It is situated on a rise between the River Beane

River Beane

The River Beane is a tributary of the River Lea. It rises to the south-west of Sandon, Hertfordshire in the hills northeast of Stevenage in Hertfordshire....

 and River Rib

River Rib

The River Rib originates near the East Hertfordshire village of Buckland and runs parallel with the A10 through Buntingford, Westmill, Braughing, Puckeridge and Standon until it reaches its confluence with the River Lea near Hertford.-History:...

 overlooking Hartham Common

Hartham Common

Hartham Common is a park in the county of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It is located between the town centre of the county town of Hertford and the elevated suburb of Bengeo.-Location:...

 and the rest of the town of Hertford

Hertford

Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...

.

Name

Bengeo is derived from an Anglo-Saxon

Old English language

Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...

 name, meaning spur or ridge over the River Beane.

Geography

Bengeo is informally divided into upper Bengeo, which is the area at the top of the hill (Port Hill) leading out of Hertford town centre, and lower Bengeo.

Lower Bengeo is the area lying on the side of the hill and is centred on Byde Street. It has two pubs in Port Vale and also Mill Mead Primary School. Although the labels of 'upper' and 'lower' are occasionally used to describe parts of Bengeo, they are not official titles, and have no legal standing.

Bengeo is surrounded by countryside and has its own amenities including a Post Office, local shops, Bengeo Primary School, pubs

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

 and two churches.

Notable buildings

The Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 Church of Saint Leonard, dating from the 12th century, is the oldest building in Hertford. It served as the parish church of Bengeo until 1855, when the role passed to the new church of Holy Trinity, designed by Benjamin Ferrey

Benjamin Ferrey

Benjamin Ferrey, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.-Family:Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr, a draper who became Mayor of Christchurch. He was educated at Wimborne Grammar School....

. St. Leonard's is still used for regular Sunday services in summer months, as well as hosting exhibitions and concerts.

The prominent water tower

Water tower

A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....

 is an early 1930s concrete structure, and has an array of aerials on the top, providing amongst other things a local television relay from the Crystal Palace transmitting station.

People

Captain W. E. Johns, author of the Biggles

Biggles

"Biggles" , a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns....

 books, was born in February 1893 in Molewood Road, Bengeo.

See also

• Horns Mill
  Horns Mill, Hertford
  Horns Mill is an area and suburb of south Hertford, Hertfordshire.-History:Horn's Mill was at the foot of Bullock's Lane. The mill ground corn, crushed oil seeds and ground bones for fertiliser. Production ceased in the late nineteenth century and the premises were sold to leather-dresser William...
  
  
• Rush Green
• Sele Farm
  Sele Farm
  -Geography:Sele Farm is mostly 60 metres above sea level, on a hill between the River Mimram and River Beane.-Area:The area is surrounded by fields and farmland with a mix of social and private housing and sits on the North Western edge of Hertford....