Highfield, Hertfordshire
Encyclopedia
Highfield is a neighborhood district in Hemel Hempstead
, Hertfordshire
, United Kingdom
. It was constructed on a green field site
as part of the construction of the postwar
newtown expansion of Hemel Hempstead. It is located north of the old town centre. It is named from an old field name which reflects the altitude of the district which reaches 469 feet above sea level.
, called the Nicky Line
runs through the district. This is now closed and forms a long distance foot and cycle path.
Like other neighborhoods in the new town it is centered around a local shopping centre called 'The Heights' which opened in 1962. There is a new town designed pub called The Royal Stag opened in 1964 close by a second shopping parade called 'Bellgate'. This is named after a former pub which predated the new town , called the 'Bellgate Inn'.
Many street names in the district have a distinctive astronomical connection, thus, Jupiter Drive,Neptune Drive, Apollo Way, Uranus Road, Pluto Rise, Saturn Way, Mercury Walk and Martian Avenue. This part of the district is nicknamed "The Planets".
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was constructed on a green field site
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
as part of the construction of the postwar
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
newtown expansion of Hemel Hempstead. It is located north of the old town centre. It is named from an old field name which reflects the altitude of the district which reaches 469 feet above sea level.
History
It was the sixth new town district to begin construction with work starting in 1959. It was largely complete by 1966. A former branch railway line that linked Hemel Hempstead with nearby HarpendenHarpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
, called the Nicky Line
Nicky Line
The Nicky Line is the local nickname for the railway that once linked the English towns of Hemel Hempstead and Harpenden via Redbourn. It was officially known as the Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead Railway...
runs through the district. This is now closed and forms a long distance foot and cycle path.
Like other neighborhoods in the new town it is centered around a local shopping centre called 'The Heights' which opened in 1962. There is a new town designed pub called The Royal Stag opened in 1964 close by a second shopping parade called 'Bellgate'. This is named after a former pub which predated the new town , called the 'Bellgate Inn'.
Many street names in the district have a distinctive astronomical connection, thus, Jupiter Drive,Neptune Drive, Apollo Way, Uranus Road, Pluto Rise, Saturn Way, Mercury Walk and Martian Avenue. This part of the district is nicknamed "The Planets".