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| Borough of Watford | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Status: | Non-metropolitan district and Borough |
| Region: | East of England |
| Admin. County: | Hertfordshire |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 347th 21.43 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Watford |
| ONS code: | 26UK |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total () - Density | Ranked / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 86.0% White 8.2% S.Asian 2.7% Afro-Carib. |
| Politics | |
| Leadership: | Mayor & Cabinet |
| Mayor: | Dorothy Thornhill (Liberal Democrats) |
| MP: | Claire Ward, (Labour) |
Watford is a town and district (styled as a borough due to the historical charter granted by Henry VIII) in Hertfordshire located 15.5 miles (25 km) north west of Charing Cross in London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway.
The borough of Watford has 79,500 inhabitants. The parish of Watford Rural covers an area to the south of the borough of Watford (which is largely urbanised), in the Three Rivers District. The nearby areas of Bushey, Rickmansworth, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, South Oxhey and Leavesden which are located in the administrative areas of Three Rivers DC and Hertsmere Borough are often described as being in Watford.
The head offices of many national companies such as Camelot Group Plc, operator of the UKs National Lottery; Iveco, manufacturers of commercial vehicles; and Haden Young, the building services division of Balfour Beatty are located in the town.
The borough is also the UK base of many multi-nationals including Total Oil, Sanyo electronics, TK Maxx, Costco, and Beko.
Transport
Road
Watford is close to strategic roads - the M25 motorway that rings London and the M1 motorway that connects London to the English Midlands and Northern England.Rail
The town is served by one of the principal north-south rail routes - the West Coast Main Line - which connects London (terminus at Euston) to the Midlands, north-west England and Scotland. Some long-distance trains on this route serve Watford Junction, where there are also frequent suburban and regional trains. There is also a local service to St Albans, via some small stations within Watford and there is a suburban loop to Watford High Street station. There is a rail connection to Gatwick Airport and the English south coast.London Underground serves Watford Metropolitan Line station at the outer edge of the system. The Metropolitan Line branch is due to be diverted to Watford Junction via the disused Croxley Green branch.
Water
Watford is on the main Grand Union Canal route northwards from London. There is little commercial use, since the advent of the railway, but the canal is used for recreational and amenity purposes.Especially during warmer summers, Watford is often vulnerable to hosepipe bans, due to the threat of droughts.
Air
Regular and frequent coach services connect Watford to the major international airports at Heathrow and Gatwick and also to Luton and Stansted airports.Watford also has its own airport, listed as Watford Regional Airport, but known locally and officially as Elstree Aerodrome *. Many private charters, and well as occasional holiday charters take off from here, with the request customs service contributing to the popularity of this hub. Many celebrities are known to travel through Watford, due to its location close to the world famous Elstree Film and Television Studios in nearby Borehamwood.
Nightlife
The High Street running through the town centre is the main place for any activity at night. The part of town is sometimes referred to as the café quarter, and has a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants.
The Watford Observer reported on 30 October 2005 that Watford is the "binge drinking capital" of Hertfordshire. However, many residents feel that this label only applies to a small minority of the less responsible residents of Watford.
North of Watford
The phrase "North of Watford" is widely used to describe areas of the United Kingdom that are north of London. This is possibly because Watford was one of the first places that horses were changed on the route to the north-west from London. Alternatively, the phrase may refer to the Northamptonshire village of Watford, about 50 miles farther north, which traditionally was an important waypoint on the old east-west and north-south coaching routes. This was the point where the main north-south road, rail and canal routes came together at a gap in the hills known as Watford Gap. Watford in Hertfordshire is much better known and so frequently mistaken, in the context of this phrase, for the same place.
An alternative theory is that many of the original signs at the southern end of the M1 motorway bore the legends "Watford" and "The North", Watford being the first major town on that route, although the phrase pre-dates the construction of the motorway.
People
Watford was the birthplace of:
- Vinnie Jones, a British football player turned actor.
- Michael Bentine, politician and ex-Goon
- Terry Scott, Carry On actor and comedian
- Bradley Walsh, Coronation Street actor and comedian
- Mo Mowlam, politician
- Geri Halliwell, singer and former Spice Girl
- Kelly Smith, England women's national team and Arsenal footballer
- Ray Cooper, percussionist (performed in both Elton John's and Eric Clapton's bands)
- Nick Leeson, rogue securities trader who single handedly bankrupted Barings Brothers Bank in 1995
- Matthew Ungaro, co-founder of Yogney Slang
Sport
Watford is home to professional football club, Watford F.C., who reached the FA Cup final in 1984 (as well as 3 other semi-finals), also finishing as league runners-up in 1982-1983. They were promoted back to the prestiguous Premiership league for Football, after winning against Leeds United by 3-0, in a Championship play-off match in May 2006.
Saracens FC rugby club moved to Watford and shares the same ground, which is in Vicarage Road.
Singer/song writer Sir Elton John is a long-term and keen supporter of Watford FC and a former club chairman. He still maintains his links with Watford FC, as one of its most valuable benefactors and creditors.
Twinning
Watford has five twin towns. These are:
Mainz in Germany. Linked since 1956. Nanterre in France. Linked since 1960. Novgorod in Russia. Linked since 1984. Wilmington, Delaware in the United States. Linked since 1985. Pesaro in Italy. Linked since 1988.
Other Watfords
Watford Colosseum
The Watford Colosseum was used to record the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack and is well renowned for its accoustic qualities, which are often said to be the best available in the UK. It is now in administration after funding difficulties made it impossible to continue running.
External links
Towns in Hertfordshire | Local government in Hertfordshire | Shire districts
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