Hemel Hempstead Things to Do

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Written on the table near the entrance to the garden:

The Walled Garden is the location of the original Bury House, althought its exact size and shape are unknown. The Bury is an ancient name, usually reffering to a fortified house, in this case the fortification may simply have been the marshy valley which is now Gadebridge Park. The first Bury was reffered to in the 1289 Ashridge Charter where 'Burymilne', the Mill near the Bury was included. Prior to 1539 the Bury was the home of the Waterhouse family, whose name today is remembered by Waterhouse Street. By the end of 18th Century the 'new' Bury, now the Register Office had been built. Mr Ginger's Villa is the the third and current bury.

Small but cosy yard with many nice plants and flowers. A good place for taking a rest from your sightseeing tour:)

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Well, this church definitelly captured my eyes. Nice atmosphere and a big park behind it. There were many old monuments near it. Many of them were quite hard to read, but I've noticed thedate on the one of them - 1880 or so. Quite old.

I was told that the Old Town of Hemel Hempstead starts from this street and goes further. Street was quite cosy. Unfortunatelly I haven't enough time to discover it, but hope to do this next time:)

At a subconscious level humans seem to seek out water to live by. Not only does ascetically please, it seems to 'soothe the soul' as well.

It is not surprising that the 'masterplanner' of Hemel Hempstead was the brainchild of just one man, Geoffrey Jellicoe, and he had a great interest in the work of Jung.

Although not all of his vision was realised, at least the 'water gardens' right in the centre of the new town were built. These public parks feature fountains, pools and some tasteful sculpture, such as the delightful 'rock and roll' statue of a couple dancing.

His plan was to 'hide' most of the new houses behind wooded and grassed areas, and in the main Hemel reflects that philosophy. It certainly seems to be a more appealing place to live than some of the other 'new towns' of that era such as Redditch, Cumbernald or Basildon. The fact that it was not a completely blank canvas to begin with may have helped, or perhaps just the fact that old Geoffrey's (i believe) first love was gardens rather than architecture.

This development, based around a former industrial area of mills is worth a visit.

Alongside the Grand Union canal, the basin provides moorings for canal boats, a couple of shops and a couple of restaurants. Most of the development are rather smart 'townhouses'. I take it that most of the residents are quite new, as I observed one young lady with a pair of binoculars checking out the 'talent' in another townhouse across the water.

The 'Papermill' pub serves normal good pub fare, but the real gem is 'Woody's veggie restaurant'. Sourbugger loves his meat, but just of a change the home made pizza, veggie crepes and 'organic' Cola was quite a pleasant change. Welcoming staff too.

The paintings were discovered in 1953 whilst a row of ancient cottages were being renovated. They were hidden behind layers of wallpaper and later examination dated the paintings to be from late 1400's. It is now an attraction open to the public.

Leisure world, also know as Jarman Park and WallyWorld. Its a massive leisure complex just out of town which houses, 'Aqualand' the swimming pool with waterslides, Odeon cinema, 'Silverblades' the iceskating rink, Pool tables, arcade games and the bowling alley. Also burger king and sweets and ice cream shop for the cinema.
The complex also includes bars and clubs (see nightlife tips for more details). There's Hot Shots, Jumping Jaks, Visage and Ethos also an over 18s arcades (fruitmachines etc).
Its a great place for all the family in the day times but i'd advise to keep the kids away at night.
Good parking. Tescos superstore and MacDonalds also at Jarmans Park.

The famous Magic roundabout is a series of roads from all over town which all meet at one point. One large roundabout surrounded by many small ones. Has to be seen to be believed.!

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The oldest street in Hemel and for hundreds of years it was the main shopping and market road. Ancient taverns and inns still occupy a place in the old high street. In fact "THE OLD BELL INN" is believed to be Haunted!!

No long stories or history. It was just a nice church on my way to the Old Town of Hemel Hempstead.