Cheshunt (Herts) History
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Cheshunt is a lovely little place located in Hertfordshire with a population counting around the 52,000 mark. The history of this settlement goes back quite a long time and its name comes from the old English name of Cetrehunt (which refers to a castle or fortress, most likely one that was built by the Romans.) This past is commemorated in several paintings or symbols that one can easily find in the government buildings, like the in the arms of the former Cheshunt urban district council.

Traditional Cestrehunt coat of arms.

Nowadays Cheshunt is known for being one of the so called Dormitory Towns. Dormitory, or commuter towns are urban communities that are primarily residential. Here most of the workforce commutes to nearby cities to earn their livelyhood. Many dormitory towns act as suburbs of nearby metropolises. In this particular case, Cheshunt (because of its privileged location) acts as a resident for many people that day by day commute to London to go to work. Many students who take any of the English courses London offers also secure their stay in Cheshunt because of the comfort provided by the town and the affordability of its prices. These type of settlements are quite common and workers, tourists and students use them to alleviate their expenses. Another typical case is the one of Didsbury, which houses a remarkable amount of students taking any of the English courses Manchester is known for.

Cheshunt is not only a lovely and quaint place but is also famous in several ways. On a sort of a morbid note, the location is famous for being the resting place of Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, who died here in 1712. For car fans, Chesnut is a sort of homeland since both the Lotus cars as well as the Debenhams were founded in Cheshunt. As a bit of history note, the town was the birth place of the first passenger-carrying monorail to be built in the county: the Cheshunt Railway was a horse-drawn line that used to carry the locals around and the youth to the junior schools.

Getting There

The Hertfordshire county sits on England's Eastern side to the North of London and, as such is pretty accessible. For most people getting to Hertfordshire is as straightforward as taking the train. Trains from London Kings Cross will gently take you to St Albans or you can also take the trains from London Euston which stop in Watford and Hemel Hempstead. If you decide to go by car, taking any of the major roads heading North out of London will pass through Hertfordshire and from there you can go to any of the local cities and towns.

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Things To Do in and Around Cheshunt