The Tunnels of Hertford - the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail

This was actually a school originally sited in London but their buildings were burned in the Great Fire of London of 1666. The school was moved to Hertford consisting of 8 dormitory buildings together with a dining hall and stewards house.

Bluecoats as it is still known and unchanged since the seventeenth century was built with funds provided by Henry Chauncey, judge, local historian and benefactor. In 1682 he purchased land belonging to John Seward in occupation by Leonard Meager which consisted of a field known as ‘Sextons Croft’, a house, outbuildings and barns. By 1685 the school was complete.

The boys had been re-located to Horsham, Sussex in 1904 and although it remained a girls school they too were re-located in 1984. The dormitory blocks are now offices and the dining hall and other buildings converted to sheltered accommodation for elderly persons.

The two figures on the entrance gates (see left) represent a murderer and his victim. One looks towards the site of the old gallows; the other to the churchyard where he is buried.

Christs Hospital - Bluecoats Yard

Fore Street

Fore Street would otherwise be known as the High Street. It stretches from east to west; from the London Road roundabout at the entrance to the town to Parliament Square. Many of Hertford’s most important buildings are sited on either side of the road; Shire Hall, the Corn Exchange formerly the town gaol, the Headmasters House (see Bayley Hall), the Ram Inn and Pizza Express (once the Dimsdale Arms) – both sites of regular livestock markets and the Salisbury Arms Hotel.

These are imposing buildings and are mostly Grade 11 listed status. This was not always so. This from Lewis Turnor’s History of the Ancient Town and Borough of Hertford dated 1830.

It was not until the reign of Queen Elizabeth that our domestic architecture began to make any visible progress towards improvement; and such was its wretched state even at that era. As late as the reign of Henry VIII. our dwelling houses were little better than cottages, being composed of timber frames, coated on the outside with a coarse clay, lighted by lattices, “made either of wicker, or fine rifts of oak In chequerwise,” and thatched. Though brick and stone came into use at this period, it was confined to public buildings, to the mansions of our nobles or those of larger fortune, and to a few of the manor houses of our country gentlemen only; and it was not until the lapse of many years that these materials were used for building purposes in towns or cities.

Even today many of the buildings in Fore Street although outwardly of concrete or brick are still of plaster and lathe construction with a thin outer skin; a fact determined whilst I surveyed the street to place bolts from which to hang the Christmas lights. A few inches past the outer skin and there was nothing to support the bolts.

Shire Hall                Tunnels Pt.1

Every year Cllr Peter Ruffles who has been Mayor of Hertford twice and at the time of writing Deputy Mayor, sends many of his friends in and around the town a Christmas card featuring a scene from Hertford's past. Last year (2009) the picture was one of Fore Street taken in 1962 from outside of the Corn Exchange. This is featured (left) over a photo I took on 21st April 2010 at the same time of day as Peter's - 11.30am - you can just see the time on the Shire Hall clock.

Peter's name occurs again in this story on the Templars page. Alongside his amazing work load as Town, District and County Councillor, voluntary and Church interests he is often seen guiding groups of visitors around town or calling on anyone with spare time to record their reminiscences for the Hertford Oral History Group. Every now and then he gives a slide show of photographs collected over the last 60 years or so which is attended by more people than can usually fit into the venue. Details of these and his DVD's are available from Hertford Museum.

Not much has really changed; a bit more street furniture, Shire Hall has been rebuilt and no obvious increase in traffic. Lloyds Bank (left 1962) is now Jameson & Hill, solicitors; True-Form shoes is now Steven Oates Estate Agents and the chimneys (top left) between the white and yellow buildings have gone exposing the owl which is just visible in 2010 and in more detail on the Templars page.

Of more local interest is the sign on the traffic island which points to 'Free Car Park'. Now it's a just a 'P' and there is no such thing as free parking in Hertford anymore.

The entrance to Bluecoats Yard.

Fore Street- past and present

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