East Hertfordshire

East Hertfordshire district sits in the county of Hertfordshire in the East of England and contains towns, villages, farmland and river valleys. Hertford, the county town, sits where the Rivers Beane and Mimram meet the River Lea; the town’s name reflects a crossing used by deer (hart + ford). Other principal settlements include Bishop’s Stortford, Ware, Sawbridgeworth and Buntingford. The landscape includes river corridors, arable fields and pockets of woodland, with conservation areas and a number of listed buildings that record medieval and later development.

Transport links link the district to the wider region: Bishop’s Stortford lies on the West Anglia Main Line and Hertford East is served by a branch line into London, shaping commuting patterns. The River Stort follows a clear valley through Sawbridgeworth and Bishop’s Stortford, where the waterway was adapted for navigation in the 18th century. Local services, small-scale manufacturing, agriculture and tourism around historic centres form much of the local economy, while village networks and market towns provide community hubs.