Bishop's Stortford Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Hertfordshire, and around 30 miles north of northeast of central London, is the town of Bishop's Stortford.

Geographically, the town is situated around the point where the River Stort meets Stane Street - a Roman road linking Colchester to Braughing in Hertfordshire. The river's name is a back formation, i.e. the river was named after the town, rather than vice versa, due to assumptions made by cartographers.

In circa 1060, the Bishop of London bought the manor of Stortford, hence its 'Bishop's' prefix. By 1086 Waytemore Castle, just northeast of the town centre, had been built from wood, and was later rebuilt in stone around the 12th century. After the English Civil War, it was slighted, and only ruins remain today.

From the early 15th century St Michael's Church was built upon the site where a Saxon church is believed to have stood from as early as the 7th century. The present edifice was constructed in the Perpendicular Gothic style, although part of the tower and spire date from the early 19th century. It is Grade I listed, and features around 12 minutes into the walk.

Historic industries in Bishop's Stortford included malting and leather tanning. From the 17th century it became home to a number of coaching inns owing to its location roughly halfway between London and Cambridge. However, in 1670 this industry suffered a blow with the opening of the Hockerill bypass. Charles II had been a regular visitor to Newmarket Racecourse, but allegedly disliked Bishop's Stortford and prompted the Royal Surveyor to find an alternative route. Thus the road was diverted to Hockerill - the area just east of the town centre seen at the end of the walk.

In 1769 the River Stort was made navigable following an Act of Parliament which passed in 1766. This brought about a period of prosperity for the town's malting industry as cargo boats could travel into the River Lea, which in turn became navigable by 1771 providing access to the markets of London.

In 1842 the railway arrived in Bishop's Stortford courtesy of the Northern and Eastern Railway. Today, the station forms part of the West Anglia Main Line linking London Liverpool Street to Cambridge. Trains to London take around 40-50 minutes whilst trains to Cambidge take around 30-40 minutes, depending on stops.

Famous people from Bishop's Stortford include Cecil Rhodes who founded the territory of Rhodesia in the 1890s - a region generally comprising the areas of modern day Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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Filmed: 16th June 2023

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/Ha5Sn1jHaMXp9Dir8

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 River Stort
0:32 Station Road
1:35 South Street
4:21 Potter Street
5:27 Market Square
6:36 North Street
10:45 High Street
11:45 Windhill
15:58 High Street
17:52 Bridge Street
20:29 The Causeway
23:15 Hockerill Street