Picture Pages
Buntingford
In
the home county of Hertfordshire
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picture, Jennifer and David Gowing Left, Colin Gowing. Right,
Stephanie Gowing. Above Home, Monks Walk Buntingford. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click
on the pictures to enlarge them.
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The small market town of Buntingford is built around the ancient Roman Road of Ermine Street, one of the four major routes of old England. Connecting London with Lincoln and York, the section from Huntingdon through Royston and Buntingford and south to Wadesmill was the first turnpike road in the country. The area Buntingford now occupies is part of the old parish of Layston (mentioned in the Doomsday Book) all that remains of Layston today is the Church (pictured below). The earliest reference to Buntingford was in 1185 when it was mentioned in records of land owned by the Knights Templar. The name seems to have originated from a local tribe called the "Bunta" and the Ford on the river Rib between Buntingford and Layston. At its peak the town boasted fifteen coaching inns and taverns, located as it was at the junction of Ermine Street and the cross country road to Baldock in the west and Colchester in the east, (Via Puckeridge) it was destined to flourish and it did. |
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In 1360 Edward III granted permission for the market held in Chipping (the word Chipping was an indication of a market i.e. Chipping Ongar, Chipping Sodbury) to be moved to Buntingford (a few miles south) The move proved so successful neighboring markets complained about losing business. |
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| Nine pictures of the High Street of Buntingford. The skyline is a good indicator of the differing ages of the buildings. | |||
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| Baldock Road. Now part of the main road it carries traffic away from Ermine Street and on to the bypass | |||
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| The Clock Tower in the High Street (Ermine Street) dates back to the late 1500's or early 1600's. It is a very rare example of a One Handed Turret Clock. It was reconstructed in the 18th Century. | |||
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| St Bartholomew's Church Layston. | |||
| All that remains of the ancient settlement of Layston, although the name has been kept alive. The Chancel (still under cover) is used for occasion services with the neighbouring cemetery | |||
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| "The Pigs Nose" | |||
| The strange name actually refers to the stretch of the River Rib that runs alongside this beautiful house. Part of this building dates back to the 13th century. The present owner has lived there for thirty nine years | |||
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Click on the pictures to enlarge them.
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