Watford
| Borough of Watford | |||
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 39 ′ N , 0 ° 24 ′ W | ||
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| Residents | 79,700 (as of 2007) | ||
| surface | 21.43 km² (8.27 mi² ) | ||
| Population density: | 3719 inhabitants per km² | ||
| administration | |||
| ZIP code section | WD | ||
| prefix | 01923 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| Shire county | Hertfordshire | ||
| ONS code | 26UK | ||
| Website: www.watford.gov.uk | |||
Watford [ Stadtwɒtfəd ] is a town in England in the county of Hertfordshire on the Colne and Gade rivers 32 km (21 mi ) north-west of London .
Origin of the name
Watford comes from the Saxon word Wath , which means "to hunt". So the name of the city means something like "The ford that was used for hunting". The name of the city has never changed over the years.
history
Watford was first mentioned in the 10th century. The Abbey of St Albans ruled Watford until the abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII. The estate remained the property of the Crown until 1609. In 1770 it was part of Essex County . In 1838 Watford Junction Station was opened. In 2006 the Hotel The Grove in Watford hosted the WGC American Express Championship , in 2009 a G20 meeting , in 2013 a Bilderberg conference and in 2019 a NATO summit .
economy
Watford has the printing industry (since William Caxton ) and the automotive industry and is now a major service center .
traffic
Watford can be reached in 20 minutes by train from London. The largest train station is Watford Junction . The city is on the M1 Motorway .
Twin cities
-
Mainz ( Germany , Rhineland-Palatinate ), since 1956 -
Pesaro ( Italy ) -
Novgorod ( Russia ) -
Wilmington ( USA , Delaware ) -
Nanterre ( France )
Universities and schools
Watford has pre-school day care centers, elementary schools, secondary schools and high schools, a college and a music school. Due to its proximity to the capital London, some London universities and colleges - for example the London School of Theology - have established branches in Watford.
Sports
The main football club is Watford FC , which plays in the Vicarage Road stadium . The Saracens rugby union club also plays its home games here.
Personalities
- Clement Heaton (1861-1940), glass painter
- Gerald Moore (1899–1987), pianist and song accompanist
- Kim Peacock (1901–1966), British actor, radio play speaker and screenwriter
- Michael Bentine (1922–1996), politician
- Arthur Peacocke (1924-2006), biochemist and theologian
- Ray Cooper (born 1942), percussionist
- David Meyer (born 1947), actor
- Mo Mowlam (1949-2005), politician
- Bradley Walsh (born 1960), actor
- Mark Oaten (* 1964), politician
- Vinnie Jones (* 1965), soccer player and actor
- Nick Leeson (* 1967), investment banker
- Gareth Southgate (born 1970), football player
- Geri Halliwell (* 1972), singer and ex-Spice-Girl
- Gerard Presencer (* 1972), jazz musician
- Matt Redman (born 1974), Christian songwriter and musician, Grammy winner
- John McCullough (born 1978), writer
- Kelly Smith (* 1978), soccer player
- Shahid Khan aka Naughty Boy (* 1985), songwriter and musician
- Anthony Joshua (* 1989), professional boxer, heavyweight
- Tom Carroll (born 1992), football player
- Kyle Langford (* 1996), middle distance runner
- Gallows , hardcore band
Web links
- Information about Watford on mainz.de
- The city council website (English)
- History Watford (English)
- The Palace Theater Watford (English)
- Watford FC (English)