Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon's present day image owes much to Henry III who granted
a weekly market and annual fare on the Feast of St Martin's in
1253. From this time the town grew to be a centre of commence and
home to a prosperous market.
Through the centuries wealthy traders built town houses, many of
which still survive. One of them, Lowewood
House , is now a local museum. By the 18th century Hoddesdon
had developed into an important coaching centre on the route from
London to Cambridge with over 30 inns.
It was
from one of these that a "broad shouldered, pockmarked man" called
Dick Turpin operated during the 1730s holding up travellers and
stealing possessions on the Hoddesdon - Ware Road. Today many of
the inns remain such as the Golden Lion (1535), White Swan
(pictured), Salisbury Arms (both 16th century) and the Bell
(1660).