Bayfordbury

Bayfordbury House was originally built between 1759 and 1762 for well-to-do London merchant Sir William Baker.

After the death of Admiral Sir Lewis Clinton-Baker in 1940, the estate was leased to the Dr Barnardo's charity.

In 1967 the John Innes Centre moved to its present site in Norwich and the Bayfordbury estate was bought by the Hertfordshire Council in 1967 for the use of Hatfield Polytechnic.

[5] The Science Learning Centre had close ties with the nearby observatory and hosted activities during its astronomy open evenings such as planetarium shows and talks.

[7] The lake at Bayfordbury was created by the Baker family in 1772 [8] and is now managed for its newts, crayfish and pure genetic stock of Crucian carp.