Hertford Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and remained a royal residence until the early seventeenth century.

The town is also popular with commuters, being only 20 miles (32 km) north of central London and connected to it by two railway lines.

[4] One possible earlier mention of the town was in 672 AD: the first synod of a number of the bishops in England was held either in Hertford or at Hartford, Cambridgeshire.

[6] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 913 AD, Edward the Elder ordered the construction of two burhs (earthwork fortifications) either side of the ford over the River Lea at Hertford as part of his campaign against the Danes.

[19] King Henry II rebuilt the castle in stone, but in 1216, during the First Barons' War, it was besieged and captured after 25 days by Prince Louis of France.

[20] The castle was regularly visited by English royalty and in 1358, Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II, died there.

The priory was dissolved in 1536 and subsequently demolished[19] and in 1563, the Parliament of England met at the castle because of an outbreak of plague in London.

Hertford grew and prospered as a market and county town; communication was improved by the construction of the Lea Navigation Canal in 1767 and the arrival of the railway in 1843.

The shared valley of the Lea and the Beane is called Hartham Common and this provides a large park to one side of the town centre running towards Ware and lying below the ridge upon which Bengeo is situated.

The town centre still has its medieval layout with many timber-framed buildings hidden under later frontages, particularly in St Andrew Street.

Hertford suffers from traffic problems despite the existence of the 1960s A414 bypass called Gascoyne Way which passes close to the town centre.

This is aided by its proximity to larger towns such as Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Stevenage where modern development has been focused.

A fair amount of employment in the town is centred on County Hall (Hertfordshire County Council), Wallfields (East Hertfordshire District Council) and McMullens Brewery, one of a dwindling number of independent pre-1970 family brewers in the United Kingdom.

A Tesco store occupies part of the former Christ's Hospital Bluecoat Girls School, which closed down in 1985.

There are fewer of the usual chain shops found in most high streets and this makes Hertford stand out from other "clone towns".

Hertford has a leisure centre and swimming pool, skatepark, bowling green and tennis courts on Hartham Common.

Southbound, Great Northern trains run towards London Moorgate in the City through Enfield Chase, Alexandra Palace, Finsbury Park and Highbury and Islington.

South of Finsbury Park, services run towards King's Cross, London St Pancras, Farringdon, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.

Long-distance routes through Hertford include: Hertfordshire County Council manages the Intalink enhanced partnership which choreographs the local bus network.

The cycle route passes through Ware, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Enfield Lock, Tottenham, Leyton and Hackney Wick.

Southbound, the river runs towards Bromley-by-Bow in East London, through Ware, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Enfield Lock, Tottenham, Leyton and Hackney Wick.

[58][59] Lee and Stort Boat Company runs a waterbus at various points throughout the year, with a route between Hertford and Ware.

[72] Hertford also benefits from public swimming pool and gym facilities and a small skatepark, all situated on Hartham Common.