Amwell, Hertfordshire

Amwell (Great and Little) is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is located 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Ware and about 20 miles (32 km) north of London. Great Amwell is also the name of the civil parish within East Hertfordshire district.

Amwell

Parish church of St John the Baptist, Great Amwell
Amwell
Location within Hertfordshire
Population2,353 (2011 Census. Great Amwell Parish)[1]
OS grid referenceTL365125
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWARE
Postcode districtSG12
Dialling code01920
PoliceHertfordshire
FireHertfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England

The Anglican church is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The East India College was founded here in 1806, for the education of young men intended for the civil service of the East India Company in India. It is now a public school, Haileybury College.

The New River runs through the village.

On a hill above the church is an ancient mound, the remains of a fortification; and to the west, on the road to Hertford, is a large tumulus.

Great Amwell has been the residence of some celebrated literary characters, among whom are:

Others buried in Amwell include:

Richard Warren (d. 1628), a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620, who settled in Plymouth Colony and co-signed the Mayflower Compact, was married on 14 April 1610 at Great Amwell to Elizabeth Walker, daughter of Augustine Walker. Richard and Elizabeth are the ancestors of two U.S. Presidents, Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

A hamlet called Amwell also exists a mile south west of Wheathampstead, also in Hertfordshire.

Ventura Wildlife's Zoological Gardens

In August 2016 Hertfordshire's newest visitor attraction opened in Great Amwell within the grounds of the Van Hage Leisure Garden centre. Ventura Wildlife’s Zoological Gardens is one of the UK’s newest and most interactive small zoos and is currently set within approximately 2 acres of Hertfordshire countryside. This unique zoo offers visitors of all ages and abilities the chance to get up close to a variety of wild animals. The zoo is home to many animal species including; grants zebra, ring-tailed lemurs, red-fronted lemurs, red kangaroo (the first to be kept in Hertfordshire in over 150 years), wallaby, emu, Burmese python and reindeer. Highlight species housed within the collection include the only Cuban Hutia currently exhibited in a UK zoo and fossa, Madagascar's largest carnivore. Ventura Wildlife's Zoological Gardens participates within the EEP for fossa as is involved in many other conservation initiatives both locally and internationally. As with all good zoos education plays a key role within this zoo and it is a proud institutional member of the International Zoo Educators Association. The zoo has recently completed its own education and conference centre known as the 'Explorers Lodge' themed on the 1930-1950s era of exploration and adventure.

The zoo is open all year round and offers a range of daily keeper talks, animal feeds and interactive animal encounter shows. During the winter 2016–17 season the zoo will be opening Critter Cover and indoor area featuring 18 exhibits displaying exotic bugs, reptiles and small mammals from around the World.

Ventura Wildlife's Zoological Gardens is owned and operated by Ventura Wildlife an organisation based in Enfield dedicated to allowing people to discover nature.

Transport

The village has no railway station, the nearest being Ware or St Margarets both of which are on the Hertford East branch line which passes through the parish. There are a few bus routes, these are:

See also

The Hundred Parishes

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  2. "Arriva Bus Timetable". Route 310 Timetable. Arriva. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  3. "Arriva Bus Timetable". Route 311 Timetable. Arriva. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  4. "Intalink Bus Timetable". Route 351 Timetable. Intalink. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

Further reading
  • Heath, Cyril The Book of Amwell Barracuda Books Limited, 1980 ISBN 0-86023-085-6
  • Doree, Stephen and Perman, David Amwell and Stanstead's Past in Pictures Publisher: The Rockingham Press 1997, ISBN 1-873468-57-1

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