History in the making

WITH its 42 conservation areas and 4,000 listed buildings, the East Hertfordshire District boasts a rich and vibrant built heritage that showcases the best of English architecture through the ages. Even more impressive, perhaps, given the area’s proximity to London, is the way in which successive generations have managed to maintain a clear distinction between the built environment of its historic towns and villages and the surrounding countryside.

Set amid the rolling hills and fields of north-east Hertfordshire, just