85-747: The A4146 is an A-class road in England running from (near) M1 junction 14 at Milton Keynes , around Linslade and Leighton Buzzard as far as the A505 to Dunstable . In Milton Keynes, the road begins at a junction with the A509 near Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway and briefly follows H6 Childs Way westwards before turning south onto the V11 Tongwell Street, west again onto the H10 Bletcham Way and once more to
170-431: A local board of health was established for the town. The local board district covered part of the parish of Watford and part of the neighbouring parish of Bushey . The Watford Local Board District came into effect on 15 August 1850, and the first board was elected the following month. The local board was responsible for building the town's waterworks and sewers. For a time the board held its meetings at an upper room of
255-575: A 34-mile (55 km) section of the M1 between Kegworth (J24) and Barlborough (J30). Between 1996 and 1999, the M1 section north of the M62 underwent a major reconstruction and extension to take the M1 on a new route to the A1(M) at Aberford . The new road involved the construction of a series of new junctions, bridges and viaducts to the east of Leeds. When the new section of M1 was completed and opened on 4 February 1999,
340-523: A community centre, cricket squares, football pitches and Woodside Leisure Centre. Woodside Stadium is home to Watford Harriers Athletics Club and hosts national level events such as the British Milers Club Grand Prix. There are 92 nationally listed buildings in Watford. These include St Mary's Church , which dates to the 12th century, and Holy Rood Church which dates to 1890. St Mary's
425-482: A larger Muslim and Hindu population than the average. Watford has two tiers of local government, at district (borough) and county level: Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council . Watford is one of only 15 authorities in England and Wales headed by a directly elected mayor . Dorothy Thornhill was the first directly elected mayor of Watford , elected in May 2002 and re-elected in May 2006 and May 2010. She
510-569: A more northerly route through the East Midlands , via Leicester , Loughborough , Nottingham to Sheffield , where the M18 splits from the M1 at junction 32 to head to Doncaster . Originally, the M1 was planned to end at Doncaster but it was decided to make what was going to be the " Leeds and Sheffield Spur" into the primary route, with the 11-mile (18 km) section to the A1(M) south of Doncaster given
595-508: A project that "should be" completed by 1973. Sections to be illuminated included the M1 between junctions 3 and 14, and between junctions 16 and 24. In August 2011, the Highways Agency announced that, despite being converted to Smart Motorway status, the lights will be switched off on stretches of the motorway between junctions 10 (Luton) and 15 (Northampton) without affecting road user safety. The motorway junctions and their approaches, and
680-554: A proposed ring of urban motorway around the central area. The layout of the Staples Corner junction was originally built in accordance with those plans, although most of the London Ringways Plan had been cancelled by 1973. Around the same time, the section between the then-M10 and junction 5 was widened from the original two lanes to three. On its completion, the M1 acted as a fast link road between London and Birmingham via
765-505: A roundabout at the start of the A418 just north of Ascott , the A4146 takes over the former route of the A505 road around the south of Leighton Buzzard. This stretch is partly a three-lane single carriageway and partly a wide two-lane single carriageway. On reaching a junction with the unclassified Leighton Road (Leighton Buzzard–Billing), the A4146 designation ends and the route continues eastwards as
850-469: A section of the M1 on either side of junction 11 (north Luton), would have lighting columns replaced and remain lit. All lighting columns from junctions 10 to 14 were removed completely, apart from some on slip roads. An increasing official interest in secondary safety was evident in an announcement in March 1973 that work would begin shortly on erecting "tensioned safety barriers" along the central reservation of
935-471: A short branch line via Watford High Street to Rickmansworth (Church Street) , and another branch was added to Croxley Green in 1912. The original plan was to extend the Rickmansworth line south connecting Watford to Uxbridge ; this scheme failed and both the Rickmansworth and Croxley branches closed. Watford's population had risen to 17,063 by 1891 to become very cramped. Local landowners sold land for
SECTION 10
#17328523515361020-456: A single parish called Watford. Watford became a municipal borough on 18 October 1922 when it was granted a charter of incorporation. The council was granted a coat of arms on 16 October 1922, two days before it became a borough. Upton House at 14 High Street continued to serve as the meeting place and offices for Watford Urban District Council and then Watford Borough Council until 1940. In 1938 work began on building Watford Town Hall at
1105-470: A total cost of £294 million. A variable mandatory speed limit system was installed, making this the first smart motorway scheme on the M1. Work to introduce dynamic hard shoulder running on approximately 15 miles (24 km) of motorway between Luton and Milton Keynes (J10-J13) was completed in December 2012, at a total cost of £327 million. This made the hard shoulder available to be opened as
1190-536: A traffic lane where additional capacity was necessary. Modifications were made to junctions 11 and 12, to allow for four lanes running through each junction, and the A421 from junction 13 to the Bedford southern bypass was also upgraded to two lanes each way during this period. The scheme will likely be converted to all lane running at some point in the 2020 decade, alongside all other dynamic hard shoulder running schemes. This
1275-421: Is a Grade-II-listed building, now in the middle of a high density housing development, it and was for many years a second-hand car dealership. Watford Junction railway station is situated to the north east of the town centre. These developments gave the town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Grand Union Canal, allowed coal to be brought into
1360-517: Is a Sparrows Herne Trust plaque. In 1778, Daniel Defoe described Watford as a "genteel market town, very long, having but one street." Watford remained an agricultural community with some cottage industry for many centuries. The Industrial Revolution brought the Grand Junction Canal (now Grand Union Canal ) from 1798 and the London and Birmingham Railway from 1837, both located here for
1445-510: Is a proposal to widen the M1 to dual four-lane or dual five-lane between junctions 21 and 21a and construct a new link road between the M1 and the M69 . During this work the Leicester Forest East services would be closed, and possibly relocated. Consultation took place in 2007. As of May 2022 , work on this scheme has still not begun. Following the report of a public inquiry in March 2013,
1530-515: Is believed to be the combination of 'caeg', a person's name, and 'hoe', meaning a spur of land. When the land was granted to Sir Richard Morrison in the 16th century, it was called 'Cayshobury', with 'bury' indicating a manor. Cassiobury Park was formed from the grounds of Cassiobury House and consists of 190 acres (0.77 km ) of open space. The house was demolished in 1927 and the Cassiobury Gates in 1970, for road widening. In July 2007,
1615-459: Is evidence of some limited prehistoric occupation around the Watford area, with a few Celtic and Roman finds, though there is no evidence of a settlement until much later. Watford stands where the River Colne could be crossed on an ancient trackway from the southeast to the northwest. Watford's High Street follows the line of part of this route. The town was located on the first dry ground above
1700-638: Is noted for its interior which was renovated in 1850 by the architect George Gilbert Scott and includes fine oak pews decorated in the Gothic Revival style. It also contains the Essex Chapel, which served at the burial place of the nobility of the Cassiobury Estate, including the Earls of Essex . The chapel contains a number of large, ornate marble tombs and memorials dating from the 16th century and later, and
1785-548: Is one of the places marking the boundary of "Oxanhaege". It is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, when this area was part of St Albans Abbey's manor of Cashio. In the 12th century the Abbey was granted a charter allowing it to hold a market here, and the building of St Mary's Church began. The settlement's location helped it to grow, since as well as trade along this north–south through route it possessed good communications into
SECTION 20
#17328523515361870-477: Is still visible to southbound traffic approximately 650 yards (590 m) before junction 2, and was maintained until the early 2000s, even though not accessible to traffic. The northbound slip road from the A1 is now partially used as the entrance way to a retail park and was once carried by bridge, but no longer reaches the northbound carriageway, because it is cut off by the motorway continuing south. The final section of
1955-464: The Earls of Essex . The town developed next to the River Colne on land belonging to St Albans Abbey . In the 12th century, a charter was granted allowing a market, and the building of St Mary's Church began. The town grew partly due to travellers going to Berkhamsted Castle and the royal palace at Kings Langley . A mansion was built at Cassiobury in the 16th century. This was partly rebuilt in
2040-569: The Local Government Act 1894 and a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922. The borough, which had 102,246 inhabitants in the 2021 census (up from 90,301 inhabitants at the 2011 census, an increase of 13.23%), is separated from Greater London to the south by Three Rivers District . Watford Borough Council is the local authority with the Mayor of Watford as its head – one of only 18 directly elected mayors in England and Wales . There
2125-467: The West Coast Main Line for most of the way south towards Leighton Buzzard. The route is planned to tie in with a proposed A418 Wing bypass. The new road features five new roundabouts, four over-bridges and three under-passes. The bypass was the focus on an anti- road protest . During the protest two women chained themselves to a digger. They were arrested and charged, but later acquitted. At
2210-505: The modernist architect Ernő Goldfinger , the designer Robin Day conceived the polypropylene stacking chair , now recognised as a classic of modern design. Although Hille left the area in 1983, the listed Goldfinger building still stands on St Albans Road. Mod culture found expression through clubs such as the Ace of Herts in the 1960s. The de Havilland factory at Leavesden was responsible for
2295-408: The 17th century and another country house was built at The Grove . The Grand Junction Canal in 1798 and the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837 resulted in Watford's rapid growth, with paper-making mills such as John Dickinson at Croxley, influencing the development of printing in the town. Two brewers, Benskins and Sedgwicks , amalgamated and flourished in the town until their closure in
2380-568: The 1990s, opened officially in June 1992. The owners of the shopping centre, Capital Shopping Centres, changed their name to Intu , resulting in The Harlequin changing name to "intu Watford" from May 2013. Carrying forward £4.5 billion of debt into 2020, the company was not able to survive the retail downturn due to the COVID-19 crisis , and went into administration in June 2020. The council owns part of
2465-525: The 2006 World Golf Championship and the 2013 Bilderberg Conference , took place at The Grove hotel . The town was home to the Scammell Lorries factory from 1922 until 1988. The site is now a residential area. Tandon Motorcycles , founded by Devdutt Tandon, were manufactured in Colne Way from 1947 until 1959. The name Cassiobury has had various spellings over time. It is derived from 'Caegshoe', which
2550-695: The A1) and the M45 (from junction 17 to the A45 and Coventry ). Parts of the Hertfordshire section were built using steam rollers . The M1 was officially inaugurated from Slip End (close to Luton), celebrated by a large concrete slab on the bridge next to the village, with inscription "London-Yorkshire Motorway – This slab was sealed by the Harold Watkinson M.P. – Minister of Transport – Inauguration Day – 24th March 1958". It
2635-628: The A421 between M1 junction 13 and the A1 near St Neots, proposals were made to widen the A421 between the M1 junction 13 in Bedfordshire and the Kingston roundabout in Milton Keynes. Exhibitions were held in June 2005 which rejected proposals to re-route the road in favour of widening the current road. In 2005, the project was given an estimated total cost of £33 million. Funding of £23.5 million
A4146 road - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-791: The A5 (now renumbered here as the A5183 ) and, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east via the A414, the A6 , which subsequently became part of the M25. A £1.5 million contract was given in May 1958 for the most southerly section, from Aldenham to Beechtrees (the M10 junction), for two lanes of reinforced concrete , to open in November 1959. There was immense flooding on this section in July 1958. Although
2805-483: The A5 north of Dunstable joining the M1 at a new junction 11a south of Chalton. Here, it is intended to join with a proposed Luton Northern Bypass to form a northern bypass for the wider conurbation. The A5-M1 Link aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, reduce journey times for long-distance traffic travelling through Dunstable and improve the regional economy. The Highways Agency detrunked
2890-536: The A5 through Dunstable when the A5-M1 Link opened to the public in May 2017. As part of the Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan, Central Bedfordshire Council built the 2.9 km (1.8 miles) Woodside Link to connect the new junction 11a to the industrial areas of Dunstable and Houghton Regis. Most of the road opened to traffic in autumn 2016 with the remaining section connecting to junction 11a. There
2975-603: The A505. M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds , where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford , to connect to Newcastle . It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston Bypass , which later became part of the M6 . The motorway is 193 miles (311 km) long and was constructed in four phases. Most of
3060-644: The Leeds South Eastern Motorway section of the M1 was re-designated as the M621, and the junctions were given new numbers: M621 junctions 4 to 7. The M1 was extended south towards London from its original starting point at junction 5, in three stages. The first stage, opened in 1966, took the motorway south-east, parallel to the A41 , to meet the A5 at junction 4 south of Elstree . The second phase continued east to Scratchwood ( London Gateway Services , which occupies
3145-589: The M1 was opened to junction 1 at Staples Corner in 1977. There the motorway meets the North Circular Road (A406) at a grade separated junction and roundabout. Unrealised plans from the 1960s would have seen the motorway continue through the junction on an elevated roadway to end at West Hampstead , where it would have met the North Cross Route , the northern section of the London Motorway Box ,
3230-536: The M1, the right one going over the A1/A41 junction beneath to rejoin the A1 northbound. Junction 2 is about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the original junction 3. Before the completion of junction 2, southbound traffic left the motorway via a slip road which passed around the back of the now disused Homebase and under the A41/A1 Mill Hill Bypass, and looped round to join it at Fiveways Interchange. This slip road
3315-463: The M6. It also provided a link to London Luton Airport for those regions, and its proximity to the site of the new town of Milton Keynes (designated in 1967) meant that it was soon providing a vital transport link to another major area. In 2006, plans were published for the widening of 91 miles (146 km) from Leicester through to Leeds (junctions 21–42) to four lanes each way. Escalating costs across
3400-634: The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 18 July 2013 that work to update the Catthorpe Interchange at junction 19, between the M1 motorway, M6 motorway and A14 road , close to Catthorpe , would go ahead. Work on the £191 million three-layer interchange started in January 2014. The scheme was fully opened to traffic in December 2016. In conjunction with the M1 widening schemes and dualling of
3485-452: The area was part of the three seat constituency of Hertfordshire . The council have made twinning links with five towns. The first was Mainz , Germany, in 1956, and the most recent is Pesaro , Italy, in 1988; the others are Nanterre , Novgorod , and Wilmington, Delaware . The council award an honorary status of Freedom of the Borough to certain individuals "who have in the opinion of
A4146 road - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-403: The banks of the River Colne . Initially a small market town , the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and breweries . While industry has declined in Watford, its location near London and transport links have attracted several companies to site their headquarters in the town. Cassiobury Park is a public park that was once the manor estate of
3655-399: The council, rendered eminent services to the borough"; as of 2020 there are three freemen: Elton John , and two local councillors involved in the twinning process. The ancient parish of Watford was included in the hundred of Cashio . In 1835, Watford became the centre of a poor law union , and a workhouse was built in 1836–1837 at 60 Vicarage Road (then called Hagden Lane). In 1850
3740-518: The cramped and unsanitary houses in the yards and alley-ways opening off the High Street. Some of these people were among those who rioted in 1902 when the celebration for King Edward VII 's coronation was postponed. The council had a programme of slum clearance which stopped with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Building council houses resumed after the war and in the 1920s the Harebreaks estate
3825-620: The development of the town and it was bought up by commercial interests. Various factories and other works sprung up in Watford, mostly breweries and prints, but also engineering works, a steam laundry, a cold storage company and a cocoa processing plant. The town expanded rapidly, most of the new inhabitants moving in from London. At the start of the 20th century the town was growing fast. New roads were laid out in Callowland, North Watford, and in West Watford on farmland. Many continued to live in
3910-501: The district and paved the way for industrial development. The Watford Gas and Coke Company was formed in 1834 and gas works built. The canal allowed paper-making mills to be sited at Croxley. The John Dickinson and Co. mill beside the canal manufactured the Croxley brand of fine quality paper. There had been brewing in Watford from the 17th century and, by the 19th century, two industrial scale brewers Benskins and Sedgwicks were located in
3995-562: The east of Leeds. With the M62 and M621 , the M1 forms a ring of motorways around the south of Leeds. In 1972, an extension of the M1 was opened into central Leeds as the Leeds South Eastern Motorway, where it met the Leeds South Western Motorway (M621) coming north-east from the M62 at junction 3. In July 1972, the then UK Minister for Transport Industries, John Peyton , announced that 86 miles (138 km) of UK motorway particularly prone to fog would benefit from lighting in
4080-623: The existing 23-mile (37 km) section of the M1 between Milton Keynes and Northampton (J13-J16) into an all-lane-running (ALR) smart motorway consisting of four lanes running in both directions without a hard shoulder, with the project's cost being £373 million. Construction began in January 2018, with the scheme opening in stages until 9 March 2023, when the project was fully complete. The speed limit between M1 junctions 33 to 34, near Rotherham, has been reduced to 60 mph, to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide . The plans were to be implemented before October 2020, and as of August 2023
4165-486: The following centuries. Cassiobury became the family seat of the Earls of Essex , and The Grove the seat of the Earls of Clarendon . In 1762, Sparrows Herne Turnpike Road was established across the Chilterns. The toll road approximately followed the route of the original A41 road . The location of a toll house can be seen at the bottom of Chalk Hill on the Watford side of Bushey Arches; set in an old flint stone wall
4250-516: The freehold the site, and feels that as the shopping centre is very popular (it was one of top 20 places to shop in the UK in 2019), it will remain open and viable. The town contains the head offices of a number of national companies such as J D Wetherspoon , Camelot Group , Bathstore , and Caversham Finance (BrightHouse). Watford is also the UK base of various multi-nationals including Hilton Worldwide , TotalEnergies , TK Maxx , Costco , JJ Kavanagh and Sons , Vinci , Beko and TeleAdapt . Both
4335-406: The junction of Rickmansworth Road and Hempstead Road, and the building officially opened on 5 January 1940. Upton House was subsequently demolished in 1961 and Gade House built on the site. Under the Local Government Act 1972 Watford kept the same boundaries, but changed from being a municipal borough to a non-metropolitan district with borough status . Watford is a major regional centre in
SECTION 50
#17328523515364420-417: The late 20th century. Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford to be a major sub-regional centre. Several head offices are based in Watford. International conferences and sporting events have also taken place in Watford, including the 2006 World Golf Championship , the 2013 Bilderberg Conference and the 2019 NATO summit which all took place at The Grove . Watford became an urban district under
4505-464: The location of the missing junction 3, from where an unbuilt spur would have connected to the A1 at Stirling Corner to the north-east). The M1 then runs south alongside the Midland Main Line towards Hendon , where it meets the A1 again at junction 2 via a tightly curved flyover section. These flyovers connecting from the A1 were originally both for northbound traffic: the left one as the on-ramp to
4590-603: The manufacture of the aircraft engines and later became Leavesden Aerodrome, to the north of Watford. No longer operational, it was converted into Leavesden Film Studios , now famously the home of the Harry Potter films . Watford developed on the River Colne in southern Hertfordshire, England, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of central London . Ethnicity is 61.9% white British, 2.3% Irish, 0.1% Gypsy or Irish traveller, 7.7% other white, 17.9% Asian/Asian British, 5.8% black or black British. The borough had 102,246 inhabitants at
4675-525: The marshy edges of the River Colne. The name Watford may have arisen from the Old English for "waet" (full of water – the area was marshy), or "wath" (hunting), and ford . St Albans Abbey claimed rights to the manor of Casio (then called "Albanestou"), which included Watford, dating from a grant by King Offa in AD 793. The name Watford is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 1007, where "Watforda"
4760-577: The motorway was opened between 1959 and 1968. The southern end was extended in 1977 and the northern end was extended in 1999. There had been plans before the Second World War for a motorway network in the United Kingdom. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu formed a company to build a 'motorway-like road' from London to Birmingham in 1923, but it was a further 26 years before the Special Roads Act 1949
4845-472: The northern home counties . Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford and Stevenage to be its major sub-regional centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development. The High Street is the main focus of activity at night having a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants. The primary shopping area is the Harlequin Shopping Centre , a large purpose-built indoor mall with over 140 shops, restaurants and cafes built during
4930-460: The park won a Green Flag Award , which recognises the best green spaces in the country. There is a children's play area, which includes a paddling pool, play equipment, a bouncy castle, an ice cream van, a kiosk where one may buy food, and 10.25" gauge miniature railway. The Grand Union Canal passes through the park. Cassiobury Park is host to the weekly 5k community event parkrun . Awarded Green Flag status since 2009, Cheslyn has been open to
5015-403: The public since 1965 as a formal gardens and house. The 3.5 acre gardens comprise a formal open area to the front and a semi-natural woodland area to the rear. Henry and Daisy Colbeck originally owned the house and gardens. Mr Colbeck was a renowned local architect, and designed Cheslyn House; he and his wife created the original gardens. The Colbecks travelled extensively, and this is reflected in
5100-427: The railway company was forced to build an expensive tunnel under Leavesden to the north of the town. Watford's original railway station opened in 1837 on the west side of St Albans Road, a small, single-storey red-brick building. It closed in 1858 when it was replaced by a new, larger station at Watford Junction approximately 200 metres (220 yd) further south-east. The old station house still stands today; it
5185-491: The range of unusual and exotic plants in the gardens. Since the space has been open to the public it has been further developed, with new features added such as the pond, rock garden, large herbaceous borders and aviary. Awarded Green Flag status since 2011, Woodside Playing Fields cover approximately 59 acres of playing fields, sports facilities and woodland. The site comprises a range of sports facilities including an eight lane synthetic track and stadium, an indoor bowls green,
SECTION 60
#17328523515365270-479: The route. The road corridor includes a separate cycleway . The upgrade work for this final phase of the plan, the section running from junction 13 to Eagle Farm roundabout, started in September 2018 and was completed in December 2020. Work began on the 10-mile (16 km) section between the M25 and Luton (J6A-J10) in 2006 and opened in 2009, which included the construction of new parallel collector-distributor lanes between junctions 7 and 8. The M10 spur
5355-401: The same reasons the road had followed centuries before, seeking an easy gradient over the Chiltern Hills. The land-owning interests permitted the canal to follow closely by the river Gade, but the prospect of smoke-emitting steam trains drove them to ensure the railway gave a wide berth to the Cassiobury and Grove estates. Consequently, although the road and canal follow the easier valley route,
5440-399: The separate motorway number M18. From junction 32, the motorway passes Sheffield, Rotherham , Barnsley and Wakefield , reaching the original end of the motorway at (the original) Junction 44 to the east of Leeds. There were plans to route the M1 from just south of junction 42, where it interchanges with the M62 , round the west of Leeds to the A1 at Dishforth . The chosen route passes to
5525-503: The south where it joins with the A5 . It then separates again at the "Kelly's Kitchen" roundabout heading west to bypass the southern flank of Bletchley . At the end of this single-carriageway bypass, from a point just south of the Water Eaton estate , a new alignment has been built for the road to continue west on a short stretch of dual carriageway bypassing Linslade and Stoke Hammond 51°55′N 0°42′W / 51.91°N 0.70°W / 51.91; -0.70 and to hug
5610-488: The speed limit reduction is still in place. Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] M25 to M40 / M4 / M3 – Heathrow Airport [REDACTED] Geographic data related to M1 motorway at OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as: Watford Holy Rood Church , Watford ( / ˈ w ɒ t f ər d / ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire , England, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Central London , on
5695-472: The time of the 2021 census. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District . The Watford subdivision of the Greater London Urban Area , which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census. Religion in Watford(2021 census) As of the 2021 census, Watford's religious profile roughly reflected that of England and Wales, with
5780-442: The town. The parish church of St Mary's was extensively restored in 1871. The town expanded slightly during this time. In 1851 a new street off the High Street was opened, King Street, followed by Queens Road and Clarendon Road in the early 1860s. During this time, Watford had a population of around 6,500 The railways also continued to expand from Watford during this period; the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway opened in 1862 as
5865-461: The vale of St Albans to the east and into the Chiltern Hills along the valley of the River Chess to the west. The town grew modestly, assisted by travellers passing through to Berkhamsted Castle and the royal palace at Kings Langley . A big house was built at Cassiobury in the 16th century. This was partly rebuilt in the 17th century and another substantial house was built nearby at The Grove . The houses were expanded and developed throughout
5950-506: The waterworks on Local Board Road. In 1891 the board purchased Upton House at 14 High Street for £2,650, converting it to become their offices and meeting place, holding its first meeting in the building on 1 October 1891. Under the Local Government Act 1894 , the Watford Local Board was reconstituted as Watford Urban District Council with effect from 31 December 1894. The act also stipulated that parishes could not be partly in an urban district and partly outside it. The old parish of Watford
6035-500: The whole of the Highways Agency programme, including the M1 project, on which costs had risen to £5.1 billion, as well as increasing opposition to major road expansion, as well as criticisms by the Transport Select Committee and the National Audit Office , led to wide-ranging re-assessments of the Agency's project costs. Widening was scaled back to the junctions 6A to 10 scheme that was already in progress, and from Nottingham and Mansfield (junctions 25–28), and hard shoulder running
6120-466: The whole of the first section opened in 1959, it was built in two parts, with the northern part (junctions 10 to 18) being built by John Laing and the southern part (the St Albans Bypass) being built by Tarmac Construction . The continuation of the motorway from junction 18 towards Yorkshire was carried out as a series of extensions between 1965 and 1968. Diverging from the A5, the motorway takes
6205-513: Was because a Government review into smart motorways found dynamic hard shoulder running was too confusing for drivers, leading to plans to convert all dynamic hard shoulders into permanent running lanes. Work to widen the 15-mile (24 km) section from Nottingham to Mansfield (J25-J28) to four lanes each way began in October 2007 and was completed in May 2010, at a cost of £340 million. A 50 mph limit, enforced by average speed cameras ,
6290-473: Was built as a motorway because it inevitably led to the M1, but as non-motorway traffic could now travel between the A414 at Hemel Hempstead and Park Street Roundabout without having to access the M1, the M10 was downgraded to an A road , and designated as part of the A414 to allow for this. The work also included widening or replacement of 11 underbridges on one or both carriageways, and replacing seven overbridges at
6375-611: Was common in Watford and advances in technology meant much of the industry became obsolete. Odhams Press closed down in 1978 and The Sun moved out of Watford during the 1980s after market reforms allowed it to do so. In 1925, the Metropolitan Railway Company built a branch to Watford, opening a station close to Cassiobury Park . In the 1950s and 1960s, Watford was the home of the British designer furniture manufacturer Hille . At their premises on St Albans Road, designed by
6460-490: Was confirmed by the government for these works, as part of the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership "Local Growth Deal". As part of the government's pinch point reduction programme, work commenced in 2014 on the A421 in Milton Keynes to improve the Kingston roundabout, and dual the section from it to (near) the Bedfordshire border, with the construction of two new roundabouts on
6545-474: Was described by Pevsner as "the chief glory of Watford Church". The Roman Catholic Church, Holy Rood, is a much later structure. Built in 1890 by John Francis Bentley , the architect responsible for Westminster Cathedral in London, it is noted as a particularity fine example of Gothic Revival architecture . The ornate interior contains stained glass by the designer Nathaniel Westlake . Bushey Arches Viaduct
6630-444: Was developed. By the 1920s, printing had become the biggest industry in Watford. The biggest printers in the town were Sun Printers Ltd and Odhams Press . Watford was the biggest printing centre in the world and many advances in printing were made in Watford. During World War II the prints were taken over by the government who used them to print propaganda. After the war, the printing industry began going into decline. Union activity
6715-404: Was imposed for the period of construction, but it proved to be so effective that a permanent variable mandatory speed limit system was installed. In 2023, following a previous debate on the issue, local MPs Mark Fletcher and Lee Anderson called on the government to upgrade junction 28, describing it as a "pinch point" disadvantaging local residents and businesses. National Highways converted
6800-607: Was passed, which allowed for the construction of roads limited to specific vehicle classifications, and in the 1950s, the country's first motorways were given the government go-ahead. The first section of motorway was the Preston Bypass in Lancashire , now part of the M6 motorway , which opened in 1958. The M1 was Britain's first full-length motorway and opened in 1959. The early M1 had no speed limits , crash barriers , or lighting, and had soft shoulders rather than hard. As there
6885-662: Was relocated, during widening works in 2007–08, to the eastern side of junction 10. This section of the M1 broadly follows the route of the A5 north-west. It started at the Watford Bypass ( A41 ), which runs south-east to meet the A1 at Apex corner, and ended on the A5 at Crick. The M10 spur motorway connected the M1 to the North Orbital Road ( A405 / A414 , a precursor of the M25 ) where it also met
6970-531: Was the first female directly elected mayor in England and the Liberal Democrats ' first directly elected mayor. Since 1999 Watford has been divided into 12 wards . Each ward has three councillors who are elected for a four-year term. Watford elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, for the Watford constituency . Prior to the establishment of this constituency in 1885
7055-631: Was then little traffic, London musicians such as the Rolling Stones were known to speed up to take advantage of the Watford Gap Motorway Services Area , open 24 hours at a time when pubs closed at 11 p.m. The first section of the motorway, between junction 5 ( Watford ) and junction 18 ( Crick / Rugby ), opened on 2 November 1959, together with the motorway's two spurs, the M10 (from junction 7 to south of St Albans originally connecting to
7140-657: Was therefore split, with the part of the parish outside the urban district becoming the parish of Watford Rural with effect from the first parish meeting on 4 December 1894. At the same time, the parish of Bushey was split, with the part within the Watford Urban District becoming a parish called Bushey Urban, which was later renamed Oxhey in 1906. Watford Urban and Bushey Urban / Oxhey were both classed as urban parishes and so did not have parish councils of their own, but were directly administered by Watford Urban District Council. The two urban parishes merged in 1935 to form
7225-409: Was to be used for other sections. Many later developments, including smart motorway schemes, have been made to the M1, and these are detailed below. Recent concerns about accidents and deaths on the former hard shoulder have led to a halt and review into extending all lane running which reported in July 2021. The A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass) is a two-lane dual carriageway running east from
#535464