84-460: The Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line was an 18-mile-long (29 km) railway line connecting existing railways at Bishop's Stortford , Dunmow and Braintree . It was promoted independently by the Bishop’s Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree Railway (BSD&BR) company, but the directors failed to generate subscriptions, or to manage the construction properly. The Great Eastern Railway
168-474: A contemporary directory. The vibrancy of the local economy - especially the agricultural trade sector - was demonstrated in 1828 when a consortium of local businessmen built the Bishop's Stortford Corn Exchange , which provided trading accommodation for 65 dealers. By this point, the town directory was listing 200 commercial entries, and 350 by the turn of the century. The third major transport innovation to have
252-576: A monthly farmers market run by Bishop's Stortford Town Council. The Bishop's Stortford Independent newspaper covers Stortford, along with the neighbouring towns of Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet . The newspaper was founded in October 2017 following the closure of the Stortford office of the Herts and Essex Observer newspaper in 2016. The town is also covered by a number of print magazines including
336-503: A new town centre area and city-type apartments and penthouses on the riverside and elsewhere. Jackson Square (a modern shopping complex) was rebuilt and an extension added. Stortford continued to grow as a commuter town from the second half of the 20th century onwards, spurred by the construction of the M11 motorway and Stansted Airport , as well as rail links to London and Cambridge. This contributed to its rise in population to almost 38,000 at
420-499: A number of occasions the boundaries of Bishop's Stortford parish have been expanded. Most recently this occurred in 1992 when some neighbouring parts of Essex were moved into the town and in 2018 when homes were moved into Stortford from neighbouring Thorley Parish. In 2020 Bishop's Stortford was the largest town in East Hertfordshire. At the 2011 census, 93.6% of the population of Stortford described themselves as white, which
504-510: A public meeting at the town's corn exchange voted to establish a local board , the Bishop's Stortford Local Board. The parish of Bishop's Stortford was declared to be a local government district with effect from 25 December 1866, and the local board held its first meeting at the corn exchange on 23 February 1867. Jones Gifford Nash was chosen as the first chairman of the local board. The Local Board later established offices at 7 North Street. Under
588-478: A result, the road from London to Newmarket was diverted to the east of the centre of Stortford, and instead ran through the outlying settlement of Hockerill. The inns of Hockerill become an important overnight location for stop overs for overnight coaches to East Anglia . Further demands for improved roads led to the creation of the Essex and Hertfordshire Turnpike Trust (later Hockerill Turnpike Trust ) in 1744 to repair
672-579: A series of royal visits in the 17th century, with Charles I visiting the town in 1625, 1629 and 1642. The years following the last of Charles' visits were to prove somewhat turbulent for the town. During the English Civil War Stortford backed the Parliamentarians , with the Manor of Stortford being sequestered from the Bishop of London and sold off for £2,845. It was returned to the Bishop at
756-512: A service industry, which was higher than East Hertfordshire (81.2%) and England (81.2%). Of particular note is that 7.9% of local workers are employed in Transportation and Storage which is well above the English average of 5.0%. The most significant employer in this industry is Stansted Airport, which was estimated in 2013 to employ at least 1,000 people who live in Stortford. Commuters represent
840-588: A significant boost to the town was the construction of the Stort Navigation , which canalised the River Stort, and opened in 1769. The improvements to the navigation of the Stort were driven by the inability of the malting industry to use the Stort for river transport, which caused significant damage to the local roads and handed a competitive advantage to neighbouring malting areas like Ware who were linked to London by
924-529: A significant impact upon Stortford was the arrival of the railway in 1842. The line initially ran from London Liverpool Street to Stortford, but by 1845 the line was linked to Norwich. The new rail link brought an almost immediate end to the coaching industry, and the Stort Navigation entered terminal decline. The town, though boomed. Massive new residential estates grew up in the New Town (to the south and west of
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#17328688645921008-419: A sizeable proportion of the local working age population. The Town Wide Employment Study estimated in 2013 around 3,000 people (round 15% of those in employment) commute from Stortford by rail, with the largest proportion "in all probability" travelling into Central London. This is reflected in Stortford in the 2011 census having a much higher proportion of workers in managerial and professional occupations than
1092-409: A small area of clinker surface at track level. One vehicle in each passenger train was equipped with retractable steps, operated by the guard, for passengers at the two halts to use. At the same time the conductor-guard method of working was introduced: the guard issued the tickets for the halts. All the coaches on the passenger trains had a central corridor throughout so that the guard could pass through
1176-532: Is a stop on the West Anglia Main Line and was first opened in 1842. There were 2.00 million passenger entries and exits in 2020/21. The station is served by three routes, all operated by Greater Anglia : Epping tube station on the London Underground Central line is about 10 miles away from Stortford; the line provides a stopping service through Central London to Ealing Broadway in
1260-460: Is identified by waymarks and is shown on Ordnance Survey mapping. The Flitch Way adjoins four named paths: Andy T Wallis, Bishop's Stortford, Braintree, Witham & Maldon Railways Through Time, Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2013, ISBN 978-1445608563 Bishop%27s Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in
1344-462: Is named after the town, and not the town after the river. When cartographers visited the town in the 16th century, they reasoned that the town must have been named after the ford in the river and assumed the river was called the Stort. Little is known of Stortford until the Roman era , with the evidence being small archaeological finds. Limited evidence of ancient Mesolithic and Microlithic peoples in
1428-593: The Bishop's Stortford Flyer, CM23 Connection, Axis Magazine, and The BISH . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC London and ITV London . Television signals are received from either the Crystal Palace or the local relay transmitters. BBC East and ITV Anglia can also be received from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio and Heart Hertfordshire . Bishop's Stortford railway station
1512-539: The Braintree station continues in use as the terminal of the active branch line from Witham . The town of Dunmow was significant enough to warrant being on a London to York Railway of 1835 proposed by Joseph Gibbs , but that came to nothing. In 1860 the Epping Railway was authorised to extend to Great Dunmow, but the line as constructed never reached further than Chipping Ongar . Bishops Stortford became connected to
1596-522: The Local Government Act 1894 , the Bishop's Stortford Local Board was replaced by the Bishop's Stortford Urban District Council in 1894. The new council held its first meeting on 5 January 1895. The last chairman of the local board, John Slater, was appointed the first chairman of the urban district council. The council continued to be based at 7 North Street until the First World War . In 1914
1680-574: The Norfolk Railway there and form a through route to Norwich . The ECR opened its line to from Bishops Stortford to Brandon on 29 July 1845. Further east the Eastern Counties Railway had opened a line from its London terminal to Colchester , on 7 March 1843, running through Chelmsford and Witham . Communities on these main line railways immediately benefitted from faster transport and reduced transport costs, and places not served by
1764-569: The Restoration . The Great Plague of 1666–7 , and its lasting effects, reduced the population to only around 600 by 1700. The effects of the plague were so severe that the town had to appeal to the Hertfordshire magistrates, who levied a rate on every parish in the county for the relief of Bishop's Stortford, Hoddesdon and Cheshunt . Despite the demographic impact of the Great Plague, perhaps
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#17328688645921848-576: The 13th century. In terms of governance, early medieval Stortford was part of the Braughing Hundred , but acquired burgesses and between 1306 and 1336 was taxed as a borough. No charter survives however, and civil authority passed to two local manor courts at the Castle and the Rectory. Stortford briefly sent two members to parliament in the reigns of Edward II and Edward III , with writs being issued to
1932-516: The 1868 Act. It may suggest the state of the administration of the Company at that time, that Valentine and Wilson’s account for £403 remained unpaid until they repeatedly asked for settlement, and a duplicate account was sent in by them. Still the GER delayed opening the line, which had been substantially completed for 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years; Brassey's account was unpaid, and at this late stage Col Yolland of
2016-414: The 50 councillors on East Herts Council. For elections to Bishop's Stortford Town Council, the town is split into nine wards: All Saints, Central, Chantry, Parsonage, Silverleys, South, Thorley Manor North, Thorley Manor South and Waterside. For elections to Hertfordshire County Council, out of the 78 electoral divisions in total, three divisions cover Bishop's Stortford: Bishop's Stortford East (comprising
2100-585: The BW&;MR directors sold the unbuilt line to the Eastern Counties Railway a few months after getting Parliamentary authority. The ECR altered the arrangement at Witham, so that both arms of the line ran to the ECR Witham station, in effect forming two branch lines from there. The ECR opened the line in 1848, but failed to improve the harbour facilities at Maldon, on the River Blackwater. In 1859 businesspeople from
2184-486: The Board of Trade had to insist on turntables being provided at Bishops Stortford and Braintree, as well as some signal interlocking alterations. Now at last the GER was hastening the opening of the line and Col Yolland made an inspection for the Board of Trade on 28 January 1869. He found many deficiencies, most of which seem predictable. Interlocking at Dunmow had not been attended to; turntables were not yet ready even though this
2268-467: The Company was far too narrow for the track bed and necessary earthworks, and Brassey himself had to purchase additional strips of land. The construction process continued, and Col Yolland inspected the line for the Board of Trade on 20 November 1866. Yolland found a number of deficiencies and declined to approve opening to passenger traffic. In particular, at Bishops Stortford no arrangements had been made by
2352-446: The English average of 86.2%. Stortford recorded a significantly higher proportion of European Union -born residents than either East Hertfordshire or England. The number of UK-born residents in 2011 was down from the 92.4% recorded in 2001. The number of occupied dwellings in Bishop's Stortford rose from 13,733 in 2001 to 14,920. In Stortford 3.0% of properties were recorded as empty in 2011, compared with 4.3% across England. Overall,
2436-492: The GER on 20 February. The line opened for traffic on 21 February 1869. The first train service consisted of three passenger trains each way. By 1897 the service had increased to five passenger trains and two goods trains each way. The majority of the single line route was subject to normal signalling arrangements, but the GER had never set up a system for the short distance from the Braintree station to Braintree Goods Junction,
2520-406: The GER to accommodate the trains from the Braintree line, and the station was considered too small to handle the extra traffic. At Braintree the line to Bishops Stortford diverged some distance from the existing terminus; the intention was to work trains in and out of the old terminus by reversing, an arrangement deprecated by Yolland. The BSD&BR asked Thomas Brassey, the contractor, to make good
2604-505: The GER. This was ratified by the Great Eastern Railway (Bishop's Stortford Railway Purchase) Act of 29 June 1865. Financial difficulties dragged on; the GER was not free of financial problems itself, and the dispute with Thomas Brassey over completion of the construction works and compliance with the specification became protracted. Eventually a difficult agreement was concluded and, with the possibility of arbitration still in place,
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2688-556: The Jackson Square shopping centre. Bishop's Stortford Urban District Council was granted a coat of arms on 20 August 1952. Bishop's Stortford Urban District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 , becoming part of East Hertfordshire on 1 April 1974. Bishop's Stortford Town Council was established as a successor parish to the old urban district. The former urban district council's offices at 1 The Causeway were taken over by East Hertfordshire District Council, whilst
2772-466: The Principal Town Centre in East Hertfordshire by East Hertfordshire District Council 's District Plan , serving as a destination for visitors from beyond the town. There is both an indoor shopping centre, Jackson Square, and a traditional high street running along the axis of South Street, Potter Street and North Street, as well as the adjoining streets. The town has a twice weekly market and
2856-638: The River Lea. The work on the canal undertaken by George Jackson (later Sir George Duckett ) had the added benefit of alleviating the flooding risk in the town. With the roads and Stort navigation providing easy access to London markets, industrialisation came to Stortford. The advent of the Stort Navigation brought new industries to the town, with bargemen, lock-keepers, wharfingers, coal and timber merchants all appearing. The malting industry also saw output significantly increase, with brown malt production doubling between 1788 and 1811. Together with national trends in
2940-451: The Stortford area was settled only sparsely in prehistoric times, and nearby places like Braughing and Little Hallingbury were of more importance." Stortford was on the line of the Roman road, Stane Street , which ran from St Albans to Colchester via Braughing. Construction started around 50AD on the road. Little evidence from the period survives except for excavations showing a section of
3024-415: The agricultural district served, but intermediate passenger business was slow. A sugar beet processing plant provided a considerable boost for the line. Nevertheless, the decline in passenger carryings led to closure to passengers in 1952. General goods and certain specific traffics continued, but failure of a viaduct severed the route intermediately in 1966 and the line closed completely in 1972, except that
3108-755: The areas covered by the All Saints, Parsonage and Chantry Town Council Wards), Bishop's Stortford Rural (the South, Thorley Manor South Town Council Wards together with the Little Hadham and Much Hadham East Herts District Council Wards) and Bishop's Stortford West (the Central, Silverleys, Thorley Manor North and Waterside Town Council Wards). After 46 years of being twinned with the German town of Friedberg and Villiers-sur-Marne in France,
3192-557: The best place to live in the UK by the Halifax Quality of Life annual survey in 2020. The origins of the town's name are uncertain. One possibility is that the Saxon settlement derives its name from 'Steorta's ford' or 'tail ford', in the sense of a 'tail', or tongue, of land. The town became known as Bishop's Stortford due to the acquisition in 1060 by the Bishop of London . The River Stort
3276-401: The brewing industry, the 40 malthouses in Stortford in early 1800s Stortford also helped to stimulate the local brewing trade. At the turn of the 19th century, there were 18 brewers in town which in turn boosted the inn trade. The boom in the town in turn boosted the metal working and bricklaying trades, and also aided the general retail trade. In 1791 there were 30 principal traders according to
3360-437: The business quickly transferred to road, leaving only outgoing pulp traffic to be transported by rail. This resulted in the beet traffic being discontinued completely from 1 April 1969. A corresponding decline took place on the western section of the line, and from 1 April 1969 only a private siding used for Geest Industries banana traffic was in use, the rest of the route having been closed. The Geest traffic could hardly support
3444-457: The castle started the following year at John's expense, and John stayed the night in the castle in 1216. By the 15th century, the castle had fallen into disrepair, and the Bishop's Court (one of the administrative structures for the area) moved to Hockerill, to the east of the town. At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 the village had a population of around 120, and grew to around 700 by
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3528-468: The coming decades as the railways spurred industrialisation. Population growth averaged 1.12% per annum through to 1911 and the advent of World War I. Inter-war growth averaged 1.54% per annum. Stortford's population exceeded the county town of Hertford in the 1961 census, even though Stortford's average population growth slowed to 1.39% between World War II and 2020. Sources of population growth have been predominantly natural growth and in-migration, but on
3612-464: The council bought a large old house called Wharf House at 4 The Causeway. The house had been built by George Jackson , who had also built the adjoining Stort Navigation . Wharf House was renamed the Council House, and served as the council's offices until October 1972, when the council moved to purpose-built offices at 1 The Causeway. The Council House was demolished shortly afterwards to make way for
3696-454: The county of Hertfordshire , England. It is in the London commuter belt , near the border with Essex , just west of the M11 motorway and Stansted Airport , 22 miles north-east of Central London and 34 minutes away by rail from Liverpool Street station . The town had an estimated population of 41,088 in 2020. The district of East Hertfordshire , where the town centre is located, was ranked as
3780-476: The demise of the line which closed to passengers in 1952 and freight in 1972. The mid-19th century onwards also saw the rapid growth in public utilities, public services and governance in the town. The first gas street lights were installed in the town in the 1830s, in 1855 the New Cemetery was opened, in the 1870s a sewage farm and an isolation hospital were built, while in 1895 the town's first proper hospital
3864-686: The dominant type of housing are detached and semi-detached housing, although the proportion of flats has grown from 13.0% in 2001 to 17.6% in 2011. The proportion of flats is well below the English average of 22.1% Home ownership is high in Bishop's Stortford at 72.3% of households, which is above both the East Hertfordshire and English averages. The proportion of properties available for social rent has risen from 9.8% in 2001 to 10.1% in 2011. Stortford has three tiers of local government at parish (town), district, and county level: Bishop's Stortford Town Council, East Hertfordshire District Council , and Hertfordshire County Council . Historically, Stortford
3948-468: The dragging out of a decision on carrying out completion works meant that Thomas Brassey's obligation to maintain the railway for the first year was becoming unreasonable. It had long been plain that the BSD&;BR company was incapable of bringing the construction to a conclusion, and all its financial outgoings were being made by the Great Eastern Railway. It was decided that the Company should be purchased by
4032-506: The evidence becoming much stronger after the Norman Conquest . In 1060 when William, Bishop of London , bought Stortford manor and estate for £8, leading to the town's modern name. By 1086, the motte-and-bailey Waytemore Castle had been built as a local strongpoint for the area. It acted as a centre for defence and civil administration for roughly 125 years before it was dismantled but not destroyed by King John in 1211. Rebuilding of
4116-625: The form of flakes, cores and an axe have been found on the Meads and Silverleys respectively. Most Bronze Age evidence is from the neighbouring parish of Thorley to the south as opposed to Stortford proper, but a 3,000 year old socketed spearhead has been found at Haymeads Lane within the town. Evidence of settlement has been found on Dunmow Road dating from the Middle Bronze Age through to Romano-British times. In Bishop's Stortford: A History , Jacqueline Cooper concludes "existing evidence suggests that
4200-598: The general area projected a railway through the town, linking Bishops Stortford and Braintree. They sought advice from the Eastern Counties Railway, testing whether their line would be welcome. At the time the ECR Board were fearing a possible incursion into the territory they considered to be their own. A London and Bury St Edmunds Railway was being proposed, and such a line would bisect the ECR area of control. At this period in railway history, dominance in any particular geographical area
4284-542: The historic core) and Hockerill (across the river to the east of the historic core) in the decades following the building of the railway. A Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line was built to Braintree to bring goods into Stortford from the surrounding more rural areas, with the first section to Great Dunmow opening in 1864. The single track line struggled to gain traction, and by 1922 had only seven eastbound and six westbound trains per day. The bus service which started between Stortford and Dunmow in 1920 contributed to
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#17328688645924368-564: The importance of "quality of life" as an important economic asset. In addition to East Hertfordshire topping the Halifax Quality of Life survey in 2020, Stortford has been highlighted as a popular commuter town in articles in The Times , The Evening Standard , and the Metro newspaper London . Like the UK as a whole, Stortford has a highly service-based economy. In the 2011 census, 84.5% of Stortford residents in employment stated that they worked in
4452-435: The inexorable progress of road transport made a huge impact on the line, as passengers transferred to bus services. This led eventually to a decision to close the passenger service on the line; it ceased to operate on 3 March 1952. The previous use of the line may be judged from Paye's remark that "the withdrawal of the passenger service brought little change to the branch, as freight services continued." The Braintree station
4536-473: The line on its own, and from 17 February 1972 the line was closed completely, when the banana traffic transferred to road. The Flitch Way is a 15 mile (km) long-distance walking route that follows the track-bed of the former Bishop’s Stortford to Braintree branch railway. The route of the path is from Start Hill (51°52'13"N 0°12'18"E) near Bishop’s Stortford to Braintree railway station (51°52'32"N 0°33'24"E). The track-bed west of Start Hill to Bishop’s Stortford
4620-420: The line were very slow to come, but the GER had already determined that its interests lay in keeping interlopers out of the district, so it was ready to pay for the construction. However it was left to Thomas Brassey , the contractor, to deal with the situation, and there is a constant stream of requests from Brassey for money for work carried out, and for facilities that the owners should provide. Land acquired by
4704-425: The maltings and the town's market supported a large number of inns and public houses by the middle of the 16th century pointing to its prosperity. Over the following hundred years, Stortford grew markedly. The population of Stortford reached 1,500 by 1660 as a result of a positive net birth rate and migration to the town. This was despite a series of a dozen plagues between the 1560s and 1660s. The town also enjoyed
4788-417: The matter was ratified by the Bishop’s Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree Railway Act of 31 July 1868, which confirmed the absorption of the railway by the Great Eastern Railway. It was calculated that the cost of constructing the line had been £188,779. The firm of Valentine and Wilson had been commissioned by the GER as valuers to examine the state of the railway as constructed, prior to the agreement leading to
4872-402: The national average, as shown in the table below. Stortford itself has a strong internal economy, with an estimated 16,985 people employed within the town boundaries. There are 329 businesses established in the town centre (as of 2018) represented by the Bishop's Stortford Business Improvement District (BID). There is also a Bishop's Stortford Chamber of Commerce. Stortford is considered
4956-577: The new railways suffered correspondingly. For some, branch lines seemed to be the solution, and in 1846 the Braintree, Witham and Maldon Railway (BW&MR) was authorised. Joining Braintree to a small harbour on the River Blackwater at Maldon , the line was to make a direct crossing of the Eastern Counties main line at Witham. Part of the authorisation included improvement to the Maldon harbour. In fact
5040-719: The new town council was based at the former offices of the Braughing Rural District Council at 2 Hockerill Street. The town council moved to the Old Monastery on Windhill in 1994. East Hertfordshire District Council vacated 1 The Causeway in 2013, having consolidated most of its functions at its main offices in Hertford . The district council set up a smaller Bishop's Stortford office in Charringtons House, adjoining 1 The Causeway. The vacated office at 1 The Causeway
5124-588: The period and the scheme was abandoned. The demonstration vehicles were scrapped at Stratford Works. The viaduct at Dunmow had given concern, and in 1966 the matter came to a head, when it was found that £120,000 would be needed to make it safe for continuing use. The decision was taken to close it from 18 April 1966. From that date the branch was divided into two sections, Bishop's Stortford to Dunmow, and Braintree to Felsted for sugar beet traffic only. The forwarding of sugar beet from Hertford line stations to Felsted factory suddenly became very lengthy and roundabout, and
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#17328688645925208-537: The point of divergence to the old station for the Witham line, now serving as the goods station. It was worked by pilotman, whose wages amounted to £132 annually. In 1922 the GER decided to install the Electric Tablet system. Bus competition was being felt in reducing passenger business on the line, and in reaction the GER opened two new halts, at Stane Street and Bannister Green on 18 December 1922. Both halts consisted of
5292-524: The railway network on 16 May 1842 when the Northern and Eastern Railway (N&ER) reached the town. The N&ER was planning to advance on York, but its lack of financial resources made that impossible. On the first day of 1844 the company agreed to lease its line for 999 years to the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR). The ECR obtained authority to extend to Cambridge and Brandon , in order to meet
5376-531: The road between Harlow Bush Common and Stump Cross in Great Chesterford . Later Acts of Parliament extended the term of the Trust and allowed new road construction. From March 1785 the mail coaches ran from London to Norwich via Stortford. Thus, the improved highways marked the first of the phases of Stortford's growth driven by emergent transport technology. The second major transport development to provide
5460-466: The road, evidence of a cremation facility and a burial site. None of the excavations has shown evidence of the Roman fort which likely existed in Stortford. The settlement was probably abandoned in the 5th century after the break-up of the Roman Empire. Following the end of the Roman era, a new Anglo-Saxon settlement grew up on the site. However, little is known about Stortford until the 1060s with
5544-409: The same time the GER solicitor reminded the Board that the BSD&BR company had no ordinary shareholders, and had already exceeded its permitted debenture borrowings. As the GER wanted the line completed, for the tactical reasons already described, then it would have to find the money. In addition, the period allowed by Parliament for completion of the construction phase had already been exceeded, and
5628-459: The shortcomings, but Brassey was already nettled at the failure of the company to pay his certified accounts, and he declined to carry out the remedial works until he was paid. The BSD&BR had no money and the GER noted that they had already contributed 75% more than had been expected towards the construction. A hiatus followed in which a rift between the Great Eastern Railway and Brassey became particularly marked, as Brassey waited for his money. At
5712-509: The time of the 2011 census. Of the seven suburbs of Thorley , Town, Havers, Stortford Fields, Bishop's Park, St Michael's Mead and Snowley the last is a separate ecclesiastical parish east of the River Stort, centred around the old coaching inns, All Saints in Stansted Road and Snowley Parade, bordering Birchanger Woods and Essex. Postwar development has enlarged the town's area further. The earliest reliable population figure for Stortford
5796-488: The time this was thought to be the solution to the last-mile problem, of getting to and from industrial premises that were not located adjacent to a railway. The goods yard at Takeley was adapted with the necessary changeover equipment to enable the Road-Railer to transfer from road to rail haulage travelling mode, and vice versa. After extensive trials the Road-Railer proved unsuitable for the freight transport requirements of
5880-636: The town council ended links in 2011. Stortford is a prosperous town. The key drivers of its growth according to the Town Wide Employment Study for Bishop's Stortford are "Stansted Airport, an excellent rail service into central London and good road links via the M11 to London, the M25 northern sub-region and Cambridge. Stortford is well positioned in relation to the UK's most dynamic economies." This study also highlights Stortford's skilled population, as well as
5964-477: The town in the 1311–1315, 1318, 1320, 1322 and 1340. At the start of the early modern period in the mid 15th century, Stortford was a primarily agricultural community, but had also acquired a tanning industry. By the 16th century, Stortford had become an important centre of the malting industry. Not only were the local soils well suited for grains, but the fact that the town was just 35 miles to London provided an impetus to its development. The economic draw of
6048-727: The train for ticket issuing purposes. The geopolitical events of two world wars had little lasting effect on the line, although Sunday trains were introduced “to help the war effort” in October 1914. The railway reorganisations of grouping and nationalisation seemed to lead only to changes of names of the owning company -- to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and to British Railways in 1948. However British Railways operated an enhanced service of seven passenger trains each way Monday to Friday, six on Saturdays, nearly all running through to Witham. There were four goods trains each way. The enhanced passenger service continued in subsequent years, but
6132-542: The turning point in Stortford's fortunes was the creation of the 'Hockerill by-pass' in 1670. King Charles II had in the 1660s been increasingly travelling from London to Newmarket for the races and disliked the noise and congestion of Stortford, with its odorous market, maltings and tanneries. Moreover, the route was not always passable as noted by diarist Samuel Pepys who in made the following entry in his diary on 23 May 1668: ‘and so to Bishop's Stafford [sic]. The ways mighty full of water so as hardly to be passed’. As
6216-558: Was 120 at the publication of the Domesday Book in 1086. Over the successive centuries the population waxed and waned as a result of economic growth and plagues, and generally only rough population estimates exist. By the time of the first nationwide census in 1801 Stortford's population had reached 2,305 spurred by the town's position on the Hockerill Turnpike and the canalisation of the River Stort. Steady growth continued over
6300-458: Was a definite requirement by the BoT (for tender engine operation); drains were blocked by leaf fall during the period of operational dormancy; and fencing was incomplete. Yolland refused permission to open the line. Yolland made a further inspection visit on 18 February 1869, and while not everything was perfectly complete, Yolland felt able to give the necessary consent, and this was received formally by
6384-447: Was administered by its parish vestry , in the same way as most small towns and rural areas; no borough corporation was established for the town, despite some limited moves in that direction in the fourteenth century. Bishop's Stortford was included in the hundred of Braughing . The Bishop's Stortford Poor Law Union was established in 1835, covering the town and surrounding parishes in both Hertfordshire and Essex. On 25 October 1866
6468-406: Was also used by trains on the branch line from Witham, and the station and the short length of the line to Braintree Goods Junction remained in use for trains to and from Witham. Braintree has accelerated as a commuter dormitory and the line was electrified on 31 October 1977. In July 1960 the branch was used for demonstrating the new road-railer container vehicles developed by British Railways. At
6552-459: Was considered to be key to commercial success. After commissioning a survey of the route in 1860, the ECR declared that they would support the line. The proposal went to Parliament, and the Bishops Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree Railway was authorised on 22 July 1861. Share capital was to be £120,000. The London and Bury St Edmunds Railway proposal was abandoned. Subscriptions for shares in
6636-729: Was demolished in 2017. Bishop's Stortford is the largest town within the Hertford and Stortford County Constituency for elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom . The constituency covers Stortford, Hertford, Ware, Sawbridgeworth and the surrounding rural areas. For elections to East Herts District Council, Bishop's Stortford has been divided into six wards since the May 2023 local elections wards: All Saints, Central, North, Parsonage, South and Thorley Manor. Bishop's Stortford residents elect 14 of
6720-430: Was immune from bombings, with 20 bombs recorded as having been dropped in 1940. Targets included Hockerill Training College where three students were killed on 10 October 1940. The railway station was hit twice during the war and a rocket landed near Farnham Road in the town in 1945. In the post-war era the town centre underwent changes with the demolition of a multi-storey car park and surrounding area to make way for
6804-453: Was lower than the 96.2% recorded in the 2001 census. The number of people describing themselves as having a white background in 2011 was significantly higher than the England aggregate of 85.4%, but slightly lower than the overall East Hertfordshire figure. The proportion of Bishop's Stortford residents reporting having been born in the United Kingdom was 87.8%, and was only slightly higher than
6888-507: Was opened. By 1911, the Encyclopædia Britannica referred to the town as having strong educational pedigree: "The high school, formerly the grammar school, was founded in the time of Elizabeth.... There are a Nonconformist grammar school, a diocesan training college for mistresses, and other educational establishments." During World War II , Stortford was a reception area for evacuees. This did not, however, mean that Stortford
6972-621: Was severed in 1975 when the M11 motorway was built. In 1980 Essex County Council bought the land as a route for an upgraded A120. However, the Council decided to turn the land into a linear country park; the Flitch Way Country Park was opened in 1994. The route is useable for walkers and cyclists throughout its length, and is suitable for horses part of the way. The route is part of the National Cycle Network Route 16. The path
7056-441: Was the dominant railway company in the area, and saw the line as a blocker, to prevent the incursion of a rival line, so they felt obliged to support it. However they themselves had other pressing priorities, both managerial and financial, at the time, and for some time the construction was in abeyance. The line opened in 1869, and the BSD&BR company was absorbed into the Great Eastern Railway. Goods traffic developed healthily in
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