Directly south of the town of Hertford, in the East Hertfordshire district, sits the village and civil parish of Hertford Heath. Located on heath land, the small village has historically been an agricultural one, with abundant arable greenland dominating the landscape. Nowadays, the area is largely associated with affluence, and the housing market regularly boasts large-scale country properties attached to significant acerage with offers in excess of £2 million!

Whilst it is nowadays associated with affluence, Hertford Heath’s origins are ancient, and can be traced back to 54 BC! It is thought that a settlement of the Catuvellauni tribe - a Celtic tribe - were settled in the area of Hertford Heath when Julius Caesar invaded England in 54 BC, and defeated the tribe. In 1956, when builders were digging up the area around the Hertford Heath locale, the builders discovered archaeological traces that turned out to be an Iron Age Belgic grave and various pottery items dating back to the 1st century! A select few of these can now be seen in the British Museum.

The village’s connection to the local independent boarding school, Haileybury College, dates back to the early 1800s. Originally, the site was utilised as the training ground for administrators for the East India Company, a joint stock and trade company that formed to trade within the Indian Ocean. The training college was closed in 1858, and replaced by Haileybury College. The college has some notable alumni, including Prime Minister Clement Atlee - instrumental in the foundation of the National Health Service in 1948, and Christopher Nolan - who recently won the best director award for the film ‘Oppenheimer’ at the 2024 Academy Awards!

Similar to many small villages and civil parishes across the country, development in this region tends to be slow. The Hertford Heath Parish Council submitted their pre-submission consultation for the drafting of a Neighbourhood Plan in 2020, and has not seen any progress since then. Although large-scale developments are typically slow; there is plenty of room for individual development, particularly towards barn conversions and the regeneration of large single-use housing units!