When was stevenage founded

On the whole, this was not a popular decision with the local people of Stevenage. They were worried about loss of community identity, property and worsening traffic conditions.

Arguments for the new town included providing more space and freedom for many of those living in overcrowded conditions in London. Despite the objections, Stevenage was designated the first new town on 11th November and the Development Corporation was set up shortly afterwards.

A master plan was drawn up placing housing to the east and industry to the west. Six neighbourhoods were planned which would consist of 10, homes each with their own community centre, pub and shops. Stevenage would be the first town in the country to have a completely pedestrian town centre; a radical idea at the time. The first residents moved into their homes in the Monkswood and Broom Barns estates in Residents setting up home in the new town had to find work in Stevenage before they could be offered a house.

Perhaps the people deliberately moved to take advantage of the traffic. In the late 13th century Stevenage became a small market town. From it had weekly markets in those days there were very few shops and if you wished to buy or sell anything you had to go to market. Stevenage was also granted annual fairs. In the Middle Ages fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year.

They attracted buyers and sellers from a wide area. In the 14th century Stevenage probably had a population of not more than 1, To us, it would seem very small but towns were tiny in the Middle Ages. Some of the people in the town made their living at least partly from farming. Stevenage had a common where townspeople grazed their livestock. Then in disaster struck when the Black Death reached Stevenage. The town lost much of its population.

However Stevenage soon recovered. Through the centuries life in Stevenage continued to be much the same. However from the midth century stagecoaches began to pass through Stevenage.

By the early 19th century about 20 coaches were passing through each day. Next to be built and occupied by the London overspill was Bedwell in , and then came Broadwater and Shephall , Chells in the s and later Pin Green and Symonds Green. Another new development to the north of the town is Great Ashby. As of it is still under construction.

At least two other public houses have a direct relationship to local history. The name of the pub "Edward the Confessor" closed could have had a connection to the time at which St Mary's Church in nearby Walkern was built, for King Edward ruled from until his death in Walkern's village church dates from this time. The second pub with a possible link to local history is the "Our Mutual Friend" in Broadwater. The name of the pub is the title of a novel by Charles Dickens.

High Street in the Old Town The pedestrianized town centre was the first purpose-built traffic-free shopping zone in Britain and was officially opened in by the Queen. By the clock tower and ornamental pool is Joyride, a mother and child sculpture by Franta Belsky.

Although revolutionary for its time, the town centre is showing signs of age and in plans were revealed for a major regeneration to take place over the next decade. Details are still being debated by the council, landowners and other interested parties. The plans, which included realigning streets, moving the bus station and building a new department store, cinema, hotel, restaurants, and flats, had been given council planning approval in January The Town Centre Regeneration Strategy called for better-quality shops including a major department store , improved public transport with a combined bus and rail interchange, high-density town-centre living, substantially improved civic facilities, increased office space and an improved 'public realm'.

The town has a large central library in Southgate, at the southern end of the pedestrian precinct, with facilities including printing, fax and photocopying, children's events, study space, a carers' information point and a large public computer suite, as well as a small branch library at the northern end of the High Street in the Old Town.

There is also a public library in nearby Knebworth, located in St Martin's Road. The church is a cathedral-like Grade 2 listed building. It is also the largest parish church to have been built in England since World War Two. The frame is constructed from a continuous pour of concrete into moulds, creating interlacing arches and leaving no apparent joints.

There are twelve Purbeck-marble columns around the high altar and the external walls are clad in panels faced with Normandy pebble.

The campanile houses the loudspeakers for an electro-acoustic carillon. Forster used Rooksnest and the surrounding area as the setting for his novel Howards End. In the preface to one paperback edition of Howards End there is a lot to be found about landmarks of Stevenage and their relationship to the story of the novel, such as Stevenage High Street and the Six Hills.

The land north of St Nicholas' Church, known as Forster Country, is the last remaining farmland within the boundary of Stevenage borough. Forster was unhappy with the development of new Stevenage, which would, in his words, "fall out of the blue sky like a meteorite upon the ancient and delicate scenery of Hertfordshire".

Also close to Stevenage is Knebworth House, a gothic stately home and venue of globally renowned rock concerts since The house was once home to Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Victorian English novelist and spiritualist, who, as reported by one of his visitors, so deeply believed in spiritual realities that he sometimes thought himself to be invisible while others were around.

In a millennium countdown clock was mounted on the town centre clock tower, displaying the time remaining until the year Adjacent to yet separate from the residential parts of the town is the Industrial Area. For many years British Aerospace now MBDA was the largest employer in the town but now GlaxoSmithKline has a large pharmaceutical research laboratory complex which is known as 'The Palace' to many of its inhabitants.

A smaller but interesting enterprise is Astrium, which for some decades as part of British Aerospace and its predecessors has manufactured spacecraft, both as prime contractor and as equipment supplier. There are many small- to medium-size firms as well. Stevenage BioScience Catalyst, a new science park aimed at attracting small and start-up life-sciences enterprises, opened in on a site next to GSK.

The town is still growing. It is set to expand west of the A1 M motorway and may be further identified for development. The main area of more recent development is Great Ashby to the north-east of the town but actually in North Hertfordshire District. A considerable amount of in-borough development has been undertaken at Chrysalis Park - on the old Dixon's Warehouse site adjacent to the Pin Green Industrial Estate. While being home to some celebrities, such as Kinga from Big Brother Fame.

Stevenage holds a number of annual events, including Stevenage Day and Rock in the Park. In past years Stevenage Carnival has also been held, with a number of attempts to revive it.