Dacorum
Explore hidden histories, historic photos, and things you never knew about Dacorum from the collections and archives of Historic England.
Discover your local listed buildings and places
Introducing some of Dacorum's most historic sites, included in the National Heritage List for England. Some of these captions have been summarised by AI. Click through for the official List entry.
Ashridge Estate
Aldbury
An early C19 country house with gardens, laid out largely 1813 to 1830s to suggestions made by Humphry Repton in his Red Book of 1813 towards the end of his career, surrounded by an...
Ashridge House, including raised terrace, walls and steps…
Little Gaddesden
Country house built in 1808 to 1821 to the designs of James Wyatt and completed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville.
Berkhamsted School Chapel
Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted School Chapel, designed by Charles Henry Rew in Tudor style, was built between 1894-5, featuring a red brick exterior and a sanctuary inspired by Venice's Santa Maria dei...
Grotto, tomb and souterrein at Ashridge
Little Gaddesden
Grotto and souterrein executed around 1813-1821 by Sir Jeffry Wyatville based on a design in Humphry Repton's Red Book of 1813.
The Bridgewater Monument
Aldbury
The Bridgewater Monument, designed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville, honors the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, known as the "Father of Inland Navigation," for his canal contributions.
Marlin Chapel Farm moated site
Northchurch
Marlin Chapel Farm, a well-preserved medieval double moated site, exemplifies aristocratic residences with status symbol moats, offering insights into historical wealth distribution in...
94, 96 and 104, Piccott's End
Hemel Hempstead
Nos 94, 96, and 104 Piccott's End, originally three 17th-century timber-framed cottages with brick nogging, now form a single house with historic architectural significance.
High Street Green Roman barrow
Hemel Hempstead
Roman barrows are rare and usually contain high-ranking burials. The High Street Green barrow retains archaeological significance despite urban development.
Tring Park
Tring
Tring Park is a late 17th-century country house designed by Sir Christopher Wren, featuring historical landscapes by Charles Bridgeman and James Gibbs, later altered by the Rothschilds.
Church of St Mary
Hemel Hempstead
The Church of St Mary, built circa 1140-80, features a Latin cross plan and has historical elements like a C14 south porch and a C14 brass.
Little London moated site and surrounding earthwork enclo…
Kings Langley
The Little London site is a medieval moated residence with historical significance linked to the King's Langley Royal Palace, notable for its well-preserved earthworks.
The Cow Roast Inn
Wigginton
The Cow Roast Inn is a Grade II listed building from the 17th century, originally a house and now an inn, linked to historic cattle drovers.
Old Mill House Hotel
Berkhamsted
Old Mill House Hotel is a historical structure from the 18th century, featuring grey and plum brickwork, with notable 19th-century modifications.
Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle
Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted Castle, a well-documented Norman motte and bailey, is linked to William the Conqueror's family and Thomas a Becket, holding historical significance.
The Cottage and former Soup Kitchen, Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted
A cottage with C17 origins, modified in the C19 and extended for use as a soup kitchen.
Inns of Court Officers Training Corps Memorial, Berkhamst…
Nettleden with Potten End
First World War memorial. Erected circa 1920.
Louisa Cottages on Corner of Akeman Street
Tring
Louisa Cottages, built by William Huckvale for the Rothschild estate in 1893-1901, is a Grade II listed symmetrical E-plan structure with distinctive timber framing and red brick detailing.
89, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
89 High Street features a 19th-century stucco facade with a modern shop, grouped with other historic buildings for its collective value.
The Old Rectory
Wigginton
The Old Rectory, a Grade II listed house, features 17th-century timber framing with later extensions. Its historical architecture includes red tile roofs and brick refacing.
Berkhampstead School Old Building
Berkhamsted
Founded by John Incent around 1523, the Berkhampstead School Old Building is known for its historical significance and architecture with stone mullioned windows and restored interior...
103, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
103 High Street, an early 18th-century building with stucco refacing and tiled roof, features a C19 bow window and is part of a historically listed group.
Gadebridge Roman villa
Dacorum
Gadebridge Roman villa, despite being no longer visible, hosts significant archaeological layers, including an uncommonly large swimming pool.
75 and 77, High Street, 79 and 79A, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
75 and 77 High Street were part of a fine Mermaid Inn until 1789. The buildings are notable for their 16th and 17th-century timber frame construction.
99, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
99 High Street is an 18th-century red brick building with a modern shop front and a historic timber-framed back wing.
16 and 18, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
Nos 16 and 18 High Street feature an 18th-century facade with earlier structures, showcasing color-washed brick and timber framing.
91-95, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
91-95 High Street is an 18th or early 19th-century stucco three-story building with sash windows, noted for its group value with surrounding structures.
Church of St Peter and St Paul (Church of England)
Little Gaddesden
The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Little Gaddesden boasts rich historical relics and monuments, highlighting significant figures like the Duke of Bridgewater and artistic elements by...
65-69, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
Early 18th-century buildings with distinctive architectural features such as purple and red brickwork, hipped tiled roofs, and sash windows. Includes a rainwater head dated 1714.
Tring Zoological Museum (British Museum Natural History)
Tring
Tring Zoological Museum, built in 1889 by William Huckvale for Lionel Walter Rothschild, features red brick, stone windows, and unique architectural designs reflecting historical...
Boxmoor House Roman villa
Hemel Hempstead
The Boxmoor House Roman villa was a significant rural estate demonstrating changing construction techniques and economic shifts from the first to fourth centuries AD, reflecting...
130-136, Piccott's End
Hemel Hempstead
130-136 Piccott's End, a 15th-century building, features late 15th-century religious wall paintings and housed Sir Astley Cooper's pioneering cottage hospital in 1827.
Northend Cottage
Hemel Hempstead
Northend Cottage, built in the 16th or early 17th century, features timber framing, whitewashed brick, and original raised plaster decorations. It is a Grade II* listed building.
33-39, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
Early 18th-century red brick building with ornate detailing and sash windows, featuring a notable rainwater head dated 1728.
Hemel Water Gardens
Hemel Hempstead
Civic Water Gardens 1957-9, designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe as part of the new town development of Hemel Hempstead, also master-planned by Jellicoe in 1947.
National Westminster Bank With Attached House,outbuilding…
Tring
An early 19th-century bank with attached house and garden, featuring a painted stucco bank and red brick structure, blending C18 and C19 architectural elements.
107A, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
Early 19th-century stucco and tiled roof building, part of a listed group on High Street.
44 and 44A, High Street
Hemel Hempstead
44 and 44A High Street, with a 19th-century façade added to an earlier structure, are noted for their group value with the Town Hall.
Dacorum through time
This timeline shows the first period of use for buildings and places on the National Heritage List for England, just one of the details recorded for every list entry. Click around to see how Dacorum changes over time.
Prehistoric Before AD 43
Prehistory covers a million years of human occupation before the Roman invasion, from hunter-gatherers of several human species, including Neanderthals, to more recent herders and farmers. It was a time of developing technologies and belief systems, involving contact with and migration from Europe, all reflected in the variety of artefact and monument types characteristic of particular prehistoric periods.
Roman AD 43 to AD 410
Britain was invaded by four legions of the Roman army in AD 43, who relatively rapidly conquered England from landing points in Kent. Parts of Wales and Scotland soon followed.
Roman culture brought urbanism, monumental buildings, wide-ranging religious beliefs, writing, and strong social hierarchy. The Roman administrative system was withdrawn in AD 410.
Early medieval AD 410 to AD 1066
This period, often associated in England with Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, saw a reduction in urban living from the Roman period and increased migration from northern Europe.
Traces of this period can be found in cemeteries, particularly in artefacts and in some of the very early churches, as this period also saw the growth of Christianity in Britain.
Medieval AD 1066 to AD 1540
This period, sometimes known as the Middle Ages, began with the Norman invasion in AD 1066. It saw a significant rise in military and defensive buildings such as castles and earthworks, as well as religious houses dominating a largely agricultural landscape.
The monarchy and Church dominated the period, which also saw the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the English reformation.
Post medieval AD 1540 to AD 1901
The Post-Medieval period brought seismic changes to life in England, with religious reformation leading to the democratization of worship and the destruction of hundreds of religious houses.
In parallel, there was a huge expansion of scientific study and enlightenment that permanently altered the nation's social structure and landscape. Industrialization and mass production lead to wider global trade, emigration, and immigration.
20th century AD 1901 to AD 2000
The 20th century saw an incredible expansion of England's transport networks, with suburban growth shadowing rapid infrastructural expansion. The establishment of state schools, hospitals, and modern technical colleges, with new architectural styles, radically changed the appearance of towns and cities.
Two catastrophic world wars and the 1918 pandemic also brought unprecedented change, altering England's built environment and social structures forever.
Prehistoric Before AD 43
Prehistory covers a million years of human occupation before the Roman invasion, from hunter-gatherers of several human species, including Neanderthals, to more recent herders and farmers. It was a time of developing technologies and belief systems, involving contact with and migration from Europe, all reflected in the variety of artefact and monument types characteristic of particular prehistoric periods.
Roman AD 43 to AD 410
Britain was invaded by four legions of the Roman army in AD 43, who relatively rapidly conquered England from landing points in Kent. Parts of Wales and Scotland soon followed.
Roman culture brought urbanism, monumental buildings, wide-ranging religious beliefs, writing, and strong social hierarchy. The Roman administrative system was withdrawn in AD 410.
Early medieval AD 410 to AD 1066
This period, often associated in England with Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, saw a reduction in urban living from the Roman period and increased migration from northern Europe.
Traces of this period can be found in cemeteries, particularly in artefacts and in some of the very early churches, as this period also saw the growth of Christianity in Britain.
Medieval AD 1066 to AD 1540
This period, sometimes known as the Middle Ages, began with the Norman invasion in AD 1066. It saw a significant rise in military and defensive buildings such as castles and earthworks, as well as religious houses dominating a largely agricultural landscape.
The monarchy and Church dominated the period, which also saw the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the English reformation.
Post medieval AD 1540 to AD 1901
The Post-Medieval period brought seismic changes to life in England, with religious reformation leading to the democratization of worship and the destruction of hundreds of religious houses.
In parallel, there was a huge expansion of scientific study and enlightenment that permanently altered the nation's social structure and landscape. Industrialization and mass production lead to wider global trade, emigration, and immigration.
20th century AD 1901 to AD 2000
The 20th century saw an incredible expansion of England's transport networks, with suburban growth shadowing rapid infrastructural expansion. The establishment of state schools, hospitals, and modern technical colleges, with new architectural styles, radically changed the appearance of towns and cities.
Two catastrophic world wars and the 1918 pandemic also brought unprecedented change, altering England's built environment and social structures forever.
Aerial photos of Dacorum
Aerial photography helps reveal secrets of England's changing landscapes that are impossible to see from the ground.
Little Gaddesden
Ashridge House and Park, Little Gaddesden, 1928
Little Gaddesden
Ashridge House and Park, Little Gaddesden, 1928
Berkhamsted
The Foundling Hospital, Berkhamsted, 1935
Berkhamsted
The Foundling Hospital School (Ashlyns School), Berkhamsted, 1947
Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted Castle, Berkhamstead, 1947
Berkhamsted
The remains of Berkhamsted Castle, Berkhamsted, 1954
Hemel Hempstead
St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead, 1927
Hemel Hempstead
The town, Hemel Hempstead, 1948
Tring
Pendley Manor, Tring, 1928
Tring
Pendley Adult Education Centre, Tring, 1947
Dacorum in the Historic England Archive
The Historic England Archive cares for over 15 million images, dating from the 1850s to the present day. Discover stunning images of Dacorum's past.
Charles George Harper Collection
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1892 - 1933
Exterior view of King's Langley Priory
Eric de Mare
Ashridge Park, Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1945 - 1980
Exterior view of the Chapel at Ashridge Park in Little Gaddesden showing as section of the tower including the clock.
John Gay Collection: Modern Architects
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1969 - 1975
Pupils in a gym class at St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School, Wigginton
John Gay Collection: Rural Life
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1946 - 1959
View showing three boys climbing the old tree by the village pond in Aldbury, Hertfordshire
John Gay Collection: Miscellaneous
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1977
Looking down at a black and white cat sitting on a folding outside table next to a slatted wooden bench
John Gay Collection: Counties
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1966
Harvesting cereal crops in Flaunden using a Claas combine harvester
John Laing Collection
Berkhamsted, Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 22 Jan 1988
A member of staff looking at film stills in the new conservation centre for the British Film Institute
Nigel Temple Collection of Postcards of Parks and Gardens
Hemel Hempstead, Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1900 - 1930
GENERAL VIEW SHOWING RIVER GADE IN PARKLAND
John Gay Collection: Modern Architects
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1969 - 1975
Pupils in a gym class at St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School, Wigginton
John Gay Collection: Counties
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 1966
A country lane winding between fields of arable crops in Flaunden
John Laing Collection
Berkhamsted, Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Date created: 22 Jan 1988
Two members of staff operating video tape machines in the new conservation centre for the British Film Institute
Stories about heritage in your local area
Historic England publishes news, blogs, research, videos, and podcasts celebrating England's rich heritage. Discover the stories we have about Dacorum.
What Is the Oldest Castle in England?
Mentions Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle
Discover the oldest English castle contenders, including the Norman Berkhamsted Castle, Windsor Castle, Dover Castle and The White Tower, London.
A Brief Introduction to Shopping Parades
Mentions Tile Mosaic Map (Emett Mosaic)
Shopping parades are a familiar sight in urban areas across England.
6 Listed Bicycle Sheds
Mentions Ashlyns School Building Including the Chapel, Main Block and Classroom Wings
There are 16 bicycle sheds on the list, each telling a story of considered architectural design.
War Memorials Listed in the East of England
Mentions Northchurch War Memorial and former plinth 5m to south-west
4 First World War memorials in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire have been listed at Grade II by DCMS on the advice of Historic England.
Historic England Highlights Fascinating Heritage Sites Listed in 2022
Mentions The Cottage and former Soup Kitchen, Berkhamsted Castle
As 2022 draws to a close, Historic England highlights gems added to the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) over the last 12 months.
Dacorum's social history through photos
Over 10,000 images from the Historic England Archive have been specially selected and re-captioned for teachers, students, and anyone who wants to learn more about their local area.
The Stocks and Whipping Post, Stocks Road, Aldbury, Hertfordshire
Period: Stuart (1603 - 1713)
These combined stocks and whipping post date to the 1600s or earlier.
The Stocks and Whipping Post, Stocks Road, Aldbury, Hertfordshire
The Silk Mill, Brook Street, Tring, Hertfordshire
Period: Georgian (1714 - 1836)
This silk mill was part of a large textile mill complex. It was built in 1824 for William Kay who bought the Manor of Tring in 1823.
The Silk Mill, Brook Street, Tring, Hertfordshire
The Old Manor House, Stocks Road, Aldbury, Hertfordshire
Period: Tudor (1485 - 1602)
This house (now two houses) was never a manor house. It dates from circa 1500 and consists of a open hall house of an unusual form.
The Old Manor House, Stocks Road, Aldbury, Hertfordshire
The Court House, Church Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
Period: Tudor (1485 - 1602)
This is an Elizabethan house with a jettied timber framed first floor. It was built in the 16th century and restored in the 19th century.
The Court House, Church Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
St Marys School, Northchurch, Hertfordshire
Period: 1950s (1950 - 1959)
Children in the snow covered playground of St Mary's School with the tower of St Mary's Church beyond
St Marys School, Northchurch, Hertfordshire
St Bartholomews Church Of England School, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
Period: 1970s (1970 - 1979)
Pupils working on gym equipment at St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School.
St Bartholomews Church Of England School, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
St Bartholomews Church Of England School, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
Period: 1970s (1970 - 1979)
A group of pupils standing outside the Fieldway entrance to St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School, Wigginton.
St Bartholomews Church Of England School, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
St Bartholomews Church Of England School, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
Period: 1970s (1970 - 1979)
Children playing outside the Commonfield elevation of St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School, Wigginton.
St Bartholomews Church Of England School, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
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