This site was produced by: LOCAL AUTHORITY PUBLISHING
Publishers for local authorities throughout Great Britain. View more Official Guides at www.officialguides.co.uk

Eight hundred years ago the mysterious Knights Templar laid out the wide, straight streets of Baldock, building on farm land donated by a pious lord. What the warrior knights did not realise was that others had been there before them.

Beneath the Medieval town lies the ruins of a prominent Iron Age and Roman religious cult centre. Grieving relatives brought the bodies and cremated remains of their newly-dead for burial at Baldock. Special areas were consecrated in their honour, temples built and traces of what may be a hunting deity have been found.

But Baldock fell into decay after the Romans left and dwindled into obscurity, until finally it ceased to exist at all. Centuries passed, all memories of the temples, villas and cemeteries faded away and instead new settlers built in the Medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian style. The town flourished thanks to its weekly market and its position at the crossroads of the Icknield Way and the Great North Road. Travellers going to and from London, westwards or east to the Newmarket races and the coast, stopped in the town for the night or for refreshment.

When 17th Century drinkers decided they liked Hertfordshire malt for their porter ale, Baldock businessmen and farmers set about supplying it and the town prospered. In 1779 Baldock was described as “a very considerable place being large and well inhabited.”

Its fortunes changed after porter became less popular and the railways arrived in the 1850s, hitting the coaching trade. Expansion slowed but the town could already boast some of the finest architecture in the county and a selection of traditional pubs with rich and often royal histories - James 1 and Edward VII definitely stopped in the town, along with diarist Samuel Pepys who wrote that he found his landlady “a very pretty woman” when he stayed at an inn on August 6, 1661: “But I darst not take notice of her, her husband being there.”

Visitors to the town can find much to admire, including more than 100 listed buildings and the parish church of St Mary with its Knights Templar origins still visible in parts of the chancel. It has three fine Medieval screens and an elaborate south chapel.

The George and Dragon, Old White Horse and White Lion pubs can all trace their origins back to the prosperous coaching days. A walk down Church Street, the High Street, Whitehorse Street and Hitchin Street will reveal a large number of intriguing buildings such as Wynne’s Almshouses, the oldest brick buildings in Baldock dating back to 1621.

The 15th Century gates at 24 High Street came from the Medieval hospital of St Mary Magdalene and the nearby Manor House, at number 21, was once the home of the notorious Mary Grave, mistress to the ‘Wicked’ Earl of Salisbury who left his wife to live with her.

At the top of the High Street a large Tesco store has been built behind the elaborate Art Deco facade of the former Kaysor Bondor stocking factory. The building was originally a photographic laboratory, built after fire in 1928 destroyed the large manor house that stood on the site.

There is a strong community spirit in Baldock with numerous groups and societies, many centred on the town’s community centre near the library. There are several thriving primary schools and a highly-regarded secondary school, Knights Templar, which also has a leisure centre open to the public.

Every May the town runs a two-week festival and a group of volunteers keeps the museum open on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons, in the Town Hall. It features displays on the history of Baldock including its importance as a coaching centre and its malting industry. There is a weekly market on Wednesday mornings and a wide variety of cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Now that the long-awaited bypass is finally open, visitors can admire the town’s buildings and savour its history in peace and quiet.


Contact numbers:

Baldock Museum - 01462 892960
Tourist Information - Baldock Library, 01438 737333

Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this publication and the statements contained herein are believed to be correct, the publishers and promoters cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies. Reproduction of any part of this publication in any format, without permission, is strictly forbidden. All photographs courtesy of North Hertfordshire District Council unless otherwise stated.