Widford, Hertfordshire
| Widford | |
|---|---|
 St John the Baptist Church |
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 Widford
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| Widford shown within Hertfordshire | |
| Population | 534 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TOL4215 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WARE |
| Postcode district | SG12 |
| Dialling code | 01279 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Widford is a village and civil parish located between Ware and Much Hadham in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire in England. It covers an area of approximately 1,167 acres and is made up of some 220 houses. Widford is located South of the River Ash. Widford had a population of 534 people in the 2011 census. The name Widford comes from the old English word 'wid' meaning willow tree and the word 'ford'
Between the years of 1870 and 1872, John Marius Wilson described Widford as:
"a parish, with a village, in Ware district, Herts; near the Buntingford railway, 4 miles E by N of Ware. It has a post-office under Ware, and a r. station."
The Widford commons were extensive and were enclosed under an award of 1856. There was a wood called Lily Wood located to the West of the village which was cut down in the late 19th century.
There is one church in Widford called St John the Baptist. The oldest parts of the Church were built in the early parts of the 13th century and large amounts of work to the church were done later on in the 13th century and in the 14th century. Since then there have been numerous works of repair and renovation. The Church registers from 1558, access to these records is available at Hertfordshire County Record Office. There is a graveyard surrounding the church which was closed for burials in 1903 as a new graveyard on the other side of Ware Road became available. The Church is supported by an independent, non-religious charity called The Friends of Widford Church. The purpose of the charity is to support the Parochial Church council and to care for the management and maintenance of the church.
Widford School is a combination of a Primary school and a Pre-School. There are approximately 60 pupils in the school with a capacity for a maximum of 8 children per year group. Widford School has been open since 1875.
The Village Hall in Widford is located on Bell Lane in the South of the civil parish. It was built more than 100 years ago in 1910 by George S Pawle. The primary use of the hall when it was first built was to be used as a drill hall for the Hertfordshire Regiment TA, in the 1st World War it was then used by a Regiment from Staffordshire. It was used as a village hall for village activities and events before it was bought in 1956 when volunteers raised money to buy the building and then renovate it. Since this occurred, volunteers have helped to care for the hall to maintain it, a new kitchen was implemented in 2009. The Village Hall has two main rooms, these are a large function room and then a smaller room. The large room has a removable stage and can hold an audience of 100 people. The smaller room is more of a committee room and can hold approximately 30 people. The village hall is available for hire by individuals and also local organisations.
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