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Broxbourne



Broxbourne, Hertfordshire - A Short History



The whole of the Broxbourne area was once part of the Manor of Broxbornebury, which dates back several hundred years and has seen many different owners.


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St. Augustine's Church, most of which was rebuilt in the 15th Century, contains the tomb of Sir John and Lady Elizabeth Say. Sir John, who was Lord of the Manor and a member of parliament, was responsible for much of the rebuilding work. The Say chapel of 1522 is named after his son, William, who continued his father's work. The Doomsday book mentions a mill at Broxbourne and the remains of the last mill to stand on the site, which burnt down in October 1949, can be seen at Lee Valley Park's "Old Mill & Meadows" site. Although most of the building is now gone, part of the water wheel can still be seen and the area is now a popular spot for picnics, fishing and boating.


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Both mill and church stand on the old road to Nazeing, replaced by Nazeing New Road in 1909, but the High Road has always been Broxbourne's main thoroughfare, being part of the old road north. It is along this road that you will find the town's older buildings. The Monson Almshouses opposite the Bull inn (the current Bull is a modern replacement, not the original of 1521!) were built in 1728 by Lady Latitia Monson for poor widows of the parish. There were strict rules for the residents, now on display at Lowewood House museum in Hoddesdon, top of the list being regular prayers and attending church on Sundays. The Monson family owned the Manor of Broxbournebury between the 16th and 18th centuries. Parts of 76 & 78 High Road date from this period, although the frontage is 19th century. About 1790 Broxbournebury was acquired by a director of the East India Company, Jacob Bosanquet, whose son George Jacob Bosanquet carried out extensive alterations to the large Manor House, which still stands in parkland west of the High Road.


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Eventually horse-power gave way to steam as the railway reached Broxbourne in 1840. Much of the suburban development around the town was started then, especially that by George Jacob Bosanquet who built the impressive houses in what is now Station Road and Churchfields. Broxbourne pumping station was built in 1887 to pump water from beneath ground for the New River, and the "new" bridges over the river and railway line, although dated 1908, were opened in January1909, when traffic for Nazeing started to use Station Road and Nazeing New Road, instead of Mill Lane and the level crossing and bridge outside the Crown. One hundred and twenty years after the first station at Broxbourne opened, the current building replaced it in 1960. The Railway Inn near the station later became the New Inn and is now called The Kingfisher. The White Bear in Broxbourne High Street became Anne of Cleves for a while, but has recently reverted to its former name.


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For a while Broxbourne was famous for the terracotta and stone ornaments that were produced by the local firm of Pulhams and supplied to wealthy land owners and royalty in the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. A grinding wheel and kiln from the old works survived closure of the business, and have now been preserved by the local council behind the new flats which now occupy the front of the site.

In 1946 the house and grounds of Broxbournebury Manor were bought at auction by Hertfordshire County Council for use as a school, but have since been sold again, becoming The Hertfordshire golf and country club. For many years Broxbourne had suffered an empty office block, which stood at the corner of the High Road and Station Road. Durng 1999 it was refurbished and converted into luxury flats. Now faced in yellow brick, the building (nick named "Canary Dwarf" by some locals) still dominates the local skyline, but is now a far more attractive feature than the previous blue-clad building.


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Visitors can follow the Heritage Trail described on a board alongside the New River in Churchfields, opposite St. Augustine's Church, which shows the locations of the Broxbourne's most significant buildings and suggests the route for a short walk around the town.