Walsworth

Walsworth was originally a village about a mile north east of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It has now been incorporated into the town, although it is still often referred to as a village by some locals. The Walsworth festival is held annually on Walsworth Common. Hitchin Walsworth is one of five wards for the purposes of electing councillors to North Hertfordshire District Council. The ward includes the Purwell neighbourhood, south of Walsworth, which is named after the River Purwell.

Walsworth
Walsworth Location within Hertfordshire
Population	7,877 (2011 Census. Hitchin Walsworth Ward)[1]
OS grid reference	TL199301
District	North Hertfordshire
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Hitchin
Postcode district	SG4

Walsworth has a primary school – Highover Primary School – and a community centre. Another primary school, Purwell JMI, is within the ward, in the Purwell neighbourhood.

Walsworth also has two pubs: The Millstream (formerly known as the Ship) on Cambridge Road next to the River Purwell, and the Anchor also on Cambridge Road, about 100 m to the East of the Millstream. Both pubs have been renovated in recent years. A third pub, The Sailor (formerly the Sailor Boy) on Woolgrove Road, opposite a playing field (Walsworth Common) was closed in 2013. On the 29th May 2015, it caught fire , shortly after which the local council approved plans to change the site into flats and a convenience store.

St Faith's Church lies at the centre of the ward at the crossroads on the A505 with Willian Road and Woolgrove Road, built in the 1890s by the Rev'd Gainsford as a Mission Church.

A community festival takes place each May on Walsworth Common. Run solely by volunteers, it is held 11am - 4pm on a Sunday in the middle of the month. The Festival which has been running since 1974 and it has something for all the family with charity stalls, funfair rides and refreshments as well as live entertainment in the form of arena events and a music tent.

There is a nature reserve and recreational area at Purwell Meadows.[2] The areas alongside the River Purwell were once notorious for regular flooding although in recent years, drainage improvements associated with house building appear to have alleviated the problem. However, heavy rain has caused flooding at the Walsworth cross roads as recently as September 2011, causing the road to be closed by the college. Flooding to a depth of approximately 8 cm affects the entrance of Chaucer Way with the meadows adjoining Chaucer Way and Purwell Lane regularly becoming flooded to a depth of 20 cm (7.9 in).

Since the construction of housing along the flood plain, the river can completely dry up during periods of drought.

Walsworth comes under the control of North Hertfordshire District Council with three elected councillors, Cllr. Kay Tart (Lab), Cllr Mike Hughson (Lab) and Cllr. Elizabeth Dennis (Lab)

References

1. "North Hertfordshire Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
2. "Purwell Meadows". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2012.