Hatfield

The History of Hatfield

Hatfield has a rich history and is well-known among locals in the Hertfordshire region as the standing place of Hatfield House, the home of Queen Elizabeth I during her childhood, as well as the filming location for Saving Private Ryan. As Hatfield launch the de Havilland airfield before World War II, the population grew during the 1940’s and was declared a “new town” after the war had ended. Today, it is still home to a large community, whose residents are awaiting a redevelopment of its town centre.

Over the years, the people of Hatfield have seen the University of Hertfordshire, formerly the Hatfield Technical College, turn from a significant aerospace engineering base into a wide-reaching University specialising in pharmacology, astrophysics, history and geography.

A Great Student Community

The University shares 23,000 students split over three campuses, including 2,000 international students. It is known for being one of the initial pioneers of the Paramedic Science degree, and has also been recognised as one of the top law schools from a modern University. It also provides many great services to its students, staff and visitors, including an award winning Learning Resource Centre and high-quality sports village.

Students enjoy an official Students’ Union offering shops, jobs, clubs, student societies, volunteering opportunities and more, including a recently opened and much-anticipated expansion featuring a restaurant and club, hosting live talent in the evening.

Outside of the Campus and Inside the Heart of the Town

While Hatfield is a medium-sized town, it is unable to offer the plethora of opportunities of a huge, sprawling city, but its community ensures that the needs of both its permanent residents and students are well met. The town contains a wide range of shops, from the large and convenient supermarkets to large outlet shopping centre for clothes and fashion, to the plentiful businesses located all around town, which range from general goods to speciality hobbies. Be sure not to miss the local market either, present every Wednesday and Saturday, if you want to get a true feel for the town and its community.

If you’re looking for outdoor activities and sports, you’ve also got the aforementioned Hertfordshire Sports Village, located at the de Havilland Campus. Hatfield also has its own swimming pool and leisure centre; a great idea whether you’re looking to socialise, exercise or relax.

If you are indeed coming to Hatfield to study, then you’ll find it easy to socialise with friends with restaurants in town such as Nando’s, Burger Co, Frankie & Benny’s and all of the fast food chains and various types of local take-aways you could want from any student town!

Getting Here

With all this and plenty more to see and do, it’s worth checking out this town and deciding for yourself on whether it’s the right place for you. If you would like to travel to Hatfield and experience it yourself, then you can arrive by car, bus or train, and has a regular transport connection to the great capital, London. By train, you can travel to Hatfield from King’s Cross station, which has a regular train and takes just half an hour.