The population of Hertford increased by 9% between 2001 and 2011 according to census data.

In 2011 the four wards of Bengeo, Castle, Kingsmead and Sele were home to 26,765 people, an increase of 1927 (9.3%) over ten years.

A new local history book is being launched at Hertford Methodist Church on Saturday between 10 and 12 noon.

Priory Fields tells the story of how the east side of Hertford came about. The story features the memories of local residents and is illustrated with prints, maps and photographs.

The book is being published by Hertford Oral History Society and charts the development of housing, shops and industries in the area.

Crime in Hertfordshire is down 8% according to figures released yesterday.

Violent crime is down 5% and burglary is down 12%. However, drug offences are up by 10%.

The county has the 14th lowest crime rate (out of 43) in the country.

Following on from the success of his first DVD about Hertford, Peter Ruffles has released a second DVD, again produced by John Astin.

The 49 minute DVD looks at the outerlying areas of Port Vale, Hertingfordbury and Horns Mill, starting it's journey at Old Cross.

Peter has lived in Hertford all his life and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the town's recent history, having lived in the same house for 78 years.

Peter Ruffles Hertford 2 costs £5.99 and is available from Hertford Museum.

The number of people on Jobseekers Allowance in Hertford and Stortford was 1576 in February, according to figures released today by the Office of National Statistics.

The figure of 2.4% represents an increase of 17% since last year, compared to a national increase of 13.5%.

The statistics do not include long-term unemployed, those on incapacity benefit or those who are looking for work but don't qualify for benefit.

Hertford Museum re-opened yesterday morning after a major refurbishment

The National Lottery funded project took over a year and included a new extention, resource room, shop and reception area.

The museum's extensive collection of old photos are now available to view on a touch-screen kiosk. There is also an audio collection of reminiscences from the oral archive.

www.hertfordmuseum.org

Hertford Museum re-opens on Saturday 27th February after a £1m refit, funded by The National Lottery.

Staff are currently removing the museum's collections from storage back into their displays.

Changes include a new lift and extension called The Andrews Room - a multi purpose room for activities, talks, school visits and groups.

There will also be a Resource Room for people who want to research local history.

The new shop and reception area will include three new computers with broadband internet access for visitors.area.

Finally, there will be a touch-screen kiosk where visitors can access the museum's amazing collection of photographs of the town.

Hertford Post Office was built for the Hertford Poor Estate in 1890 by H.Norris at a cost of £2000.

The Estate owned the site, on which stood Savage's Cooper and Basket shop, with Chequer Yard to the rear.

The new Post Office was let to The Government for £120 a year until 1911, when it was sold to The Government.

The first floor was occupied by the first telephone exchange, whilst at the rear was the sorting office. The original entrance was on the left of the building, which can still be seen, but this was altered to a side entrance when the telephone exchange and sorting office were relocated to Greencoates.

The upper floors are now rooms for the adjoining Master's House Hotel.

The original post office was on the site now occupied by Saks hairdresser.

The population of Hertford at the 2001 Census was 24,146, an increase of 13% compared with the census of a decade earlier in 1991.

The number of households in 2001 was 10,300.

Those aged 30-44 made up the largest age group, representing over 25% of the population. Those aged 15-29 represented 20.3%.

Before Peter McMullen delivered his first pint, there were a wealth of breweries in Hertford. The first of these was on the corner of Fore Street and Sow Lane (now South Street).

Originally built in 1702, it was leased to a number of brewers before ending up in the hands of Robert Young.

The brewery supplied beer to a number of pubs in Hertford that they owned or leased, including The Barge, Bull Inn, Two Brewers and The Bluecoat Boy.



The brewery closed shortly after 1897 and was demolished. The cellar openings along South Street can still be seen today.

Benjamin Young built a large malt house in Priory Street in 1875, comprising four floors 110 feet by 40 feet. The building is now a home for the elderly.