Churches

There are currently six churches in Hertford and two in Bengeo, the largest of these being All Saints Church.

The present church at All Saints was completed in 1905, although a church has stood on the site for many hundreds of years, the first vicar having been presented in 1248. The large building we see today was constructed following a huge fire which destroyed the church that stood there previously. In Andrew's and Wren's map of 1766 the church is shown as being dedicatd to St.John, although Speed's Map of 1610 refers to it as Alhallows.

The original St.Andrew's Church was of saxon origin. The present church was consecrated in 1870, replacing a 15th Century building which had fallen into a poor state of repair.

The Roman Catholic Church in St.John's Street was constructed in 1861 and is dedicated to The Immaculate Conception and St.Joseph. During the first half of the 20th Century a convent school was housed opposite, but moved to Hertingfordbury in 1953.

The main Baptist Church in Hertford was built in 1906 at the junction of Cowbridge and Port Hill. The large, mainstream evangelical church attracts several hundred worshipers and almost 200 children and young people are associated with the Church.
 

The first Methodist Chapel appeared in Railway Street in 1818, followed by a second in Market street in 1840. A church was then constructed in the Ware Road in 1867. This was demolished and rebuilt in the 1960's.

The Congregational Church had it's first premises opposite what is now The Lord Haig public house, on land now occupied by flats in Bluecoats. The first church was built in the late 18th Century in Cowbridge. This was enlarged in 1844 and replaced by the current United Reformed Church in 1862.
 

The oldest church within the town boundary is St.Leonard's in Bengeo, which dates back to around 1120. The stone altar slab at St.Leonard's originally came from the church of St.Mary The Less, which once stood on the site of what is now the Public Library.

Holy Trinity Church in Bengeo was built by public subscription and opened in 1855.

In addition to these 8 churches, The Hertford Quakers also meet regularly in The Friends Meeting House in Railway Street. Friends in the Truth, as they originally knew themselves, date their existence from 1652 and Hertford Quakers have been corporately organized since 1655. The Meeting House, built in 1670, is the oldest Quaker Meeting House in the world to have been purpose-built and to have remained in continuous use. The building's harmonious simplicity, including re-used timbers, is in keeping with Quaker Testimonies of Simplicity, Truth, Equality and Peace. Quaker roots are in a Christianity that seeks the guidance of the Inner Light (the Holy Spirit) recognizing no formal distinction between the sacred and the secular. All are welcome to attend the Sunday Meeting for Worship commencing at 10.30am.

Places Of Worship
and Religeous Groups