Turnford
| Turnford | |
| Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|
 High Road, Turnford | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL365045 |
| Location: | 51°43’21"N, 0°1’31"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 8,146 (with Wormley) |
| Post town: | Broxbourne |
| Postcode: | EN10 |
| Dialling code: | 01992 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Broxbourne |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Broxbourne |
Turnford is a village amongst the conurbated towns along the Lea Valley in Hertfordshire. It is bounded to the north by Wormley and Cheshunt to the south and west. Its eastern boundary is formed largely by the Lee Navigation.
The name Turnford appears to have Saxon origins and is probably from tun ford; "farmstead ford" or "town ford".
About the village
Much of Turnford due to its good transport links and close proximity to London is given over to residential development. However, its western boundary is mostly rural and to the east includes the Turnford and Cheshunt Pits, a "Site of Special Scientific Interest" in the Lee Valley Park.
The village has a selection of local shops, two public houses including the Grade II listed Bull's Head Inn. [1] and two schools.
History
At Turnford evidence of Palaeolithic, Late Bronze Age and Iron Age relics have been recorded. By the late Saxon period the village existed as a farm belonging to the manor of Cheshunt. A Benedictine nunnery was established in the 12th century on Turnford Marsh. Part of the mediæval buildings survived within a farm until gravel extraction|gravel quarrying destroyed the remains in 1955.
Turnford remained a hamlet up to the 19th century until the nursery industry]] began to move out of northern Middlesex in the 1880s. Growers including Thomas Rochford grew grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers and other items. By the late 20th century this industry had moved away to be replaced by housing estates where Thomas Rochford Way and Rochford Close are a reminder of the area's horticultural past. [2]
Water and walks
Passing under the A10 road from west to east, the Turnford Brook, a tributary of the River Lea, flows in a culvert alongside the High Road before flowing under the West Anglia railway line to merge with the Small River Lea in the River Lee Country Park.
The Turnford Pumping Station was built in 1870 and stands close to the man-made New River. It may be reached from the New River Path.[3] The building houses a unique stationary steam engine built by Boulton and Watt in 1845. [4]
The River Lea is canalised here into the Lee Navigation, and forms the boundary between Hertfordshire and Essex. The Lea flows in a southerly direction on Turnford's eastern fringe. The towpath of the river is linked to the Lee Valley Walk.
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Turnford) |
References
- ↑ British listed buildings Retrieved 19 November 2012
- ↑ Archaeology data service Retrieved 22 November 2012
- ↑ New River Path Retrieved 23 November 2012
- ↑ Turnford pumping station Retrieved 20 November 2012