Broxbourne: a Hertfordshire town of inns, woodland and river-edge history

Broxbourne is a town in Hertfordshire on the western side of the River Lea, north of Cheshunt and south of Hoddesdon. It grew around the Great Cambridge Road, and the historic High Street still preserves a line of older inns and houses reflecting its role as a coaching-route settlement. Broxbourne also carries a much older story: the manor is recorded in Domesday Book, and St Augustine's Church traces its roots back to the medieval parish, with the present Grade I listed building largely completed in the 15th century. The town's setting is one of its great strengths, combining urban accessibility with immediate proximity to the river, the New River corridor and Broxbourne Woods, Hertfordshire's only National Nature Reserve.
Population: 15,303 inhabitants (2011 census, town wards).
Distance: about 17 miles north of central London.
Traditions and culture: Broxbourne blends commuter-town life with a distinct Hertfordshire identity shaped by church history, river leisure, golf, walking and access to the surrounding woods.
Highlights: St Augustine's Church, the historic High Street, the River Lea and New River setting, Broxbourne Woods National Nature Reserve and the nearby parkland and boating landscapes of the Lea valley.