Baldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It is positioned 33 miles (53 km) north of London, and boasts a population of about 9900. Nearby towns include Royston to the northeast, Letchworth and Hitchin to the southwest and Stevenage towards the south. The contemporary layout of the town and numerous buildings in the centre date back to the sixteenth century, with the oldest dating back to the fourteenth century. The town thrived where the old Great North Road and the Icknield Way crossed. In spite of the construction of the A1(M) motorway in 1963, which bypassed the town, and which was known as the Baldock Bypass for some years, it was nevertheless a major traffic bottleneck till March 2006, when a new bypass removed the A505 road, a part of the old Icknield Way east of Baldock. Since the 16th century, Baldock has been a centre for malting, subsequently becoming a regional brewing centre with no less than three substantial brewers still trading in the area at the close of the 19th century, in spite of a decline in demand for the varieties of beer made locally. The 1881 Census records approximately 30 drinking establishments. Throughout the early twentieth century, a large number of pubs continued to operate, several of which were sustained by the adjacent and significantly larger town of Letchworth, which had no alcohol retailers before 1958, and had only two pubs and one hotel bar till the mid-1990s. Its larger population had for a lot of years visited both Baldock and Hitchin for refreshment. For all of your residence upgrades, make certain that you employ vetted experts in Baldock to ensure that you get the best quality service.