Berkhamsted is a medium-sized historic market town on the western border of the English county of Hertfordshire. Positioned inside the compact Bulbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills, it has grown into a commuter town, as it is 26 miles northwest of London. As noted in population records from 2013, the town has a permanent population of roughly 18,000, living in around 7500 homes. There are plenty of buildings in residential areas, with 77% of household areas being houses or bungalows and 23% being flats or maisonettes. Settlements have been in Berkhamsted for over five hundred years, as discovered by archaeological evidence of flint working throughout the Neolithic period and metal working throughout the late Iron Age and Roman periods. Though farming, service and light industry were ordinary occupations in the area in 1986, the largest employers in the town in 2015 were schools and retail. The majority of the corporations can be found inside the nationally recognised Berkhamsted West ward. In 2014, the Academy of Urbanism's Urbanism Awards referred to the character of Berkhamsted's High Street as 'vibrant' and 'bustling', creating a 'pleasant' and 'successful' shopping location. There is a large choice of stores and food retailers available to residents and visitors, being the location a mix of independent and commercial chain stores, cafes, coffee shops, eating places and public houses. For social events, the Rex Cinema provides numerous current films for the citizens of Berkhamsted to check out. Being built in the art deco style in 1937, the Daily Telegraph has called the Rex as the UK's most beautiful cinema, and it was named Britain's Best Cinema in the inaugural Guardian film awards of 2014. For all of your house improvement jobs, make sure that you use vetted specialists in Berkhamsted to ensure you get the best quality service.