Baldock
Baldock is a historic market town inside 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 kilometres) north of London, and features a population of approximately 9900. Nearby towns are Royston to the northeast, Letchworth and Hitchin to the southwest and Stevenage to the south. The modern layout of the town and several buildings in the centre date from the sixteenth century, with the oldest dating from 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 until March 2006, when a new bypass removed the A505 road, 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 at least 3 big brewers still trading in the area at the close of the 19th century, in spite of a decline in demand for the types of beer developed locally. The 1881 Census records around thirty drinking establishments. Throughout the early 20th century, a sizeable number of pubs remained open, many of which were sustained by the adjacent and considerably bigger town of Letchworth, which had no alcohol retailers prior to 1958, and had only 2 pubs and 1 hotel bar until the mid-1990s. Its larger population had for many years visited both Baldock and Hitchin for refreshment. For all your home improvements, be certain that you use trustworthy professionals in Baldock to ensure you get the top quality service.
