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Gask Ridge

2025-10-30T05:01:35Z

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:B85C:654B:6586:DAAD: /* History */Enlarged image

{{Short description|Roman fortifications in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

[[File:Gask Ridge.jpg|thumb|right|upright=2|Forts and ''Fortlets'' associated with the Gask Ridge from south to north<ref>{{cite web |title=Gask Ridge |url=https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Gask_Ridge/68RAcyNjfG |website=Scribble Maps |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref> [[Balmuildy]], [[Cadder]], [[Castlecary]], [[Mumrills]], [[Camelon]], [[Drumquhassle]], [[Lake of Menteith#Malling Roman Fort|Malling]], [[Doune]], ''[[Glenbank]]'', [[Bochastle]], [[Ardoch Roman Fort|Ardoch]], ''[[Sheilhill]]'', [[Strageath]], [[Dalginross]], ''[[Midgate]]'', [[Bertha (Perth)|Bertha]], [[Fendoch]], Cargill, [[Cardean]], '''[[Inchtuthil]]''', ''[[Inverquharity]]'', [[Stracathro]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Gask Ridge Map |url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/gask-ridge |website=HeritageDaily |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref> ]]
The '''Gask Ridge''' is the modern name given to an early series of [[Castra|fortifications]], built by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] in [[Scotland]], close to the [[Highland Boundary Fault|Highland Line]]. Modern excavation and interpretation has been pioneered by the Roman Gask Project, with [[Birgitta Hoffmann]] and David Woolliscroft. The ridge fortifications: forts, fortlets and watchtowers were only in operation for a few years, probably fewer than ten.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gask Ridge Frontier |url=http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/perth_fife/gask_ridge_frontier.html |website=Castles, Forts, Battles |accessdate=30 June 2018 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516103119/http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/perth_fife/gask_ridge_frontier.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Name==
The name "Gask Ridge" refers to the {{convert|10|mi|adj=on}} ridge of land to the north of the [[River Earn]] in [[Perthshire]].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate = 2011-05-19|publisher=Gazetteer for Scotland|title=Gask Ridge |url = https://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst8135.html}}</ref> In [[Scottish Gaelic]], a ''gasg'' is a projecting tail or strip of land.<ref>William John Watson, 1973, The history of the Celtic place-names of Scotland, page 362. Irish University Press</ref> In the early 20th century, a line of Roman signal-towers (or watch-towers) was discovered along this ridge between the Roman forts of [[Strageath]] and [[Bertha (Perth)|Bertha]].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate = 2011-05-19|publisher=The Roman Gask Project |author=D. J. Woolliscroft|title=Signalling and the Design of the Gask Ridge System |url=https://www.theromangaskproject.org/?page_id=323}}</ref>

==History==
The Gask Ridge system was constructed sometime between 70 and 80 AD.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shades of Empire: The Roman Presence in Scotland |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/immig_emig/scotland/central_and_fife/article_2.shtml |website=BBC |accessdate=30 June 2018}}</ref> Construction on [[Hadrian's Wall]] was started 42 years after completion of the Gask Ridge (from 122 to 130 AD), and the [[Antonine Wall]] was started 12 years after completion of Hadrian's Wall (from 142 to 144 AD). Although the Gask Ridge was not a wall, it may be Rome's earliest fortified land frontier.<ref>Woolliscroft & Hoffmann 2007</ref> The fortifications approximately follow the boundary between Scotland's fertile [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]] and mountainous [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]], in [[Perth and Kinross]] and [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]]. The later Hadrian's Wall and Antonine Wall were further south and considerably shorter.

[[File:Ardoch Roman Fort - geograph.org.uk - 1981385.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|The well-preserved ditches and ramparts of [[Ardoch Roman Fort]]]]
The principal forts of the Gask Ridge frontier system were (from south to north):<ref>[https://www.theromangaskproject.org/?page_id=39 Gazetteer] at [https://www.theromangaskproject.org The Roman Gask Project]</ref> [[Camelon]], [[Drumquhassle]], [[Lake of Menteith#Malling Roman Fort|Malling]], [[Doune]], [[Glenbank]] (fortlet), Bochastle, [[Ardoch Roman Fort|Ardoch]], Kaims Castle (fortlet), [[Strageath]], Dalginross, [[Bertha (Perth)|Bertha]], Fendoch, Cargill (fort and fortlet), [[Inchtuthil]] ([[Roman legion|Legionary]] fortress), Cardean, [[Inverquharity]] (fortlet) and [[Stracathro]].

===Glenblocker forts===
The forts of Drumquhassle, Menteith/Malling, Bochastle, Doune, Dalginross and Fendoch in the south-west were collectively referred to as glenblocker forts in the older literature; they are also called the Highland line forts.<ref>L. Keppie, Scotland's Roman Remains. Edinburgh 1986) p. 156 ff.</ref> ''Glenblocker'' describes their location at the exit of some of the glens.

All of the forts were originally built during the [[Flavian dynasty|Flavian]] occupation in Scotland. A broader group consists of
* [[Drumquhassle]] (near [[Drymen]], overlooking the southern end of Loch Lomond and the road back to the Clyde)
* [[Lake of Menteith#Malling Roman Fort|Malling]] (on the Lake of Menteith, overlooking the access to the [[Duke's Pass]] and a narrow point between the mountains and the Forth Mosses)
* Bochastle (near [[Callander]]), overlooking the road to [[Loch Katrine]] and the Pass of Leny
* Dalginross (near Comrie) overlooking the Eastern end of [[Loch Earn]]
* Fendoch (north of Crieff) overlooking the Sma' Glen
* [[Inchtuthil]] (below [[Dunkeld]]) The legionary fortress at the mouth of Strath Tay, guarding the main roads to Inverness
* [[Inverquharity]] (near Kirriemuir) a fortlet-sized station at the east end of Glen Clova

Cardean, [[Stracathro]] and Doune are sited further away from their respective traffic corridors, although fulfilling the same function.

===Watchtowers===
A line of watchtowers sit on the Roman Road which you can drive along and then walk when the road turns off. [[File:Limesturm in Lorch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|right|Replica Roman Watchtower in Germany]]There are 16 known Roman watchtowers: Ardunie Watchtower, Parkneuk Watchtower, Raith Watchtower (Site of), Muir o'Fauld Watchtower, Kirkhill Watchtower, Gask House Watchtower, Roundlaw Watchtower (Site of), Witches Knowe Watchtower Moss Side Watchtower (Site of), Thorny Hill Watchtower, Peel Roman Watchtower (Site of), West Mains Watchtower (Site of), Westerton Watchtower (Site of), Blackhill Wood Watchtower, Westmuir Watchtower, Greenloaning Watchtower. The design of the watchtowers is consistent with those on the [[River Rhine]], and it is thought the Scottish ones were built first.<ref>[https://romansinscotland.com/roman-gask-project-website/ Roman Gask Ridge Watchtowers]</ref>

===Role===
It has traditionally been thought that these forts were meant to prevent invasions out of the Scottish Highlands into Roman-held territory.<ref>L. Keppie, Scotland's Roman Remains. Edinburgh 1986) p. 156</ref> This may have been the intention, in cooperation with the other forts on the Gask Ridge and along [[Strathmore, Angus|Strathmore]], as only the legionary fortress of [[Inchtuthil]] with 5,000–6,000 soldiers would have been strong enough to deal with a major incursion. The smaller forts were more likely to serve as a disincentive to small-scale raiding parties.<ref>D. J. Woolliscroft & B. Hoffmann, Rome's First Frontier (Stroud: Tempus 2006)</ref>

The relationship between the Glenblocker forts and the Gask Ridge has in the past been seen as a staged withdrawal.<ref>Breeze 1982</ref> Recent research suggests that the three elements are part of the same frontier system, stretching roughly from Loch Lomond to Montrose. In this hypothesis, the Glenblocker forts controlled access to valleys in the frontier area, which loop back into the frontier, rather than link with the Iron Age settlements further north. Their value as a block to invasion is doubtful, as their situation would have allowed supervision but they lacked the manpower to deter anything but cattle rustling.

Only the legionary fortress at [[Inchtuthil]], conveniently situated for access into [[Braemar]] and its hinterland, is large enough to have functioned as a defensive fortification or a jumping-off point for an invasion. The Gask Road and the towers alongside it in this hypothesis guarded the strategically important link to the harbours at the Firths of Tay and Forth and the southern part of the province.<ref>Woolliscroft & Hoffmann 2007</ref>

[[File:Kirkhill Roman watchtower - geograph.org.uk - 94957.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Site of a Roman signal tower at Kirkhill]]
[[Tacitus]] writes in ''[[De vita Iulii Agricolae]]'' that [[Gnaeus Julius Agricola|Agricola]] was fighting in the area in around 80 AD; the latest coinage dates from 86 AD. This would suggest that the forts were occupied for six years at most. Recent archaeology has shown that many of the forts on the Gask Ridge were rebuilt, sometimes twice, without evidence of destruction through warfare. Further digs may cast some light on this apparent contradiction.

The forts of [[Ardoch Roman Fort|Ardoch]], [[Strageath]] and [[Bertha (Perth)|Bertha]] on the Gask Road, as well as the forts of Cargill in Strathmore and the glenblocker fort of Dalginross have also produced [[Antoninus Pius|Antonine]] material attesting to a reuse of the sites contemporary with the [[Antonine Wall]].<ref>Woolliscroft & Hoffmann 2007, updating Hanson & Maxwell 1986</ref> In the [[Alexander Severus|Severan]] period the army passed through the area, and several camps across Scotland are dated to this period (for example, Kair House in Aberdeenshire and the fort at [[Carpow Roman Fort]] which is on the Firth of Tay.<ref>Breeze 2007</ref>

==North of the Gask Ridge==

The permanent sites are complemented by a series of large marching camps (large camps date to the 3rd century) from the Scottish Lowlands into Aberdeenshire and Moray. The Roman legions in the 1st century established a chain of forts at [[Ardoch Roman Fort|Ardoch]], [[Strageath]], [[Inchtuthil]], [[Battledykes]] (which is unlikely to date from the same period as the Gask sites), [[Stracathro]] and [[Raedykes]], taking the Elsick Mounth on the way to [[Normandykes]], before going north to Glenmaillen and Auchinhove. Unconfirmed sites of possible Roman forts have also been found at [[Bellie]], [[Balnageith]] and [[Cawdor (Roman fort)|Cawdor]].

In the 1990s researchers discovered new possible Roman fortifications north of Inverness and the Moray Firth. The most important are Tarradale and Portmahomack. These are being studied by [[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]] to verify that they are Roman.<ref>[http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/15629/details/port+a+chaistell/RCAHMS: Portmahomack]</ref> Several chronological reconstructions of their role have been made.

[[File:Roman fortificationsinnorthernScotland2.png|thumb|center|Some Roman camps in northern Scotland]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Rome|Scotland}}
* [[Hadrianic Society]]
* [[Birgitta Hoffmann]]
* [[Roman Britain]]
* [[Roman Scotland]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|33em}}
* Breeze, D. ''Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain'' (1982)
* Breeze, D. '''Roman Scotland'' (2007)
* Hanson William, G.Maxwell. ''Rome's North-west Frontier: The Antonine Wall'' (1986)
* Hanson, William S. "The Roman Presence: Brief Interludes", in Edwards, Kevin J. & Ralston, Ian B. M. (Eds) (2003) ''Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archaeology and History, 8000 BC – AD 1000''. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press.
* Hanson, William S. ''Roman Campaigns North of the Forth-Clyde Isthmus: The Evidence of the Temporary Camps'', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 109 142, 145 Edinburgh, 1980.
* Macdonald, G. (1916) ''The Roman Camps at Raedykes and Glenmailen'', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 50 348–359
* Maxwell, G. S. (1980) ''Agricola's Campaigns: The Evidence of the Temporary Camps'', Scot Archaeol Forum, vol. 12, 34, 35, 40, 41
* Moffat, Alistair (2005) ''Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History''. London. Thames & Hudson. {{ISBN|0-500-05133-X}}
* Pitts, L. ''Inchtuthil. The Roman Legionary Fortress''. Britannia Monograph Series 6 (1985)
* Robertson, A. S. (1976) ''Agricola's Campaigns in Scotland and their Aftermath'', Scot Archaeol Forum, vol. 7 4
* St Joseph, J. K. (1951) ''Air Reconnaissance of North Britain'', J Roman Stud, vol. 41 65
* Woolliscroft, D. and Hoffmann, B. ''The First Frontier. Rome in the North of Scotland'' (Stroud: Tempus 2006)
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gask Ridge}}
* [https://www.theromangaskproject.org/ The Roman Gask Project]
* [http://www.roman-britain.org/military/northern_campaigns.htm Roman Military Campaigns in Scotland and Northern England] at www.romanbritain.org
* [https://www.castra.org.uk/ Britannia-The Roman army and navy in Britain 55BC -410AD]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/94328122@N06/13110749673/ Photo of Bochastle] - a glen blocker fort

{{Scotland during the Roman Empire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Angus, Scotland]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Perth and Kinross]]
[[Category:History of Perth and Kinross]]
[[Category:Roman fortifications in Scotland]]
[[Category:Roman signal towers in Scotland]]
[[Category:1st-century fortifications]]

Bishop's Stortford

2025-10-30T03:55:55Z

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:B85C:654B:6586:DAAD: /* Refoundation: post-Roman and medieval Stortford */Added detail

{{Short description|Commuter town in Hertfordshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox UK place
| static_image_name = Windhill.jpg
| static_image_caption = Looking down Windhill towards the town centre
| country = England
| official_name = Bishop's Stortford
| coordinates = {{coord|51.8720|0.1725|display=inline,title}}
| civil_parish = Bishop's Stortford
| population = 41,088
| population_ref = (2020)<ref name=ONS>{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/adhocs/13843parishpopulationestimatesformid2011tomid2020basedonbestfittingofoutputareastoparishes |title=Parish Population estimates for mid-2011 to mid-2020 based on best-fitting of output areas to parishes |access-date=23 February 2022 |publisher=Office for National Statistics}}</ref>
| shire_district = [[East Hertfordshire]]
| shire_county = [[Hertfordshire]]
| region = East of England
| constituency_westminster = [[Hertford and Stortford (UK Parliament constituency)|Hertford and Stortford]]
| post_town = BISHOP'S STORTFORD
| postcode_district = CM22, CM23
| postcode_area = CM
| dial_code = 01279
| os_grid_reference = TL495215
}}

'''Bishop's Stortford''' is an historic market town and [[civil parish]] in the [[East Hertfordshire]] district, in the county of [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]]. It is in the [[London metropolitan area|London commuter belt]], near the border with [[Essex]], just west of the [[M11 motorway]] and [[London Stansted Airport|Stansted Airport]], 28 miles north-east of [[Charing Cross]] and 35 minutes by rail from [[Liverpool Street station]]. The town had an estimated population of 41,088 in 2020.<ref name="ONS"/> The district of [[East Hertfordshire]], where the town centre is located, was ranked as the best place to live in the UK by the Halifax Quality of Life annual survey in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Revealed: The best place to live in the UK |url=https://news.sky.com/story/revealed-the-best-place-to-live-in-the-uk-11921892 |access-date=11 March 2022 |website=Sky News |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

=== Toponymy ===
The origins of the town's name are uncertain. One possibility is that the [[Saxons|Saxon]] settlement derives its name from 'Steorta's ford' or 'tail ford', in the sense of a 'tail', or tongue, of land.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key to English Place-names |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Hertfordshire/Bishops%20Stortford |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Hanks, Patrick |title=The Oxford Names Companion |author2=Hodges, Flavia |author3=Mills, David |author4=Room, Adrián |date=2002 |publisher=the University Press |isbn=0198605617 |location=Oxford}}</ref> The town became known as Bishop's Stortford due to the acquisition in 1060 by the [[Bishop of London]].<ref name=":3" />

The [[River Stort]] is named after the town, and not the town after the river. When [[Cartography|cartographer]]s visited the town in the 16th century, they reasoned that the town must have been named after the ford in the river and assumed the river was called the Stort.<ref name="Origin of name of river Stort">{{cite web |title=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley: A History and Guide |url=http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide11/stort-navigation/ |access-date=2013-10-27}}</ref>

=== First settlements: pre-Roman and Roman Stortford ===
Little is known of Stortford until the [[Roman Empire|Roman era]], with the evidence being small [[Archaeology|archaeological]] finds. Limited evidence of ancient [[Mesolithic]] and Microlithic peoples in the form of flakes, cores and an axe have been found on the Meads and Silverleys respectively. Most Bronze Age evidence is from the neighbouring parish of [[Thorley, Hertfordshire|Thorley]] to the south as opposed to Stortford proper, but a 3,000 year old socketed spearhead has been found at Haymeads Lane within the town. Evidence of settlement has been found on Dunmow Road dating from the Middle [[Bronze Age]] through to Romano-British times. In ''Bishop's Stortford: A History'', Jacqueline Cooper concludes "existing evidence suggests that the Stortford area was settled only sparsely in prehistoric times, and nearby places like [[Braughing]] and [[Little Hallingbury]] were of more importance."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=2–4|oclc=63788286}}</ref>

Stortford was on the line of the Roman road, [[Stane Street (Colchester)|Stane Street]], which ran from [[St Albans]] to Colchester via Braughing. Construction started around AD 50 on the road. Little evidence from the period survives except for excavations showing a section of the road, evidence of a cremation facility and a burial site.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 10: Cannons Close|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide10/cannons-close/|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> None of the excavations has shown evidence of the Roman fort which likely existed in Stortford.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=6|oclc=63788286}}</ref> The settlement was probably abandoned in the 5th century after the break-up of the Roman Empire.<ref>Roman Britain [http://roman-britain.co.uk/places/bishops_stortford.htm Retrieved 7 February 2018.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409085000/http://roman-britain.co.uk/places/bishops_stortford.htm |date=9 April 2019 }}</ref>

=== Refoundation: post-Roman and medieval Stortford ===
[[File:Waytemore Castle, Bishop' s Stortford - geograph.org.uk - 1764727.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|The remains of the [[motte]] of [[Waytemore Castle]], with its modern staircase]]
Following the end of the Roman era, a new [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] settlement grew up on the site.

However, little is known about Stortford until the 1060s with the evidence becoming much stronger after the [[Norman Conquest]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Welcome|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/welcome/|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> In 1060 when William, [[Bishop of London]], bought Stortford manor and estate for £8, leading to the town's modern name. By 1086, the [[motte-and-bailey]] [[Waytemore Castle]] had been built<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Guide 8: Waytemore Castle|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide8/waytemore_castle.html|access-date=15 October 2024|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> as a local strongpoint for the area. It acted as a centre for defence and civil administration for roughly 125 years before it was dismantled but not destroyed by [[John, King of England|King John]] in 1211. Rebuilding of the castle started the following year at John's expense, and John stayed the night in the castle in 1216.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=11–21|oclc=63788286}}</ref> By the 15th century, the castle had fallen into disrepair, and the Bishop's Court (one of the administrative structures for the area) moved to Hockerill, to the east of the town.<ref name=":3" />

At the time of the [[Domesday Book]] in 1086 the village had a population of around 120,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=14 March 2021|title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF BISHOP'S STORTFORD|url=https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-bishops-stortford/|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Local Histories|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>[https://opendomesday.org/place/TL4921/bishops-stortford/ Bishops Stortford]. Open Domesday. Accessed 28 March 2025.</ref> and grew to around 700 by the 13th century.<ref name=":2" />

In terms of governance, early medieval Stortford was part of the [[Braughing (hundred)|Braughing Hundred]], but acquired burgesses and between 1306 and 1336 was taxed as a borough. No charter survives however, and civil authority passed to two local manor courts at the Castle and the Rectory.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=15|oclc=63788286}}</ref> Stortford briefly sent two members to parliament in the reigns of [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] and [[Edward III of England|Edward III]], with [[Writ of summons|writs]] being issued to the town in the 1311–1315, 1318, 1320, 1322 and 1340.<ref>{{Cite book|last=MCKISACK|first=MAY|title=PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION OF THE ENGLISH BOROUGHS : during the middle ages.|date=2021|publisher=ROUTLEDGE|isbn=978-0-367-14224-7|location=[S.l.]|oclc=1258780905}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 7: Local Government|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide7/local-government/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley - A History & Guide}}</ref>

=== Plague and growth: early modern Stortford ===
At the start of the early modern period in the mid 15th century, Stortford was a primarily agricultural community, but had also acquired a [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]] industry.<ref name=":6"/> By the 16th century, Stortford had become an important centre of the [[malting]] industry. Not only were the local soils well suited for grains, but the fact that the town was just 35 miles to London provided an impetus to its development.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 10: Malting Industry|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide10/malting-industry/|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> The economic draw of the maltings and the town's market supported a large number of inns and public houses by the middle of the 16th century pointing to its prosperity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 10: Public Houses|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide10/public-houses/|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref>

Over the following hundred years, Stortford grew markedly. The population of Stortford reached 1,500 by 1660 as a result of a positive net birth rate and migration to the town.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=31|oclc=63788286}}</ref> This was despite a series of a dozen plagues between the 1560s and 1660s.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=46|oclc=63788286}}</ref> The town also enjoyed a series of royal visits in the 17th century, with [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] visiting the town in 1625, 1629 and 1642.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=45–46|oclc=63788286}}</ref>

The years following the last of Charles' visits were to prove somewhat turbulent for the town. During the [[English Civil War]] Stortford backed the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]], with the Manor of Stortford being sequestered from the Bishop of London and sold off for £2,845. It was returned to the Bishop at the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration]].<ref name=":5" /> [[Great Plague of London|The Great Plague of 1666–7]], and its lasting effects, reduced the population to only around 600 by 1700. The effects of the plague were so severe that the town had to appeal to the Hertfordshire magistrates, who levied a rate on every parish in the county for the relief of Bishop's Stortford, [[Hoddesdon]] and [[Cheshunt]].<ref name=":4" />

Despite the demographic impact of the Great Plague, perhaps the turning point in Stortford's fortunes was the creation of the 'Hockerill by-pass' in 1670.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=47|oclc=63788286}}</ref> [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] had in the 1660s been increasingly travelling from London to [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]] for the [[Newmarket Racecourse|races]] and disliked the noise and congestion of Stortford, with its odorous market, maltings and tanneries. Moreover, the route was not always passable as noted by diarist [[Samuel Pepys]] who made the following entry in his diary on 23 May 1668: ''‘and so to Bishop's Stafford [sic]. The ways mighty full of water so as hardly to be passed’.'' As a result, the road from London to Newmarket was diverted to the east of the centre of Stortford, and instead ran through the outlying settlement of Hockerill.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 12: Hockerill Bypass|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide12/hockerill-bypass/|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> The inns of Hockerill become an important overnight location for stop overs for overnight coaches to [[East Anglia]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=48|oclc=63788286}}</ref> Further demands for improved roads led to the creation of the Essex and Hertfordshire Turnpike Trust (later Hockerill [[Turnpike trust|Turnpike Trust]]) in 1744 to repair the road between [[Harlow]] Bush Common and Stump Cross in [[Great Chesterford]]. Later [[Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom relating to the European Communities and the European Union|Acts of Parliament]] extended the term of the Trust and allowed new road construction.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/08708653-97a6-4696-a75d-7b4aae87c3bf|title=HOCKERILL (ESSEX and HERTFORDSHIRE) TURNPIKE TRUST|others=<corpname>Hockerill Turnpike Trust, Hertfordshire</corpname>|language=English}}</ref> From March 1785 the mail coaches ran from London to [[Norwich]] via Stortford.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 9: Mail Coaches|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide9/mail-coaches/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> Thus, the improved highways marked the first of the phases of Stortford's growth driven by emergent transport technology.

The second major transport development to provide a significant boost to the town was the construction of the [[Stort Navigation]], which canalised the River Stort, and opened in 1769. The improvements to the navigation of the Stort were driven by the inability of the malting industry to use the Stort for river transport, which caused significant damage to the local roads and handed a competitive advantage to neighbouring malting areas like [[Ware, Hertfordshire|Ware]] who were linked to London by the River Lea. The work on the canal undertaken by George Jackson (later [[Sir George Duckett, 1st Baronet|Sir George Duckett]]) had the added benefit of alleviating the flooding risk in the town.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|title=Guide 11: Stort Navigation|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide11/stort-navigation/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> [[File:CornExchange.jpg|300px|thumb|The Corn Exchange]]

=== Industrial revolution to World War II ===
With the roads and Stort navigation providing easy access to London markets, industrialisation came to Stortford. The advent of the Stort Navigation brought new industries to the town, with bargemen, lock-keepers, wharfingers, coal and timber merchants all appearing. The malting industry also saw output significantly increase, with brown malt production doubling between 1788 and 1811. Together with national trends in the brewing industry, the 40 malthouses in Stortford in early 1800s Stortford also helped to stimulate the local brewing trade. At the turn of the 19th century, there were 18 brewers in town which in turn boosted the inn trade.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=58–59|oclc=63788286}}</ref> The boom in the town in turn boosted the metal working and bricklaying trades, and also aided the general retail trade. In 1791 there were 30 principal traders according to a contemporary directory.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=60–61|oclc=63788286}}</ref>

The vibrancy of the local economy - especially the agricultural trade sector - was demonstrated in 1828 when a consortium of local businessmen built the [[Corn Exchange, Bishop's Stortford|Bishop's Stortford Corn Exchange]], which provided trading accommodation for 65 dealers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 2: Corn Exchange|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide2/corn-exchange/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> By this point, the town directory was listing 200 commercial entries, and 350 by the turn of the century.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jacqueline|title=Bishop's Stortford : a history|date=2005|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=1-86077-329-X|location=Chichester, West Sussex, England|pages=78|oclc=63788286}}</ref>

The third major transport innovation to have a significant impact upon Stortford was the arrival of the railway in 1842. The line initially ran from London Liverpool Street to Stortford, but by 1845 the line was linked to Norwich. The new rail link brought an almost immediate end to the coaching industry, and the Stort Navigation entered terminal decline. The town, though boomed. Massive new residential estates grew up in the New Town (to the south and west of the historic core) and Hockerill (across the river to the east of the historic core) in the decades following the building of the railway.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|title=Guide 11: Railway Station|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide11/railway-station/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> A [[Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line]] was built to [[Braintree railway station (England)|Braintree]] to bring goods into Stortford from the surrounding more rural areas, with the first section to [[Great Dunmow]] opening in 1864.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gridley|first=David|title=Lost and Found: Journey to a Forgotten Railway|publisher=Slowcoach Publishing|year=2016|isbn=9780956412812|location=London|pages=38}}</ref> The single track line struggled to gain traction, and by 1922 had only seven eastbound and six westbound trains per day.<ref>{{Cite book|last=David|first=Gridley|title=Lost and Found: Journey to a Forgotten Railway|publisher=Slowcoach Publishing|year=2016|isbn=9780956412812|location=London|pages=93}}</ref> The bus service which started between Stortford and Dunmow in 1920<ref>{{Cite book|last=David|first=Gridley|title=Lost and Found: Journey to a Forgotten Railway|publisher=Slowcoach Publishing|year=2016|isbn=9780956412812|location=London|pages=95}}</ref> contributed to the demise of the line which closed to passengers in 1952 and freight in 1972.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gridley|first=David|title=Lost and Found: Journey to a Forgotten Railway|publisher=Slowcoach Publishing|year=2016|isbn=9780956412812|location=London|pages=140–143}}</ref>[[File:Edward VII driving through Bishops Stortford, October 1905.png|thumb|350px|King Edward VII driving through Bishop's Stortford, October 1905]]The mid-19th century onwards also saw the rapid growth in public utilities, public services and governance in the town. The first gas street lights were installed in the town in the 1830s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 6: North Street|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide6/north-street/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> in 1855 the New Cemetery was opened,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 14: New Cemetery|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide14/new-cemetery/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> in the 1870s a sewage farm and an isolation hospital were built,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 10: Union Workhouse|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide10/union-workhouse/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> while in 1895 the town's first proper hospital was opened.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 7: Rye Street|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide7/rye-street/|access-date=20 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref> By 1911, the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' referred to the town as having strong educational pedigree: "The high school, formerly the grammar school, was founded in the time of Elizabeth.... There are a Nonconformist grammar school, a diocesan training college for mistresses, and other educational establishments."'''<ref>{{Cite EB1911|title=''Bishop Stortford''|wstitle=''Bishop Stortford''}}</ref>'''

During [[World War II]], Stortford was a reception area for evacuees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=R |first=Marsha |title=From Eastbourne to Bishops Stortford |url=https://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/places/schools/eastbourne-bishops-stortford |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=Herts Memories |language=en}}</ref> This did not, however, mean that Stortford was immune from bombings, with 20 bombs recorded as having been dropped in 1940.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gridley |first=David |title=Lost and Found: Journey to a Forgotten Railway |publisher=Slowcoach Publishing |year=2016 |isbn=9780956412812 |pages=114}}</ref> Targets included Hockerill Training College where three students were killed on 10 October 1940.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stratton |first=Ruth |title=Bishop's Stortford: A History & Celebration |publisher=Frith Book Company |year=2004 |isbn=1904938108 |pages=94}}</ref> The railway station was hit twice during the war and a rocket landed near Farnham Road in the town in 1945.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cooper |first=Jacqueline |title=Bishop's Stortford: A History |publisher=Phillimore |year=2005 |pages=116}}</ref>

=== The modern service-industry town ===
In the post-war era the town centre underwent changes with the demolition of a [[multi-storey car park]] and surrounding area to make way for a new town centre area and city-type apartments and [[penthouses]] on the riverside and elsewhere. Jackson Square (a modern shopping complex) was rebuilt and an extension added.

Stortford continued to grow as a commuter town from the second half of the 20th century onwards, spurred by the construction of the [[M11 motorway]] and [[Stansted Airport]], as well as rail links to London and Cambridge. This contributed to its rise in population to almost 38,000 at the time of the 2011 census.<ref name="ONS" />

Of the seven suburbs of [[Thorley, Hertfordshire|Thorley]], Town, Havers, Stortford Fields, Bishop's Park, St Michael's Mead and Snowley the last is a separate ecclesiastical parish east of the River Stort, centred around the old coaching inns, [[All Saints' Church, Hockerill|All Saints]] in Stansted Road and Snowley Parade, bordering Birchanger Woods and Essex. Postwar development has enlarged the town's area further.

==Demography==
{{Historical populations
| title= Population
| percentages = pagr
| align = right
| cols = 2
| graph-pos = bottom
| source = 1801–1961 & 1939 Register [https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10144073/cube/TOT_POP Census via Vision of Britain], 1971–1991 Hertfordshire Populations 1801–1991 (Hertfordshire County Council, undated), 2001–2020 [https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/adhocs/12324parishpopulationestimatesformid2001tomid2019basedonbestfittingofoutputareastoparishes ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates]
| 1801 |2,305
| 1811 |2,630
| 1821 |3,358
| 1831 |3,958
| 1841 |4,681
| 1851 |5,280
| 1861 |5,390
| 1871 |6,250
| 1881 |6,704
| 1891 |6,595
| 1901 |7,143
| 1911 |8,721
| 1921 |8,858
| 1931 |9,510
| 1939 |13,374
| 1951 |12,772
| 1961 |18,342
| 1971 |22,121
| 1981 |22,535
| 1991 |27,874
| 2001 |34,857
| 2011 |37,374
| 2020 |41,088}}

=== Demographic history ===
The earliest reliable population figure for Stortford was 120 at the publication of the Domesday Book in 1086.<ref name=":6" /> Over the successive centuries the population waxed and waned as a result of economic growth and plagues, and generally only rough population estimates exist.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" /> By the time of the [[Census Act 1800|first nationwide census in 1801]] Stortford's population had reached 2,305<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vision Of Britain|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10144073/cube/TOT_POP|access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref> spurred by the town's position on the Hockerill Turnpike<ref name=":8" /> and the canalisation of the River Stort.<ref name=":9" /> Steady growth continued over the coming decades as the railways spurred industrialisation.<ref name=":10" /> Population growth averaged 1.12% per annum through to 1911 and the advent of World War I. Inter-war growth averaged 1.54% per annum. Stortford's population exceeded the county town of [[Hertford]] in the 1961 census,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Hertfordshire Populations 1801–1991 |publisher=Hertfordshire County Council}}</ref> even though Stortford's average population growth slowed to 1.39% between World War II and 2020. Sources of population growth have been predominantly natural growth and in-migration, but on a number of occasions the boundaries of Bishop's Stortford parish have been expanded. Most recently this occurred in 1992 when some neighbouring parts of Essex were moved into the town<ref>{{Cite web|last=National Archives|date=1992|title=The Essex and Hertfordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1992|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/2119/made|website=legislation.gov.uk}}</ref> and in 2018 when homes were moved into Stortford from neighbouring Thorley Parish.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Reviews/Eastern/Hertfordshire/CGR/East%20Hertfordshire%20CGR_Redacted.pdf|title=The East Hertfordshire (Reorganisation of Community Governance) (Bishop's Stortford and Thorley) Order 2018|publisher=East Hertfordshire District Council|year=2018}}</ref> In 2020 Bishop's Stortford was the largest town in East Hertfordshire.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Parish Population estimates for mid-2011 to mid-2020 based on best-fitting of output areas to parishes – Office for National Statistics|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/adhocs/13843parishpopulationestimatesformid2011tomid2020basedonbestfittingofoutputareastoparishes|access-date=24 February 2022|website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref>

=== Ethnicity and nationality ===
At the 2011 census, 93.6% of the population of Stortford described themselves as white,<ref name=":11" /> which was lower than the 96.2% recorded in the 2001 census.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|title=Custom report – Nomis – Official Labour Market Statistics|url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2001_ks/report?compare=26UD009|access-date=23 February 2022|website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref> The number of people describing themselves as having a white background in 2011 was significantly higher than the England aggregate of 85.4%, but slightly lower than the overall East Hertfordshire figure.<ref name=":11" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+Ethnic group, 2011 census<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|title=Custom report – Nomis – Official Labour Market Statistics|url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2011_ks/report?compare=E04004720,E07000242,E92000001|access-date=23 February 2022|website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
!
!Bishop's Stortford, %
!East Hertfordshire, %
!England, %
|-
|White
|93.6
|95.5
|85.4
|-
|Mixed/multiple ethnic groups
|2.2
|1.6
|2.3
|-
|Asian/Asian British
|2.9
|1.9
|7.8
|-
|Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
|1.0
|0.7
|3.5
|-
|Other ethnic group
|0.4
|0.3
|1.0
|}
The proportion of Bishop's Stortford residents reporting having been born in the United Kingdom was 87.8%, and was only slightly higher than the English average of 86.2%. Stortford recorded a significantly higher proportion of [[European Union]]-born residents than either East Hertfordshire or England.<ref name=":11" /> The number of UK-born residents in 2011 was down from the 92.4% recorded in 2001.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+Country of birth, 2011 census<ref name=":11" />
!
!Bishop's Stortford, %
!East Hertfordshire, %
!England, %
|-
|United Kingdom
|87.8
|92.0
|86.2
|-
|Ireland
|1.1
|0.8
|0.7
|-
|Other EU
|5.3
|3.0
|3.7
|-
|Other countries
|5.8
|4.3
|9.4
|}

=== Housing ===
The number of occupied dwellings in Bishop's Stortford rose from 13,733 in 2001 to 14,920. In Stortford 3.0% of properties were recorded as empty in 2011, compared with 4.3% across England. Overall, the dominant type of housing are detached and semi-detached housing, although the proportion of flats has grown from 13.0% in 2001 to 17.6% in 2011. The proportion of flats is well below the English average of 22.1%<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Dwellings By Type, Census 2011<ref name=":11" />
!
! colspan="2" |Bishop's Stortford
! colspan="2" |East Hertfordshire
! colspan="2" |England
|-
!
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|All Dwellings
|15,377
|100
|58,356
|100
|23,044,097
|100
|-
|Occupied Dwellings
|14,920
|97.0
|56,577
|97.0
|22,063,368
|95.7
|-
|Empty Dwellings
|457
|3.0
|1,779
|3.0
|980,729
|4.3
|-
|Detached Houses
|5,198
|33.8
|16,294
|27.9
|5,128,552
|22.3
|-
|Semi-Detached Houses
|4,528
|29.4
|17,459
|29.9
|7,076,395
|30.7
|-
|Terraced Houses
|2,940
|19.1
|13,397
|23.0
|5,642,969
|24.5
|-
|Flats (Purpose Built)
|2,368
|15.4
|9,615
|16.5
|3,854,451
|16.7
|-
|Flats (Converted)
|219
|1.4
|912
|1.6
|984,284
|4.3
|-
|Flats (In Commercial Buildings)
|122
|0.8
|562
|1.0
|257,218
|1.1
|-
|Caravan or other mobile or temporary structure
|2
|0.0
|117
|0.2
|100,228
|0.4
|}
Home ownership is high in Bishop's Stortford at 72.3% of households, which is above both the East Hertfordshire and English averages. The proportion of properties available for social rent has risen from 9.8% in 2001 to 10.1% in 2011.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Dwellings By Tenure, Census 2011<ref name=":11" />
!
! colspan="2" |Bishop's Stortford
! colspan="2" |East Hertfordshire
! colspan="2" |England
|-
!
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|All households
|14,920
|100.0
|56,577
|100.0
|22,063,368
|100.0
|-
|<abbr>Owned</abbr>
|10,781
|72.3
|40,665
|71.9
|13,975,024
|63.3
|-
|<abbr>Owned outright</abbr>
|4,594
|30.8
|18,186
|32.1
|6,745,584
|30.6
|-
|<abbr>Owned with a mortgage or loan</abbr>
|6,187
|41.5
|22,479
|39.7
|7,229,440
|32.8
|-
|<abbr>Shared ownership (part owned and part rented)</abbr>
|226
|1.5
|508
|0.9
|173,760
|0.8
|-
|<abbr>Social rented</abbr>
|1,510
|10.1
|7,185
|12.7
|3,903,550
|17.7
|-
|<abbr>Private rented</abbr>
|2,261
|15.2
|7,446
|13.2
|3,715,924
|16.8
|-
|<abbr>Living rent free</abbr>
|142
|1.0
|773
|1.4
|295,110
|1.3
|}

==Government==
Stortford has three tiers of local government at parish (town), district, and county level: Bishop's Stortford Town Council, [[East Hertfordshire District Council]], and [[Hertfordshire County Council]].

{{Infobox former subdivision
| Name = Bishop's Stortford
| subdivision_type = [[Local board of health|Local Government District]] (1866{{ndash}}1894) [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|Urban District]] (1894{{ndash}}1974)
| HQ = Bishop's Stortford
| Start = 25 December 1866
| End = 31 March 1974
| Replace = [[East Hertfordshire]]
| image_coat = Bishop's_Stortford_town_council_coat_of_arms.jpg
| membership_title1 = County Council
| membership1 = [[Hertfordshire County Council|Hertfordshire]]
| PopulationFirst = 6,595<ref>{{cite web |title=Bishop's Stortford Urban Sanitary District |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10003635 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref>
| PopulationLast = 21,000<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10144073 |title=Bishop's Stortford Urban District, ''A Vision of Britain through Time'' |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref>
| PopulationFirstYear = 1891
| PopulationLastYear = 1971
}}

=== Historical development ===
Historically, Stortford was administered by its parish [[vestry]], in the same way as most small towns and rural areas; no borough corporation was established for the town, despite some limited moves in that direction in the fourteenth century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=William |title=A History of the County of Hertford, Volume 3 |date=1912 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=292–306 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol3/pp292-306 |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref> Bishop's Stortford was included in the [[hundred (county division)|hundred]] of [[List of hundreds of England|Braughing]]. The Bishop's Stortford [[Poor Law Union]] was established in 1835, covering the town and surrounding parishes in both Hertfordshire and Essex.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Higginbotham |first1=Peter |title=Bishop's Stortford Poor Law Union |url=http://www.workhouses.org.uk/BishopsStortford/ |website=The Workhouse |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref>

On 25 October 1866 a public meeting at the town's corn exchange voted to establish a [[local board of health|local board]], the Bishop's Stortford Local Board. The parish of Bishop's Stortford was declared to be a local government district with effect from 25 December 1866, and the local board held its first meeting at the corn exchange on 23 February 1867. Jones Gifford Nash was chosen as the first chairman of the local board.<ref>Bishop Stortford: The Local Board, ''Hertford Mercury'', 23 February 1867, page 3</ref> The Local Board later established offices at 7 North Street.<ref>The Local Government Act at Bishop Stortford, ''Essex Herald'' (Chelmsford), 30 October 1866, page 5</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Local Government Act, 1858: Notice of adoption of Act by Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire |journal=London Gazette |date=7 December 1866 |issue=23195 |page=6835 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23195/page/6835 |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bishop's Stortford Local Board Minutes |url=https://archives.hertfordshire.gov.uk/collections/getrecord/GB46_CLBH_2_1_1_1?doing_wp_cron=1639339604.2642760276794433593750 |website=Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies |publisher=Hertfordshire County Council |access-date=14 December 2021}}</ref>

Under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], the Bishop's Stortford Local Board was replaced by the Bishop's Stortford Urban District Council in 1894.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10144073|title=Bishops Stortford UD|publisher=Vision of Britain|access-date=27 May 2023}}</ref> The new council held its first meeting on 5 January 1895. The last chairman of the local board, John Slater, was appointed the first chairman of the urban district council.<ref>Bishop Stortford: Urban District Council, ''Essex Herald'' (Chelmsford), 8 January 1895, page 5</ref> The council continued to be based at 7 North Street until the [[World War I|First World War]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Hertfordshire |date=1914 |location=London |page=62 |url=http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/59241 |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref> In 1914 the council bought a large old house called Wharf House at 4 The Causeway.<ref>Bishop Stortford, ''Herts and Cambs Reporter and Royston Crow'', 4 September 1914, page 8</ref> The house had been built by [[Sir George Duckett, 1st Baronet|George Jackson]], who had also built the adjoining [[Stort Navigation]]. Wharf House was renamed the Council House, and served as the council's offices until October 1972, when the council moved to purpose-built offices at 1 The Causeway. The Council House was demolished shortly afterwards to make way for the Jackson Square shopping centre.<ref>Council's New Offices Opened, ''Herts and Essex Observer'' (Bishop's Stortford), 3 November 1972, page 1</ref><ref>Jackson Square, ''Herts and Essex Observer'' (Bishop's Stortford), 31 May 1974, page 10</ref>

[[File:East Herts District Council Offices - geograph.org.uk - 140667.jpg|thumb|1 The Causeway: Built 1972 as headquarters of Bishop's Stortford Urban District Council, subsequently used by East Herts Council. Demolished 2017.]]
Bishop's Stortford Urban District Council was granted a [[coat of arms]] on 20 August 1952.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bishop's Stortford Town Council |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/east_of_england.html |website=Civic Heraldry |access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref>
[[File:Riverside House, 2 Hockerill Street, Bishop's Stortford.jpg|thumb|2 Hockerill Street: offices of the Town Council, 1974{{ndash}}1994]]
Bishop's Stortford Urban District was abolished under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], becoming part of [[East Hertfordshire]] on 1 April 1974. Bishop's Stortford Town Council was established as a [[successor parish]] to the old urban district.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Local Government (Successor Parishes) (No. 2) Order 1973 |date=1973 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |isbn=0110319397 |page=6688 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1939/pdfs/uksi_19731939_en.pdf |access-date=14 December 2021}}</ref> The former urban district council's offices at 1 The Causeway were taken over by East Hertfordshire District Council, whilst the new town council was based at the former offices of the [[Braughing Rural District|Braughing Rural District Council]] at 2 Hockerill Street. The town council moved to the Old Monastery on Windhill in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Old Monastery |url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide4/the-monastry/ |website=Bishop's Stortford and Thorley: A history and guide |access-date=14 December 2021}}</ref> East Hertfordshire District Council vacated 1 The Causeway in 2013, having consolidated most of its functions at its main offices in [[Hertford]]. The district council set up a smaller Bishop's Stortford office in Charringtons House, adjoining 1 The Causeway. The vacated office at 1 The Causeway was demolished in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Executive minutes, 7 June 2016 |url=http://democracy.eastherts.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?AIId=16025&J=1 |website=East Hertfordshire District Council |date = 7 June 2016|access-date=14 December 2021 |quote=1 The Causeway, Bishop's Stortford redevelopment}}</ref>

=== Parliamentary elections ===
{{See also|Hertford and Stortford (UK Parliament constituency)}}
Bishop's Stortford is the largest town within the Hertford and Stortford County Constituency for elections to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]]. The constituency covers Stortford, Hertford, Ware, Sawbridgeworth and the surrounding rural areas.<ref name="Election Maps">{{Cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk}}</ref>

=== Electoral wards ===
For elections to East Herts District Council, Bishop's Stortford has been divided into six wards since the May 2023 local elections wards: All Saints, Central, North, Parsonage, South and Thorley Manor. Bishop's Stortford residents elect 14 of the 50 councillors on East Herts Council. For elections to Bishop's Stortford Town Council, the town is split into nine wards: All Saints, Central, Chantry, Parsonage, Silverleys, South, Thorley Manor North, Thorley Manor South and Waterside.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Reviews/Eastern/Hertfordshire/East%20Herts/Final/East%20Herts%20Final%20Recommendations%20Report.pdf |title=New electoral arrangements for East Herts District Council Final Recommendations |publisher=The Local Government Boundary Commission For England |date=August 2022}}</ref>

For elections to Hertfordshire County Council, out of the 78 electoral divisions in total, three divisions cover Bishop's Stortford: Bishop's Stortford East (comprising the areas covered by the All Saints, Parsonage and Chantry Town Council Wards), Bishop's Stortford Rural (the South, Thorley Manor South Town Council Wards together with the Little Hadham and Much Hadham East Herts District Council Wards) and Bishop's Stortford West (the Central, Silverleys, Thorley Manor North and Waterside Town Council Wards).<ref name="Election Maps"/>

=== Sister cities ===
After 46 years of being twinned with the German town of Friedberg and Villiers-sur-Marne in France, the town council ended links in 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bishop's Stortford dumps its twin towns in France and Germany |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/dec/01/bishops-stortford-dumps-twin-towns |access-date=2023-02-04 |newspaper=The Guardian|date=December 2011 |last1=Harding |first1=Luke }}</ref>

==Economy and business==
Stortford is a prosperous town.<ref name=":13" /> The key drivers of its growth according to the ''Town Wide Employment Study for Bishop's Stortford'' are "Stansted Airport, an excellent rail service into central London and good road links via the M11 to London, the M25 northern sub-region and Cambridge. Stortford is well positioned in relation to the UK's most dynamic economies."<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|url=https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/documents/Townwide_Employment_Study_joined.pdf|title=Town Wide Employment Study For Bishop's Stortford|publisher=Wessex Economics|year=2013|pages=3}}</ref> This study also highlights Stortford's skilled population, as well as the importance of "quality of life" as an important economic asset.<ref name=":13" /> In addition to East Hertfordshire topping the Halifax Quality of Life survey in 2020,<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 January 2020|title=It's official: Stortford is in the district voted the UK's best place to live|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/its-official-stortford-is-in-the-district-voted-the-uk-s-best-place-to-live-9098176/|access-date=24 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford Independent|language=en}}</ref> Stortford has been highlighted as a popular commuter town in articles in [[The Times]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=The Sunday |title=Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire — Best Places to Live in the UK 2020 |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/bishop-s-stortford-hertfordshire-best-places-to-live-in-the-uk-2020-3ph7gtbpb |access-date=2022-11-22 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> ''[[Evening Standard|The Evening Standard]],''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bloomfield|first=Ruth|date=17 April 2019|title=Why these are three of the best towns for London commuters to buy in|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/commuter-towns-in-hertfordshire-home-county-s-quick-commutes-and-buzzing-social-scene-draw-homebuyers-leaving-london-a129261.html|access-date=24 February 2022|website=www.standard.co.uk|language=en}}</ref> and the [[Metro newspaper London]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrea Dean |date=2022-11-22 |title=Bishop's Stortford could be good for first-time buyers with quick links to Londo |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/22/bishops-stortford-could-be-good-for-first-time-buyers-with-london-links-17801182/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref>

Like the UK as a whole, Stortford has a highly service-based economy. In the 2011 census, 84.5% of Stortford residents in employment stated that they worked in a service industry, which was higher than East Hertfordshire (81.2%) and England (81.2%). Of particular note is that 7.9% of local workers are employed in Transportation and Storage which is well above the English average of 5.0%.<ref name=":11" /> The most significant employer in this industry is Stansted Airport, which was estimated in 2013 to employ at least 1,000 people who live in Stortford.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/documents/Townwide_Employment_Study_joined.pdf|title=Town Wide Employment Study for Bishop's Stortford|publisher=Wessex Economics|year=2013|pages=5}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Employment By Industry of Bishop's Stortford Residents, UK SIC Classifications (2011 census)<ref name=":11" />
!
! colspan="2" |Bishop's Stortford
! colspan="2" |East Hertfordshire
! colspan="2" |England
|-
!
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|Primary Industries (A-B)
|25
|0.1
|459
|0.6
|203,789
|0.8
|-
|Manufacturing (C)
|1,468
|7.4
|6,161
|8.5
|2,226,247
|8.8
|-
|Utilities (D-E)
|139
|0.7
|566
|0.8
|315,362
|1.3
|-
|Construction (F)
|1,446
|7.3
|6,355
|8.8
|1,931,936
|7.7
|-
|Services (G-U)
|16,851
|84.5
|58,635
|81.2
|20,442,085
|81.2
|-
|''Wholesale and Retail Trade (G)''
|''3,327''
|''16.7''
|''11,268''
|''15.6''
|''4,007,570''
|''15.9''
|-
|''Transportation and Storage (H)''
|''1,581''
|''7.9''
|''3,553''
|''4.9''
|''1,260,094''
|''5.0''
|-
|''Accommodation and Food Service (I)''
|''893''
|''4.5''
|''3,058''
|''4.2''
|''1,399,931''
|''5.6''
|-
|''Other Services (J-U)''
|''11,050''
|''55.4''
|''40,756''
|''56.4''
|''13,774,490''
|''54.7''
|-
|All usual resident 16–74 in employment
|19,941
|100
|72,225
|100
|25,162,721
|100
|}

Commuters represent a sizeable proportion of the local working age population. The ''Town Wide Employment Study'' estimated in 2013 around 3,000 people (round 15% of those in employment) commute from Stortford by rail, with the largest proportion "in all probability" travelling into Central London.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/documents/Townwide_Employment_Study_joined.pdf|title=Town Wide Employment Study For Bishop's Stortford|publisher=Wessex Economics|year=2013|pages=11}}</ref> This is reflected in Stortford in the 2011 census having a much higher proportion of workers in managerial and professional occupations than the national average,<ref name=":11" /> as shown in the table below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Employment By Occupation, UK SIC Classifications (2011 census)<ref name=":11" />
!
! colspan="2" |Bishop's Stortford
! colspan="2" |East Hertfordshire
! colspan="2" |England
|-
!Occupations
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|All usual resident 16–74 in employment
|19,941
|100.0
|72,225
|100.0
|25,162,721
|100.0
|-
|<abbr>Managers, directors and senior officials</abbr>
|2,682
|13.4
|10,639
|14.7
|2,734,900
|10.9
|-
|<abbr>Professional</abbr>
|4,058
|20.4
|14,636
|20.3
|4,400,375
|17.5
|-
|<abbr>Associate professional and technical</abbr>
|3,056
|15.3
|11,160
|15.5
|3,219,067
|12.8
|-
|<abbr>Administrative and secretarial</abbr>
|2,377
|11.9
|8,968
|12.4
|2,883,230
|11.5
|-
|<abbr>Skilled trades</abbr>
|1,776
|8.9
|7,589
|10.5
|2,858,680
|11.4
|-
|<abbr>Caring, leisure and other service</abbr>
|1,839
|9.2
|5,740
|7.9
|2,348,650
|9.3
|-
|<abbr>Sales and customer service</abbr>
|1,546
|7.8
|4,345
|6.0
|2,117,477
|8.4
|-
|<abbr>Process plant and machine operatives</abbr>
|979
|4.9
|3,573
|4.9
|1,808,024
|7.2
|-
|<abbr>Elementary</abbr>
|1,628
|8.2
|5,575
|7.7
|2,792,318
|11.1
|}
Stortford itself has a strong internal economy, with an estimated 16,985 people employed within the town boundaries.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web|title=Business Register and Employment Survey : open access – Nomis – Official Labour Market Statistics|url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/newbres6pub|access-date=24 February 2022|website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref> There are 329 businesses established in the town centre (as of 2018)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Business Improvement District for Bishop's Stortford {{!}} East Herts District Council|url=https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/elections-voting/previous-years-results/business-improvement-district-bishops-stortford|access-date=24 February 2022|website=www.eastherts.gov.uk}}</ref> represented by the Bishop's Stortford [[Business improvement district|Business Improvement District]] (BID).<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://bishopsstortfordbid.co.uk/about/|access-date=24 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford BID|language=en-GB}}</ref> There is also a Bishop's Stortford Chamber of Commerce.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bishop's Stortford Chamber of Commerce|url=https://bschamber.org/|access-date=24 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford Chamber of Commerce|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Stortford is considered the Principal Town Centre in East Hertfordshire by [[East Hertfordshire District Council]]'s ''District Plan'', serving as a destination for visitors from beyond the town.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/documents/District_Plan_Publish_web_view.pdf|title=East Herts District Plan|publisher=East Hertfordshire District Plan|year=2018|pages=48}}</ref> There is both an indoor shopping centre, Jackson Square,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homepage|url=https://www.jacksonsquareshopping.co.uk/|access-date=24 February 2022|website=Jackson Square Shopping Centre|language=en-GB}}</ref> and a traditional high street running along the axis of South Street, Potter Street and North Street, as well as the adjoining streets.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/basic_pages/Bishops%20Stortford%20Town%20Centre%20Planning%20Framework.pdf|title=Bishop's Stortford Town Centre Planning Framework|publisher=Allies and Morrison/East Hertfordshire District Council|year=2017}}</ref> The town has a twice weekly market and a monthly farmers market run by Bishop's Stortford Town Council.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Market {{!}} Bishop's Stortford Town Council and Tourist Information|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/market|access-date=24 February 2022|website=www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Estimated Employment in Bishop's Stortford (Usual Place of Work), UK SIC Classifications<ref name=":14" />
!Industry
!2020
!%
|-
|Agriculture, forestry & fishing (A)
|0
|0
|-
|Mining, quarrying & utilities (B,D and E)
|35
|0.2
|-
|Manufacturing (C)
|800
|4.7
|-
|Construction (F)
|1,000
|5.9
|-
|Motor trades (Part G)
|700
|4.1
|-
|Wholesale (Part G)
|700
|4.1
|-
|Retail (Part G)
|2,500
|14.7
|-
|Transport & storage (inc postal) (H)
|350
|2.1
|-
|Accommodation & food services (I)
|1,250
|7.4
|-
|Information & communication (J)
|800
|4.7
|-
|Financial & insurance (K)
|600
|3.5
|-
|Property (L)
|350
|2.1
|-
|Professional, scientific & technical (M)
|1,750
|10.3
|-
|Business administration & support services (N)
|1,750
|10.3
|-
|Public administration & defence (O)
|100
|0.6
|-
|Education (P)
|1,750
|10.3
|-
|Health (Q)
|1,750
|10.3
|-
|Arts, entertainment, recreation & other services (R, S,T and U)
|800
|4.7
|-
|Total
|16,985
|100
|}

==Local media==
The ''Bishop's Stortford Independent'' newspaper covers Stortford, along with the neighbouring towns of [[Sawbridgeworth]] and [[Stansted Mountfitchet]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/|title=Read the Latest News|website=Bishop's Stortford Independent}}</ref> The newspaper was founded in October 2017<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iliffe Media launches Bishop's Stortford Independent newspaper – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage |url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2017/news/redundant-editor-bounces-back-to-launch-weekly-on-former-patch/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=HoldtheFrontPage |language=en-GB}}</ref> following the closure of the Stortford office of the ''Herts and Essex Observer'' newspaper in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Herts & Essex Observer's Bishop's Stortford office to close – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage |url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2016/news/newspaper-set-to-lose-office-weeks-after-editor-made-redundant/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=HoldtheFrontPage |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The town is also covered by a number of print magazines including the ''Bishop's Stortford Flyer,''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flyeronline.co.uk/events/bishops-stortford-bowling-club-open-days/|title=Bishop’s Stortford Bowling Club open days}}</ref> ''CM23 Connection,''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmconnection.uk/|title=The CM Connection | Local Community Magazines | CM17 | CM23|website=www.cmconnection.uk}}</ref> ''Axis Magazine,''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Axis Magazine |url=http://www.axismagazine.co.uk/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=www.axismagazine.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> and ''The BISH''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=thebishmag.co.uk {{!}} Bishop's Stortford and beyond |url=https://thebishmag.co.uk/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC London]] and [[ITV London]]. Television signals are received from either the [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Crystal_Palace | title=Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref> or the local relay transmitters.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bishops_Stortford | title=Bishops Stortford (Hertfordshire, England) Freeview Light transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref> [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]] can also be received from the [[Sandy Heath transmitting station|Sandy Heath]] TV transmitter.
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sandy_Heath | title=Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Three Counties Radio]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Three Counties Radio – Listen Live – BBC Sounds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_three_counties_radio |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> and [[Heart Hertfordshire]].

==Transport==
[[File:Bishop's Stortford Station.jpg|thumb|The station forecourt in 2006]]

===Railway===
[[Bishop's Stortford railway station]] is a stop on the [[West Anglia Main Line]] and was first opened in 1842. There were 2.00 million passenger entries and exits in 2020/21.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Estimates of station usage {{!}} ORR Data Portal |url=https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=dataportal.orr.gov.uk}}</ref>

The station is served by three routes, all operated by [[Greater Anglia]]:<ref>{{Cite web |work=Greater Anglia |title=Timetables |date=10 December 2023 |access-date=20 December 2023 |url= https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables |quote=}}</ref>
* A fast {{rws|Stansted Airport}} to {{rws|London Liverpool Street}} service, stopping only at {{rws|Tottenham Hale}}.
* {{rws|Cambridge North}} to Liverpool Street, via {{rws|Harlow Town}}, Tottenham Hale and at most intermediate stations.
* A direct service to [[Stratford station|Stratford]] in [[East End of London|East London]], which calls at most intermediate stations.

[[Epping tube station]] on the [[London Underground]] [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] is about 10 miles away from Stortford; the line provides a stopping service through Central London to {{rws|Ealing Broadway}} in the west.

=== Roads ===
The [[M11 motorway]] passes to the east of Bishop's Stortford. Junction 8 links the motorway to the town and the M11 carries traffic directly to [[Cambridge]], [[Harlow]] and [[London]]. As the road passes the town, Bishop's Stortford falls in the [[M11 Corridor|M11 corridor]] for innovation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://innovationcorridor.uk/about|title=Innovation Corridor {{!}} About |website=Innovation Corridor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417135925/https://innovationcorridor.uk/about |archive-date=17 April 2019 }}</ref>

The [[A120 road|A120]] runs east–west along the northern edge of the town. To the west, the A120 meets the [[A10 road (England)|A10]] at [[Puckeridge]] (for [[Hertford]] or [[Royston, Hertfordshire|Royston]]). To the east, the A120 passes [[Stansted Airport]] en route to [[Braintree, Essex|Braintree]], [[Colchester]], the [[A12 road (England)|A12]] and [[Harwich]].

Other key routes in the town include:

*[[A1060 road|A1060]] to the [[Hatfield Heath]], [[the Rodings]] and [[Chelmsford]]
*[[A1184 road|A1184]] to [[Sawbridgeworth]] and Harlow
*[[A1250 road|A1250]] east–west route through the town centre
*[[B roads in Zone 1 of the Great Britain numbering scheme|B1383]] to [[Stansted Mountfitchet]] and [[Saffron Walden]]

====Air pollution====
[[East Hertfordshire District Council]] monitors [[nitrogen dioxide]] (NO2) levels at Hockerill Junction in the town centre.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/airquality |title=East Herts District Council {{!}} Air Quality |website=[[East Hertfordshire District Council]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420143514/https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/airquality |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref> There are four [[diffusion tube]]s around the junction for air quality monitoring. In 2017, three out of four tubes failed to meet the UK National Objective of 40μg/m3 ([[microgram]]s per [[cubic metre]]):<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/media/33524/2018-Air-Quality-Annual-Status-Report-for-East-Herts---Latest-Analysis/PDF/2018_Air_Quality_Annual_Status_Report_for_East_Herts_-_Latest_Analysis.pdf |title=2018 Air Quality Annual Status for East Herts |website=[[East Hertfordshire District Council]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420143435/https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/media/33524/2018-Air-Quality-Annual-Status-Report-for-East-Herts---Latest-Analysis/PDF/2018_Air_Quality_Annual_Status_Report_for_East_Herts_-_Latest_Analysis.pdf |archive-date=20 April 2019 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+NO2 levels at Hockerill Junction (2017 average)<ref name=":0" />
!Location
!NO2 concentration (μg/m3)
|-
|Stansted Road
|36.0
|-
|Hockerill Street
|41.3
|-
|Dunmow Road
|45.6
|-
|London Road
|56.3
|}

===Air===
[[Stansted Airport]] is located to the east of the town, with rail and bus links to Stortford; it serves over 200 destinations globally.<ref>"[https://www.stanstedairport.com/about-us/london-stansted-airport-and-mag/facts-and-figures/ Facts and figures]". [[Stansted Airport]] Retrieved 17 April 2019.</ref>

===Buses===
The town is on the [[Arriva Herts & Essex]] bus network. Buses 309, 508, 509 and 510 connect the town to [[Stansted Airport]]. Local route 511 connects Thorley Park and St James' Park with Bishop's Park via the train station. Buses 508, 509 and 510 all terminate to the south in [[Harlow]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stops in Bishop's Stortford |url=https://bustimes.org/localities/bishops-stortford |website=Bustimes.org |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>

Central Connect, operated by Vectare, also serve the town. Key routes include the 35 to [[Hertford]] and the 36 to [[Stevenage]], via [[Letchworth]]. There are further routes to rural destinations in Hertfordshire and Essex.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/22440.6/bishops-stortford/ |title=Intalink Town Maps {{!}} Bishop's Stortford |website=[[Intalink]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420144109/https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/22440.6/bishops-stortford/ |archive-date=20 April 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/22386/hertfordshire-county-map/ |title=Intalink Network Maps {{!}} Hertfordshire County Map |website=[[Intalink]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420144211/https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/22386/hertfordshire-county-map/|archive-date=20 April 2019 }}</ref>

===Cycling===
Stortford is served by the following [[cycle route]]s on regional networks and the [[National Cycle Network]]:

* [[National Cycle Route 11]] is an incomplete cycle route which will run through the town centre. Completed sections of the route currently pass through [[Harlow]], [[Sawbridgeworth]], [[Stansted Mountfitchet]] and [[Cambridge]]. The section between Sawbridgeworth and Stortford is in development but, when completed, the route will provide a direct, non-stop connection from Stortford to the [[Lea Valley]] (southbound) and [[King's Lynn]] (northbound).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-11 |title=Sustrans {{!}} Route 11 |website=[[Sustrans]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420163428/https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-11 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/map-ncn |title=Sustrans {{!}} Map of the National Cycle Network
|website=[[Sustrans]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403074924/https://www.sustrans.org.uk/map-ncn |archive-date=3 April 2019 }}</ref>

* [[National Cycle Route 16]] passes just to the northeast of Stortford. The route is [[Bridleway|segregated from traffic]], running non-stop to [[Great Dunmow]]. The route continues east on on-road and off-road routes to [[Braintree, Essex|Braintree]] and [[Witham]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-16 |title=Sustrans {{!}} Route 16 |website=[[Sustrans]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420163659/https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-16 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref>

* The ''Bishop's Stortford Circular Ride'' is a recreational cycle route on [[country lanes]] to the north of the town. The route begins and ends on Northgate End in the town centre; it passes through [[Patmore Heath]], [[Stocking Pelham]], [[Brent Pelham]], [[Little Hormead]], [[Braughing]] and [[Albury, Hertfordshire|Albury]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/media-library/documents/environment-and-planning/countryside-management-service/walking-and-cycling-routes/a-map-of-hertfordshires-cycle-routes.pdf |title=Hertfordshire Cycling Map for Recreation and Community |website=[[Hertfordshire County Council]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420163822/https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/media-library/documents/environment-and-planning/countryside-management-service/walking-and-cycling-routes/a-map-of-hertfordshires-cycle-routes.pdf |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref>

* The ''[[River Stort]] [[towpath]]'' is a [[Shared use path|shared-use path]] which begins in Stortford. Running parallel to the river, the path links the town directly to Sawbridgeworth and Harlow; it eventually reaches the [[River Lea]] towpath towards [[Hertford, England|Hertford]], or [[Tottenham]] and [[East End of London|London's East End]]. Parts of the towpath carry NCR 11. The route is maintained by the [[Canal and River Trust]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/cycling |title=Cycling |website=[[Canal and River Trust]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407001538/https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/cycling |archive-date=7 April 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/river-stort |title=River Stort |website=[[Canal and River Trust]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420164141/https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/river-stort |archive-date=20 April 2019 }}</ref>

== Landmarks ==
The historic core of Stortford is covered by a [[Conservation area (United Kingdom)|Conservation Area]], which roughly aligns with the boundaries of the town in 1874–1894.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/documents/Bishops_Stortford_Plan_1.pdf |title=Bishop's Stortford Conservative Area Appraisal and Management Plan (Plan 1) |publisher=East Herts District Council |date=December 2014}}</ref> As of the last formal Appraisal of the Conservation Area in 2014, there were 105 listed buildings in Stortford, including 71 within the Conservation Area. Two of the buildings are Grade 1 listed: Waytemore Castle and St Michael's Church.<ref>[https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide4/stmichaels_church.html St Michael's Church]. Bishop's Stortford Tourist Information Centre. Accessed 28 March 2025.</ref> Grade II* listed buildings include 10 Bridge Street (the Black Lion pub), 30 High Street (the Boar's Head restaurant) and 8–10 High Street. Much of the Conservation Area is also an Area of Archaeological Significance.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/documents/Bishops_Stortford_Conservation_Area_Appraisal_updated.pdf |title=Bishop's Stortford Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan |publisher=East Herts District Council |date=December 2014 |pages=13–16}}</ref>

=== Castle mound ===
{{Main|Waytemore Castle}}
Waytemore began as a [[motte and bailey]] castle in the time of [[William I of England|William the Conqueror]]. A rectangular great tower was added to the motte in the 12th century. It was improved in the 13th century under [[John of England|King John]] and a licence for [[crenellation]] was granted in the mid-14th century. It lost significance after the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] and was used as a prison in the 17th century.

Only earthworks, the large [[motte]], and the foundations of a square tower can now be seen.

=== Corn Exchange ===
{{Main|Corn Exchange, Bishop's Stortford}}

Bishop's Stortford Corn Exchange is a [[Greek Revival style]] building completed in 1828. The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the [[Great Depression of British Agriculture]] in the late 19th century. It initially became a meeting venue, and is currently used by commercial and leisure businesses.

=== All Saints' Church ===
{{Main|All Saints' Church, Hockerill}}
In 1935 [[All Saints' Church, Hockerill]] was destroyed by fire, and in 1937 a new church, to a spacious, light, and airy design by the architect [[Stephen Dykes Bower]], was erected in its place. This is a Grade II listed building and the tower dominates the eastern skyline of the town. The church contains a notable [[rose window]] designed by [[Hugh Ray Easton]] and a two-manual [[Henry Willis]] II organ. Concerts are also held there.

==Notable people==

[[File:CecilRhodes.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cecil Rhodes]]{{Main|List of people from Bishop's Stortford}}
*[[Cecil Rhodes]], (1853–1902), the son of the vicar of St Michael's Church, was the founder of the [[Rhodesia (region)|region of Rhodesia]] (now [[Zambia]] and [[Zimbabwe]]), and of the [[De Beers]] diamond company and the [[Rhodes Scholarship]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 13: Cecil Rhodes|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide13/cecil-rhodes-2/|access-date=21 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref>
*[[Sir Walter Gilbey, 1st Baronet]], businessman, wine merchant and philanthropist.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide 2: Sir Walter Gilbey|url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide2/sir-walter-gilbey/|access-date=21 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide}}</ref>
*[[Caroline Spelman]], Conservative MP and former cabinet minister, was born in Bishop's Stortford and attended [[the Hertfordshire and Essex High School]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2019|title=Herts and Essex old girl Dame Caroline Spelman to quit as MP over Brexit abuse|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/herts-and-essex-old-girl-dame-caroline-spelman-to-quit-as-mp-over-brexit-abuse-9082346/|access-date=21 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford Independent|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Paul Epworth]] (born 1974), [[Grammy]], [[BRIT Award]] and [[Academy Award]] (Oscar)-winning record producer.

== Education ==
Stortford schools regularly appear in rankings of the best schools in the country, with [[Hockerill Anglo-European College]], [[The Hertfordshire and Essex High School]], and [[The Bishop's Stortford High School]] frequently being top performers in ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' Schools Guide.<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 December 2020|title=Four local schools ranked in top 500 in the country in Sunday Times Schools Guide|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/four-local-schools-ranked-in-top-500-in-the-country-in-sunday-times-schools-guide-9144173/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford Independent|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Clugston|first=Harriet|date=29 November 2017|title=Bishop's Stortford school comes top in Sunday Times school rankings|url=http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/bishops-stortford-school-comes-top-848505|access-date=25 February 2022|website=HertsLive|language=en}}</ref> [[Hertfordshire County Council]] is the education authority for the [[State-funded schools (England)|state schools]] in Bishop's Stortford, and is responsible for admissions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Schools and education|url=https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/schools-and-education.aspx|access-date=25 February 2022|website=www.hertfordshire.gov.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref>

All of the state primary schools in Stortford have nurseries attached, while all of the state secondaries have sixth forms.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web|title=School directory|url=https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/schools-directory/school-directory.aspx|access-date=25 February 2022|website=www.hertfordshire.gov.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref> Bishop's Stortford High School<ref>{{cite web|title=Bishop's Stortford High School Website|url=http://www.tbshs.herts.sch.uk|access-date=24 September 2016}}</ref> and Herts and Essex High School<ref>{{cite web|title=Herts and Essex High School Website|url=http://www.hertsandessex.herts.sch.uk/|access-date=24 September 2016}}</ref> are a single sex boys and girls school, respectively, from years 7–11 but both have mixed-sex sixth forms. There is also an independent school, the [[Bishop's Stortford College]], which covers ages 4 to 18.<ref name=":16">{{Cite web|title=Bishop's Stortford College {{!}} Independent Pre-Prep, Prep School, Senior School & Sixth Form in Herts|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org}}</ref>

There are no further education or higher educational institutions in Stortford. However, nearby educational options include Stansted Airport College,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stansted Airport College – Home|url=http://www.stanstedairportcollege.ac.uk/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=www.stanstedairportcollege.ac.uk}}</ref> [[Harlow College]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Harlow College – Home|url=https://www.harlow-college.ac.uk/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=www.harlow-college.ac.uk}}</ref> [[Hertford Regional College]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hertford Regional College|url=https://www.hrc.ac.uk/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=Hertford Regional College|language=en-gb}}</ref> and [[Cambridge Regional College]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cambridge Regional College – Cambridge I Huntingdon|url=https://www.camre.ac.uk/|access-date=25 February 2022|website=Cambridge Regional College|language=en-US}}</ref>

The town previously had a boys' grammar school, '''Bishop's Stortford Grammar School''', later '''Bishop's Stortford School'''.<ref name="z255">{{cite magazine | magazine=The Bookman | title=From "Bishop's Stortford and its Story", by Annie Berlyn (Jarrolds)|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton | volume=68-69 | year=1925 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sIceAQAAMAAJ | access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref><ref name="j946">{{cite book | last1=Turner | first1=Sarah | last2=Clare | first2=David| last3=Downing | first3=Carolyn| title=Bishop's Stortford in the First World War | publisher=Amberley Publishing | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4456-3281-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCZmBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT36 | access-date=13 February 2025 | page=36}}</ref> This was founded in the sixteenth century.<ref name="q593">{{cite book | last=Jones | first=Arthur| title=Hertfordshire 1731-1800 as Recorded in the Gentleman's Magazine | publisher=Hertfordshire Publications | year=1993 | isbn=978-0-901354-73-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hkA87TVeW4C&pg=PA120 | access-date=13 February 2025 | page=120}}</ref> Pupils included [[Francis Barber]], the Jamaican manservant of [[Samuel Johnson]], in the eighteenth century, and [[Cecil Rhodes]], the mining magnate and politician, in the nineteenth century.<ref name="z255"/><ref>{{cite book | last=Gerzina | first=Gretchen | title=Black England: A Forgotten Georgian History | publisher=John Murray Press | year=2022 | isbn=978-1-3998-0491-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7SAEAAAQBAJ | quote=at the surprising age of about twenty-two, he was sent to the prestigious Bishop Stortford's Grammar School ... probably in 1767| access-date=13 February 2025 | pages=50–52}}</ref> One of the headteachers was the seventeenth-century grammarian Christopher Cooper.<ref name="r646">{{cite book | editor-last=Brown | editor-first=K. | last=MacMahon|first =MKC|chapter=Cooper, Christopher (?1655-1698)|title=Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics | publisher=Elsevier Science | issue=v. 1-14 | year=2005 | isbn=978-0-08-054784-8 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cxYGQfiD_1oC&pg=PT4343 | access-date=13 February 2025 | page=4343}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!
!Schools
|-
|State Nursery and Primary Schools<ref name=":15" />
|All Saints C of E Primary and Nursery School, Avanti Meadows Primary School, Hillmead Primary School, Manor Fields Primary School, Northgate Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary, St Michael's C of E VA Primary, Summercroft Primary School, The Richard Whittington Primary School, Thorley Hill Primary School, Thorn Grove Primary School, Windhill21
|-
|State Secondary Schools<ref name=":15" />
|Avanti Grange,<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |title=New schools and additional places |url=https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/school-admissions/research-a-school/new-schools-and-additional-places.aspx |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=www.hertfordshire.gov.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Birchwood High School]], [[The Bishop's Stortford High School]], [[The Hertfordshire and Essex High School]], [[Hockerill Anglo-European College]], [[St Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford|St Mary's Catholic School]]
|-
|Private Schools
|[[Bishop's Stortford College]]<ref name=":16" />
|}

== Sport ==

=== Football ===
Semi-professional football team [[Bishop's Stortford F.C.]] were formed in 1874 and play at Woodside Park in the town; the stadium lies on a county boundary and is in both [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Essex]]. They are currently members of the [[Southern Football League|Southern League Premier Division Central]], the seventh tier of the [[English football pyramid]]. The club have won two national titles: the [[1973–74 FA Amateur Cup]] and the [[1980-81 FA Trophy]], becoming the first club to win both competitions.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephens |first1=Gareth |last2=Lamb |first2=Tim |date=18 September 2007 |title=Your team A-Z > Bishop's Stortford FC |publisher=BBC London |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/09/18/nl_bishops_feature.shtml |access-date=4 October 2016}}</ref> Bishop's Stortford Community Football Club are one of the largest clubs of their type in the country, with over 80 teams and nearly 1,000 members, as of the 2020–21 season.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 April 2020 |title=BSCFC History |url=https://www.bscfc.co.uk/bscfc-history/ |access-date=21 February 2022 |website=BSCFC Official Website |language=en}}</ref>

=== Hockey ===
[[Bishop's Stortford Hockey Club]] was formed in 1948 and is based at [[The Hertfordshire and Essex High School]], with a clubhouse and state of the art pitch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2019 |title=New Herts and Essex High School sports complex will be pitch perfect for hockey club |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/sport/new-herts-and-essex-high-school-sports-complex-will-be-pitch-perfect-for-hockey-club-9078342/ |access-date=30 August 2022 |website=Bishop's Stortford Independent |language=en}}</ref> They have fourteen senior sides: six men's and eight ladies'<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Stortford Hockey Club |url=https://www.stortfordhockey.co.uk/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=Bishop's Stortford Hockey Club |language=en-GB}}</ref> playing in the [[East Region Hockey Association (field hockey)|East Hockey Leagues]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=East Hockey Home |url=https://east.englandhockey.co.uk/ |access-date=2022-08-30 |website=east.englandhockey.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> The Men's 1st XI play in the East Men's Division 1 South and the Ladies' 1st XI play in the Vitality Women's Conference East.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Competitions {{!}} East Hockey |url=https://east.englandhockey.co.uk/competitions |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=east.englandhockey.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> – along with a thriving junior section with over 500 members.

The club has a number of current and former international players still involved with coaching or playing, including [[Great Britain men's national field hockey team|Rob Clift]] (gold medallist), [[Bernie Cotton]], Pippa Bull, Vernon Brown and Ronnie Stott, in addition to a number of senior members who still represent their country at Masters level.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Masters |url=https://www.stortfordhockey.co.uk/senior-section/masters/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Bishop's Stortford Hockey Club |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Cricket ===
Bishop's Stortford Cricket Club play their home matches at [[Cricket Field Lane]], which is also a home venue for [[Hertfordshire County Cricket Club]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=StackPath |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordcc.com/ |access-date=21 February 2022 |website=www.bishopsstortfordcc.com}}</ref> Thorley Cricket Club play in Bishop's Stortford and, as of 2021, had 40 adult members and over 100 children in their summer coaching programme.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Bishop's Stortford Town Council Agenda 20 November 2021 |publisher=Bishop's Stortford Town Council |pages=571}}</ref> Hockerill Cricket Club play at their ground on Beldams Lane<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hockerill Cricket Club {{!}} Bishop's Stortford Town Council and Tourist Information |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/clubs-and-societies/hockerill-cricket-club |access-date=21 February 2022 |website=www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk}}</ref> which they share with Bishop's Stortford Running Club. BSRC supports [[road running]] and [[cross-country running]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allsopp |first=Denise |title=Bishop's Stortford Running Club {{!}} for runners of all abilities in East Herts and West Essex |url=https://www.bsrc.org.uk/ |access-date=21 February 2022 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Rugby ===
[[Bishop's Stortford RFC|Bishop's Stortford Rugby Football Club]] play in National League 1, the third tier of English rugby. In total, the club has around 700 male players across its Mini, Youth and Senior teams, as well as over 80 female players, as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Bishop's Stortford Town Council, Council Meeting Agenda 20th November 2021 |publisher=Bishop's Stortford Town Council |pages=306–307}}</ref>

=== Other Sports ===
Public sports facilities include the Grange Paddocks swimming pool and gym, a tennis club, a squash club and a golf club. A concrete [[skateboard park]] plaza, featuring a back-and-forth run with a quarter-pipe and flat bank either side of several ledges and a rail, is located in the town park.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishop's Stortford Skatepark {{!}} East Herts District Council |url=https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/sports-leisure-parks/skate-parks-east-herts/bishops-stortford-skatepark |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=www.eastherts.gov.uk}}</ref> Bishop's Stortford Town Council is investing in the facility to create a broader "teenage recreation space".<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2021 |title=Work set to begin on 'recreation space' for Stortford's teenagers |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/new-teen-space-and-family-facilities-coming-soon-to-castle-park-9158537/ |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=Bishop's Stortford Independent |language=en}}</ref>

== Culture ==

=== South Mill Arts ===
[[File:North side Rhodes Arts Complex Museum Theatre Bishop's Stortford Hertfordshire England.jpg|thumb|350px|[[South Mill Arts]] theatre and museum]]
The [[South Mill Arts]] complex (formerly the Rhodes Arts Complex) incorporates a theatre, cinema, dance studio and conference facilities. Situated within the complex, in the house where [[Cecil Rhodes]] was born, is the Bishop's Stortford Museum. It has a local history collection, a unique collection relating to Rhodes and the [[British Empire]] in Africa, as well as a temporary exhibition gallery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bishops Stortford Museum « Rhodes Arts Complex featuring the stage, the screen & the museum|url=http://www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk/bishops-stortford-museum/|access-date=26 October 2017|website=Rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk}}</ref>

South Mill Arts is the town's largest live music venue. In the 1960s, the Rhodes Theatre had a string of concerts by now very high-profile musicians, who were then at the start of their careers. Performers included [[David Bowie]], [[Stevie Wonder]] and [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]] as well as iconic bands such as [[The Who]], [[The Animals]], [[The Moody Blues]], [[Small Faces]] and [[Wayne Fontana]] and [[The Mindbenders]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 September 2019|title=Remembering sound and vision of classic Rhodes gigs|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/remembering-sound-and-vision-of-classic-rhodes-gigs-9083298/|access-date=21 February 2022|website=Bishop's Stortford Independent|language=en}}</ref>

===Other===
Located in the town centre is the Complex, Anchor Street Entertainment, a [[multiplex (movie theater)|multiplex]] which contains a health club, bowling alley and a number of food outlets.

The town is home to two amateur dramatics groups, The Water Lane Theatre Group and Bishop's Stortford Musical Theatre Company.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

The town is home to various youth organisations and youth groups, including an [[Army Cadet Force]] detachment, an [[Air Training Corps]] squadron, Scout troops,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordscouts.org.uk/ |website=bs-district-scouts}}</ref> and a GAP youth group affiliated to the Church of St James the Great in Thorley.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

=== Fairs ===
There is an annual Christmas Fayre in December, with over 100 stalls and family-friendly entertainment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christmas Fayre 2021 {{!}} Bishop's Stortford Town Council and Tourist Information |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/christmas-fayre-2021 |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk}}</ref> There is also a summer Carnival, involving a procession with over 100 community groups taking part, bands, fairground rides, entertainers and stalls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishop's Stortford Carnival {{!}} Bishop's Stortford Town Council and Tourist Information |url=https://www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/content/bishops-stortford-carnival |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk}}</ref>

== Pubs ==
[[File:Bishop's Stortford 2.JPG|thumb|205x205px|The Black Lion]]
Being a market town and major coach stop between London and Cambridge, Stortford has many large [[pub|public houses]] within the town centre. In 1636 The Star in Bridge Street was run by John Wood. The Inn was acquired by Hawkes and Co. and bought in 1808. In the early 20th century The Star catered for cyclists, providing cycle sheds that attracted people from local villages. John Kynnersley Kirby (1894–1962), painted local scenes and portraits of local characters, painted the interior of The Star for a painting entitled ''The Slate Club Secretary''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide1/the-star-inn/ |title=Guide 1: The Star Inn – Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide |website=Stortfordhistory.co.uk |access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref>

Other public houses included the 15th-century Boars Head, 16th-century Black Lion, and the Curriers Arms was in Market Square from the 1700s until 1904, in the building which until recently was a Zizzi restaurant. Between 1644 and 1810, the Reindeer operated on the present site of the Tourist Information Centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/ |title=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide – Bishop's Stortford History & Thorley History |website=Bishop's Stortford & Thorley – A History & Guide |access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref> Another notable establishment was the Tanners Arms, built around 1850 alongside a former tannery. It was originally owned by Joseph Whitby and later acquired by [[McMullen's Brewery]] of Hertford in 1895.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Tanners Arms - Bishop's Stortford and Thorley - A History and Guide |url=https://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide12/tanners_arms.html |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=www.stortfordhistory.co.uk}}</ref> The pub closed in 2011, and the building is now occupied by IT company ITVET.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ITVET LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06192272/ |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
Stortford has grown around the [[River Stort]] valley, with the town centre lying about 60 metres above sea level, rising to over 100 metres above sea level on the eastern and western margins of the town.[[File:Bishop's Stortford and vicinity.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Bishop's Stortford and vicinity, on takeoff from [[Stansted Airport]]|204x204px]]Being in the south-east, the town enjoys a warmer climate than most of Britain and summer temperatures may sometimes reach the mid-30s C/ it is also one of the driest places in the country. Snow is often seen in the winter months because the town is near the east coast, where cold, moist air is brought in from the [[North Sea]] and cold fronts from northern Europe. In recent years{{when|date=August 2024}} there has been up to three inches of snow early in the year, which has resulted in minor disruption to transport and caused some schools to close for several days. However, the snow tends not to persist in any noticeable quantity.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

Water for the town is supplied by [[Affinity Water]]. The water is classed as ''very hard'' with over 345 mg/L of minerals and 0.225 mg/L of fluoride.

===Climate===
Stortford, like much of lowland Britain, has a [[temperate climate|temperate]] [[maritime climate]], with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest weather station for which averages and extremes are available is Stansted Airport, about {{convert|2+1/2|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} due east of Stortford's town centre. Located at an elevation of over 100 m, the weather station, and parts of Stortford in general are marginally cooler throughout the year than the [[Cambridgeshire]] area to the north or the London area to the south. Nonetheless, Stortford is still warmer than the English average.[[File:Climate graph BS.JPG|thumb|right|Climate graph of Bishop's Stortford]]The highest temperature recorded at Stansted was {{convert|35.0|C}}<ref name="August 2003 Maximum">{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=14&year=2003&indexid=TXx&stationid=2125 |website=Eca.knmi.nl |title=August 2003 Maximum |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> during the August 2003 heatwave. In an average year the hottest day should reach {{convert|28.8|C}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TXx&stationid=2125 |website=Eca.knmi.nl |title=Mean annual warmest day |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> and 12.3 days<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=SU&stationid=2125
|title=August >25c days |website=Eca.knmi.nl |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> will record a temperature of {{convert|25.1|C}} or more. The lowest temperature recorded at Stansted was {{convert|-14.7|C}}<ref>{{cite web |website=Eca.knmi.nl |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=0&year=1981&indexid=TNn&stationid=2125
|title=1981 minimum |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> during December 1981. Notably cold minimum temperatures tend not to occur due to the lack of higher terrain meaning little cold air drainage occurs. The average annual coldest night should fall to {{convert|-7.6|C}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TNn&stationid=2125 |website=Eca.knmi.nl |title=Annual average coldest night |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> with 47.3<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=FD&stationid=2125 |website=Eca.knmi.nl |title=Annual average air frost |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> air frosts being recorded in an average year.

Typically, the Stortford area will receive an average of 622 mm of rain during the course of the year.<ref name="August 2003 Maximum"/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1961-1990&indexid=RR&stationid=2125 |title=Rainfall data |website=Eca.knmi.nl |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> 1 mm or more of rain will be recorded on 114.7 days<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1961-1990&indexid=RR1&stationid=2125 |title=Rainfall data |website=Eca.knmi.nl |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> of the year.

Temperature averages refer to the period 1971–2000, rainfall averages to 1961–1990.

{{Weather box
|location = Stansted, elevation 101m, 1971–2000, Rainfall 1961–1990
|collapsed =
|metric first = y
|single line = y
| Jan high C = 6.5
| Feb high C = 6.9
| Mar high C = 9.8
| Apr high C = 12.2
| May high C = 16.1
| Jun high C = 19.0
| Jul high C = 21.7
| Aug high C = 21.8
| Sep high C = 18.4
| Oct high C = 14.1
| Nov high C = 9.6
| Dec high C = 7.4
|year high C = 13.5
| Jan low C = 0.9
| Feb low C = 0.7
| Mar low C = 2.4
| Apr low C = 3.8
| May low C = 6.8
| Jun low C = 9.7
| Jul low C = 12.0
| Aug low C = 12.0
| Sep low C = 9.9
| Oct low C = 7.0
| Nov low C = 3.4
| Dec low C = 1.9
|year low C = 5.9
| Jan precipitation mm = 53.97
| Feb precipitation mm = 39.54
| Mar precipitation mm = 49.31
| Apr precipitation mm = 46.53
| May precipitation mm = 45.95
| Jun precipitation mm = 50.20
| Jul precipitation mm = 53.37
| Aug precipitation mm = 56.54
| Sep precipitation mm = 52.66
| Oct precipitation mm = 55.01
| Nov precipitation mm = 59.50
| Dec precipitation mm = 59.51
|year precipitation mm = 622.09
|source 1=YR.NO<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/Great_Hallingbury~2648091/statistics.html |title=Climate Normals 1971–2000 |publisher=YR.NO |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref>
|source 2=KNMI<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/mapserver/climatology.php?indexcat=**&indexid=RR1&periodidselect=1961-1990&seasonid=0&scalelogidselect=no&minx=-588333.333336&miny=-4650000.000001&maxx=278333.333335&maxy=-3999999.999998&MapSize=560%2C420&imagewidth=560&imageheight=420&mainmap.x=394&mainmap.y=272&CMD=QUERY_POINT&CMD=QUERY_POINT#bottom |title=Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=KNMI |access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> |date=February 2011}}

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide
|title = Bishop's Stortford Town Council
|escutcheon = Vert on a pale Argent surmounted by a fess wavy of the last charged with a bar wavy Azure counterchanged on the pale a mitre and garb Proper.
|crest = On a wreath of the colours on a mount Vert the battlements of a tower Proper issuant therefrom a cross pommelled Gules.
|motto = Pro Deo Et Populo (For God And The People).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://civicheraldry.co.uk/east_of_england.html |title=East of England Region |publisher=Civic Heraldry of England |access-date=9 March 2021}}</ref>
|notes = Originally granted to Bishop's Stortford Urban District Council on 20 August 1952.}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Bishop's Stortford}}
*{{commons category-inline|Bishop's Stortford}}
{{EB1911 poster|Bishop Stortford}}
*[http://www.bishopsstortford.org/ Bishop's Stortford Town Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621002938/http://www.bishopsstortford.org/ |date=21 June 2011 }}
*[http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/ Bishop's Stortford and Thorley: A History and Guide] – comprehensive history

{{NSEW|[[Stansted Mountfitchet]]|[[Sawbridgeworth]], [[Harlow]]|[[Great Dunmow]]|[[Hertford]]|||||}}
{{Hertfordshire}}
{{Civil parishes of Hertfordshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Bishop's Stortford| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Market towns in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:River Stort]]
[[Category:East Hertfordshire District]]

Musée des Arts et Métiers

2025-10-30T03:42:02Z

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:B85C:654B:6586:DAAD: /* History */Removed link

{{Short description|Industrial design museum in Paris}}
{{Infobox museum
| name = Museum of Arts and Crafts
| native_name = Musée des Arts et Métiers
| native_name_lang =
| image = Parvis musee des arts et metiers.jpg
| imagesize = 300
| caption =
| alt =
| map_type =
| map_relief =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| coordinates =
| established = 1794
| location = 60, rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris
| type =
| collections =
| collection_size = 80,000
| visitors = 250,000 / year
| publictransit =
| car_park =
| network =
| website = [https://www.arts-et-metiers.net www.arts-et-metiers.net]
}}

The '''Musée des Arts et Métiers''' ({{IPA|fr|myze dez‿aʁ e metje}}; English: '''Museum of Arts and Crafts''') is an [[industrial design]] museum in [[Paris]] that houses the collection of the [[Conservatoire national des arts et métiers]], which was founded in 1794 as a repository for the preservation of [[scientific instrument]]s and inventions.<ref>[https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/museo/M5065 Musée des arts et métiers]</ref>
[[File:Cray-2-1985.jpg|thumb|A 1985 [[supercomputer]] [[Cray-2]]]]

==History==
Since its foundation, the museum has been housed in the deserted [[priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs]] on the Rue Réaumur in the [[3rd arrondissement of Paris]]. Today the museum, which underwent major renovations in 1990, includes an additional building adjacent to the [[abbey]], with larger objects remaining in the abbey itself.<ref>[https://www.lavoixdeslieux.fr/visite-musee-des-arts-et-metiers.php LA BELLE HISTOIRE DES TECHNIQUES : TRÉSORS DU MUSÉE DES ARTS ET MÉTIERS]</ref>

==Collection==
The museum has over 80,000 objects and 15,000 [[drawing]]s in its collection, of which about 2,500 are on display in Paris.<ref>''Missions et activités'', Paris, Musée des arts et métiers, 2010.</ref> The rest of the collection is preserved in a storehouse in [[Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis|Saint-Denis]].<ref>Benjamin Poupin et Sylvie Maillard, « Les Arts et Métiers : visite aux réserves », Musée des arts et métiers, ''La Revue'', No. 45, février 2005; Élise Picard, ''Les Réserves, base stratégique du musée'', Musée des arts et métiers, la revue, 1996.</ref> Among its collection is an original version of the [[Foucault pendulum]], the original model of ''Liberty Enlightening the World'' (commonly known as the [[Statue of Liberty]]) by [[Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi]], some of [[Aviation in the pioneer era|the first planes]] ([[Clément Ader]]'s [[Avion III]], [[Louis Blériot]]'s [[Blériot XI]]...), and [[Blaise Pascal]]'s [[Pascaline]] (the first [[mechanical calculator]]).<ref>[https://pro.visitparisregion.com/offre-loisirs-et-affaires/offre-de-la-destination/une-activite/musees-monuments-chateaux/musees/musee-des-arts-et-metiers Musée des arts et métiers]</ref>

The museum presents seven different collections : Scientific Instruments, Materials, Energy, Mechanics, Construction, Communication, Transportation.<ref>[https://lateteenlair.net/tout-ce-quil-faut-savoir-sur-lhistoire-du-musee-des-arts-et-metiers/ Tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur l’histoire du Musée des Arts et Métiers]</ref> In the former church of [[Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory|St-Martin-des-Champs Priory]] are displayed cars, planes, the [[Foucault Pendulum]] and some other monumental objects.<ref>[https://paris-promeneurs.com/le-prieure-saint-martin-des-champs/ Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers Le prieuré Saint-Martin des Champs]</ref>

The first portable steam engine and self propelled vehicle (automobile) Nicolas Cugnot's 1770 Fardier has been in this collection for over 200 years.<ref>[https://www.passionpourlaviation.fr/2009/10/22/le-bleriot-xi-de-la-traversee-de-la-manche-au-musee-des-arts-et-metiers/ Le Blériot XI de la traversée de la Manche au Musée des Arts et Métiers]</ref>

<gallery>
File:CONSERVATOIRE NATIONAL DES ARTS ET METIERS. Medal - Photo Estelle Binant.jpg|Medal of the [[Conservatoire national des arts et métiers]] ([[Paris]])
File:Pendule de Foucault au musee des arts et metiers.jpg|The original [[Foucault pendulum]] at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in 2005
File:Avion III Art et Metiers.jpg|[[Clément Ader]]'s [[Avion III]] at the Musée des Arts et Métiers
File:Camerae-obscurae.jpg|1840-1841 [[Camera obscura|cameras obscurae]] for [[Daguerreotype]] called "Grand Photographe" produced by [[Charles Chevalier]]
File:Lunette-binoculaire.jpg|[[Binoculars]], by Father Chérubin d'Orléans, 1681, Musée des Arts et Métiers
File:Laboratoire-de-Lavoisier.jpg|[[Lavoisier]]'s [[Laboratory]], Musée des Arts et Métiers, [[Paris]]
File:17th-century-mechanical-calculators.jpg|Versions of [[Blaise Pascal]]'s mechanical [[calculator]]s
File:Musée des Arts et Métiers 008.jpg|[[Ford T]], 1908
File:Breguet Type IV RU1 001.jpg|Louis Charles Breguet, 1911
File:Hispano-Suiza 1935.jpg|Hispano Suiza 1935
File:MuseedesArtsetMetiers.jpg|Grand Staircase
File:Arithmometer-ThomasDeColmar1850.jpg|Arithmometer - calculating machine {{Circa|1850}}
File:Peugeot 1909.jpg|Peugeot 1909 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers
File:ArtsetMetiersWallCars.jpg|A wall of cars in Musée des Arts et Métiers
File:Celestial Sphere at Arts et Metiers.jpg|Celestial sphere driven by a clock mechanism, circa 1580
</gallery>

==Cultural references==
The museum appears in literature as the scene of the climax of the 1988 novel ''[[Foucault's Pendulum]]'' by [[Umberto Eco]], and is featured in the 2019 documentary film about the [[Statue of Liberty]], ''Liberty: Mother of Exiles''.

==Transportation==
The museum can be accessed by the [[Paris Métro]] station [[Arts et Métiers (Paris Métro)|Arts et Métiers]]. (The museum's entrance is at the corner of Rue Réaumur and Rue Vaucanson.)

== See also ==
* [[List of museums in Paris]]
* [[List of tourist attractions in Paris]]
* [[Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot]]'s [[Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot#The first self-propelled vehicle?|''fardier'']] (a pioneering steam-powered road vehicle) is an exhibit

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat|Musée des arts et métiers| Musée des Arts et Métiers}}
* [https://www.arts-et-metiers.net Official site] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.arts-et-metiers.net/musee/visitor-information Official site] {{in lang|en}}

{{coord|48|51|58|N|2|21|19|E|region:FR-J_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=title}}
{{Visitor attractions in Paris}}
{{Statue of Liberty}}
{{Authority control (arts)}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee des Arts et Metiers}}
[[Category:Museums in Paris|Arts et Metiers, Musee des]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris]]
[[Category:Science museums in France]]
[[Category:Technology museums in France]]
[[Category:Museums established in 1794]]
[[Category:1794 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Statue of Liberty]]
[[Category:Industrial design collections]]
[[Category:Design museums]]

{{France-art-display-stub}}