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> United Kingdom > England > East of England > East of England
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| Established | May 01, 1997 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RBH May 25, 2019 12:39am |
| Description |
The constituency of Hitchin & Harpenden was created in 1997 as a result of the Boundary Review. But the two towns are very different. Hitchin in the north of the seat is an old market town, socially mixed and the main source of Labour strength, in a seat which is on the whole solid Tory. There are a large number of Georgian and older houses in Hitchin, having historically prospered through the wool trade. The River Hiz runs through the town, the earliest recorded mention of which was in 758 when King Offa celebrated a victory over his rival Beornred by founding a Benedictine house that is the ancestor of the present parish church. Harpenden has only expanded from a small village over the last century. Halfway between St Albans and Luton, and with greens on either side of the high street and a number of commons and parks, it has a more rural atmosphere than one might expect. Locals still refer to the centre as 'the village'. Harpenden sees its most prestigious contribution to history as Rothamsted Manor and its Agricultural Research Centre. It was founded by Sir John Bennet Lawes, the 'father of agricultural science', and whose work led to the development of artificial fertilisers. Former Social Security Secretary Peter Lilley has had a healthy majority over his rivals at the last two elections.
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