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Watford Road Rail Water Air Nightlife North of Watford People Sport Nearby places Twinning Other Watfords Watford Colosseum |
Road
Watford is close to strategic roads - the M25 motorway that rings London and the M1 motorway that connects London to the English Midlands and Northern England.
Rail
The town is served by one of the principal north-south rail routes - the West Coast Main Line - which connects London (terminus at Euston) to the Midlands, north-west England and Scotland. Some long-distance trains on this route serve Watford Junction, where there are also frequent suburban and regional trains. There is also a local service to St Albans, via some small stations within Watford and there is a suburban loop to Watford High Street station. There is a rail connection to Gatwick Airport and the English south coast.
London Underground serves Watford Metropolitan Line station at the outer edge of the system. The Metropolitan Line branch is due to be diverted to Watford Junction via the disused Croxley Green branch.*
Water
Watford is on the main Grand Union Canal route northwards from London. There is little commercial use, since the advent of the railway, but the canal is used for recreational and AMENITY purposes.
Air
Regular and frequent coach services connect Watford to the major international airports at Heathrow and Gatwick and also to Luton and Stansted airports.
Watford has its own airport, listed as Watford Regional Airport, but known locally and officially as Elstree Aerodrome *. Many private charters, and well as occasional holiday charters take off from here, with the request customs service contributing to the popularity of this hub. Many celebrities have been known to travel through Watford, due to its location close to the world famous Elstree Film and Television Studios in nearby Borehamwood and Leavesden Film Studios in north Watford.
Nightlife
The High Street running through the town centre is the main place for any activity at night. The part of town is sometimes referred to as the café quarter, and has a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants.
The Watford Observer reported on 30 October 2005 that Watford is the "binge drinking capital" of Hertfordshire. This label is only strengthened by a look around "the pond" (a large stagnant street pond fronted by bars and nightclubs) at closing time where you will generally see numerous drunks sat on the pond wall, often fouling the water in some way.
A survey by TakeAwayFever.coman online directory of menus, found Watford has now been named as the "curry capital of the UK". This is based on the fact there are more Indian restaurants per head than anywhere else in the UK.
North of Watford
The phrase "North of Watford" is widely used to describe areas of the United Kingdom that are north of London. This is possibly because Watford was one of the first places that horses were changed on the route to the north-west from London. Alternatively, the phrase may refer to the Northamptonshire village of Watford, about 50 miles farther north, which traditionally was an important waypoint on the old east-west and north-south coaching routes. This was the point where the main north-south road, rail and canal routes came together at a gap in the hills known as Watford Gap. Watford in Hertfordshire is much better known and so frequently mistaken, in the context of this phrase, for the same place.
An alternative theory is that many of the original signs at the southern end of the M1 motorway bore the legends "Watford" and "The North", Watford being the first major town on that route, although the phrase pre-dates the construction of the motorway.
People
Watford was the birthplace of:
Sport
Watford is home to professional football club Watford F.C., who reached the FA Cup Final in 1984 (as well as three other semi-finals), also finishing as league runners-up in 1983. They were promoted back to top-flight football, after beating Leeds United 3-0 in a Championship playoff match in May 2006, under the management of Adrian Boothroyd.
Since 1997 the club has shared its ground, Vicarage Road, with Saracens F.C. rugby club.
Singer-songwriter Sir Elton John is a keen, long-term supporter of Watford F.C. and a former club chairman. He still maintains his links with Watford F.C. as one of its most valuable benefactors and creditors. The current Chairman is Graham Simpson and the Director is Mark Ashton.
Nearby places
Twinning
Watford has five twin towns. These are:
Other Watfords
Watford Colosseum
The Watford Colosseum was used to record the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack and is well renowned for its acoustic qualities, which are often said to be the best available in the UK. It is now in administration after funding difficulties but is still open to bookings whilst the local council decides its fate.
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