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The Hertfordshire town has somewhere in the region of 80,000 inhabitants and it features the unusual magic roundabout, similar to that found in Swindon. Built in 1973 the roundabout sees six different routes meet and work their way around a wider circular road. There are also various water features associated with Hemel Hempstead; the River Gade passes through while the Apsley Loch Marina and the Grand Union Canal also touch the settlement. Water in its solid form is found in abundance in the snow centre meanwhile and here visitors can take ski or snowboarding lessons or spend time at their leisure on the slopes.
Although Hemel Hempstead largely developed after the Second World War it was in existence albeit in a smaller form for many years previously. There has been a settlement in the area since the eighth century and it has been known by a series of different names over the years such as Henamstead, Hean-Hempstead, Hemel-Amstede and Hamelamesede. Although it was first mentioned in historic documents in 705 there is evidence of nearby Roman settlement. In later years, St Marys Church with its 200-foot spire was built in 1140 while medieval wall paintings dating to the end of the 15th century were discovered in some cottages at Piccott’s End. The town was even bombed towards the end of the Second World War due to the presence of a munitions factory. It was in 1946 though that Hemel Hempstead was earmarked as a government New Town site, joining other settings to the north of London as locations to settle those displaced from the capital during the blitz in previous years. Inhabitants began to move in from 1949 and make a home for themselves before further expansion occurred in the subsequent decades.
Historically agricultural, Hemel Hempstead is today home to a number of high-profile companies, with the likes of Dixons, Freeserve and Kodak all situated in the town, the latter proving to be one of the highest buildings in the area.