Markyate
Coordinates: 51°50′10″N 0°27′18″W / 51.836, -0.455
| Markyate | |
  Markyate shown within Hertfordshire |
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| OS grid reference | TL065165 |
|---|---|
| District | Dacorum |
| Shire county | Hertfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ST ALBANS |
| Postcode district | AL3 |
| Dialling code | 01582 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Hemel Hempstead |
| List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire | |
Markyate is a village in south-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Contents |
Geography
Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county boundaries have changed over the years. At one point the boundary was the line of the main road itself; Hertfordshire to the east and Bedfordshire to the west. At others it was all in Buckinghamshire surrounded by Hertfordshire. Markyate is located near the source of the River Ver which has occasionally flooded the centre of the village, though the watercourse is often dry during parts of the year.
Part of the Dacorum Borough Council district (centred on Hemel Hempstead), it has Luton (01582) phone numbers and a St Albans postal code (AL3). Although historically a rural and agricultural area it is now a dormitory village for Luton and the surrounding region as it also lies a short distance from the M1 motorway.
Lying on Watling Street, the Roman road (now the A5), between St Albans and Dunstable it was a major coaching stop on the highway from London to Birmingham, at one point having over forty inns and public houses along its main road, and the village was one of the earlier parts of the Pickfords transport service. During the twelfth century Christina of Markyate was the Prioress of a Benedictine community in the area.
The village was bypassed in 1955. It lies at the junction of the A5 and the B4540 (for Luton and Caddington). South along the A5 is Flamstead and junction 9 of the M1.
History
The Gainsborough film The Wicked Lady was based on events surrounding the life of Lady Katherine Ferrers — the wife of the major landowner in the area — at Markyate Cell. Parts of the film The Dirty Dozen were also filmed near here, the stockade being built in the grounds of a local school.
Facilities
The village presently has a football team named Markyate Football Club.
Village pubs are the White Hart, the Plume of Feathers and the Red Lion.
Notable residents
- William Cowper, who was sent to boarding school here between the ages of four and eight years old.
- Chris White, bass player and songwriter of The Zombies rock group, grew up in the village, where his parents owned a grocery store.
External links
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