This website, which is regularly being updated, will hopefully be a useful resource for people both within our community and from further afield who would like to learn more about this historic and beautiful part of Hertfordshire.
Please check the Village Events page often and remember that the Thundridge Village Hall and High Cross Village Hall provide cost effective and well equipped venues for all sorts of functions. For example, what about that birthday party, wedding reception, wedding anniversary, business meeting, group get together or dance class?
FREE Floor Speakers
Ermine Street resident has a pair of large speakers to give away. Approximately 3 ft tall, 1 ft wide and 18 inches deep.
Call Richard on 01920 484574. Pick up only.
Cat and kitten re-homing event on Saturday 19th May
Taking place at High Cross Village Hall, which is situated north of Ware on the A1170, the event will run from 11am to 4pm (or until the last cat has found a new home)
The Great Amwell and District Branch of Cats Protection, which last year rescued and re-homed more than 100 cats and kittens in the area.
As well as providing an opportunity to meet a wide variety of cats and kittens available for re-homing, meet fosterers and chat to the re-homing team, there will also be the chance to find out more about volunteering opportunities. Some roles are hands-on, like being a fosterer, and other roles are less hands-on, offering something for everyone.
Refreshments will be available to purchase and there will be a range of Cats Protection goods for sale.
Run completely by volunteers, the branch is involved in helping to rescue and re-home cats and kittens in the areas of Ware, Hertford, Stanstead Abbotts, Broxbourne, Hoddesdon, Buntingford and the surrounding villages.
Dennis Spruce, Co-ordinator of the Great Amwell and District Branch said: “We would like to encourage people who love cats to come along on Saturday 19th May. There will be plenty to see and do and you never know you may even meet a purrfect new member of your family whilst there, or find out more about getting involved as a volunteer. We are a very friendly group and look forward to meeting you and showing you our lovely cats and kittens on the day. Thank you for supporting our charity.”
You are welcome to just turn up on the day but if you would like further information in advance, please visit www.greatamwell.cats.org.uk, email Dennis at coord.greatamwellcats@gmail.com, find us on facebook or call us on 0845 371 2736
Cats Protection Great Amwell and District is part of a national network of 257
Volunteer-run branches and 30 adoption centres that together help over 230,000 cats and kittens each year.
Thundridge School Official Opening
Thundridge school new buildings officially opened by Ross Kemp - 18.11.2011
Free Thundridge School Donations
TheGivingMachine™ enables you to make free cash donations every time you shop online via TheGivingMachine™
Join in and help raise some cash for the school.
The new Village Store!
We are all looking forward to the re-opening, hopefully in April, of our local village store and tea room in Ermine Street (the old shop and Post Office.)
Well done also, and a big thank you, to Ben of Richard Hale School who, as a part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, had volunteered to help keep the countryside clean by picking up and removing litter from our pathways! Ben has now completed his scheme and we wish him well for the future.
Our day in Thundridge for Prince William and Kate Middleton...
Thundridge Projects
Thundridge Phone Box Renovation.
Latest News as of 13th January 2012!
The Parish Council has just agreed to adopt the kiosk from BT in the near future. The intention is that it will be used as a village information centre after some basic renovation and repair work and the removal of all BT equipment. The success of this project is due largely to the agreement of Ann & Nigel, new owners of the village shop, to help repair and maintain the kiosk in the future. So, hopefully, in a few months we will have, not only a new shop and tea room, but a shiny red kiosk as a focal point for the village.
Thankyou to all the people who took part in the survey - your views do make a difference!
Thundridge Old Church Renovation - for the latest news (March 14th 2012) see the comments form.
What could be done and what should be done? This has now become "What is being done!"
Please leave your points of view. Your comments are very much welcomed.
Photo gallery and comments form
All that remains of Thundridgebury and the old St Mary's and All Saints Church, Thundridge is the tower. It is owned and managed by the Church of England, Diocese of St Albans. It's future has been the topic of much debate over the past 10 years.
The central issues are:
The site is frequently vandalised, often making it unsafe. There have also been issues of anti-social behaviour on a regular basis which have involved the police.
It has been used as an occult site because of it's isolated location.
It's maintenance is relatively expensive and the tower is Grade 2 listed. The diocese, the parish and English Heritage (who have provided a grant before) do not have funds for its upkeep.
The site cannot legally be developed and there are no services such as electricity close by.
It is not viable to find an alternative use for the site.
Doing nothing and letting the tower deteriorate is not an option for insurance reasons.
Demolition is not an option that many would accept and local residents would be very opposed to this suggestion.
Is this the place where numerous footsteps trod,
Where living votaries fill'd the house of God?
Where the full chorus of the sounding choir
Bade one loud strain of prayer and praise aspire?
How silent now the desolated spot,
Its paths untrodden and its use forgot!
hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/thundridge-old-church
Villagers Concerns?
More and more villagers are becoming concerned with a few things and have voiced their opinions.
Things like Dog Mess, Bad Parking and speeding through the villages.
If you are visiting, walking or passing through please respect the area and the local residents.
Read more about the local concerns.
Speeding along the C183
Many parishioners have expressed serious concerns over the traffic speeding through High Cross and Thundridge, both north and south, especially through the chicane outside Thundridge Village School.
The parish council has discussed this issue frequently and has asked East Herts Highways Department if a traffic monitoring survey could be carried out.
East Herts Highway Department has replied that their criteria for action have not been met as no accidents have been reported along this stretch of road in the last 3 years and, in particular, no one has yet been run over and killed.
So they have no intention of doing anything.
The parish council has no funds itself to install expensive equipment, such as flashing warning signs.
As a result, at the recent parish council meeting, 12th January 2012, it was agreed that we ourselves should take some action, namely, carry out our own traffic monitoring scheme in the next few months. To do this we will need to liaise with the local police, but more importantly, find enough VOLUNTEERS to help. If you could help we would be pleased to hear from you by email to:
cbrigdn@aol.com
Further details will be announced soon.
The state of the River Rib
Those of you who walk along the riverside, especially further east past the ford at Fabdens, you will have noticed, probably with alarm, the clogged and overgrown state of the river. Much of this has been caused by the recent felling of the 25 willow trees mainly on the north bank as large branches have been cut off and left in the river.