Hoddesdon combines the history of an old market town with buildings from several centuries, a museum and a public park. There are also activities with their own schedules. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide based on your cultural interests, time outdoors or a specific event date.
Market history and historic buildings
Hoddesdon is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is considered an old market town. An annual fair has been held here since 1253. The Hoddesdon Clock Tower was added later: T Smith built it in 1835. These two points in time tell different aspects of the town’s history—an early written mention and a specific construction date.
The Parish Church of St Augustine also brings together different eras. The church dates from the 15th or 16th century and contains a 12th-century font. In the market square stands the Hoddesdon War Memorial, an impressive and well-designed example of a typical Celtic cross monument. Those interested in history will find a range of points of interest here: market traditions, church architecture and a monument in the town’s public landscape.
A medieval site with a moat
Another historic site is the Hoddesdon Park Wood moated site, which is designated as a Scheduled Monument. The site has well-preserved remains of a medieval rectangular enclosure surrounded by a moat. Its date, basic layout and moat together define the character of the site. This sets it clearly apart from the later buildings in the townscape: the focus here is an enclosed medieval site, not a tower, church or monument.
Lowewood Museum and Barclay Park
The Lowewood Museum collection covers geology, archaeology, social history, costumes, photography and art. Its subject matter therefore ranges from nature and earlier periods to social history and visual collections. The areas that interest you most may influence how you plan your museum visit; the collection is not limited to a single period or field.
Lowewood Museum also has a garden with a lawn and picnic tables. Occasional maintenance work or events may affect its use. Barclay Park became a public park in 1935. Its landscape features include a lake and a bridge commissioned from Pulham’s in the 1870s. Pulham’s was an internationally renowned local landscaping company. The park thus combines its public history with the recorded details of its design.
Activities and dates
The Hoddesdon Midsummer Festival takes place every two years. The programme includes activities, shows, sports and other attractions. If the festival is important to your trip, check the specific event dates before making plans. This lets you arrange your stay around a suitable date without treating the festival’s biennial schedule as a specific date.
The Hertfordshire Health Walk takes place in Barclay Park in Hoddesdon every other Thursday. Dates are scheduled for the period from 18 June 2026 to 17 June 2027. Check the individual dates before you travel. The River Lee Trail also has a connection to Hoddesdon: an alternative starting point is at the Dobbs Weir car park in Hoddesdon. As parking conditions may change, check them before you travel.
Find a hotel to suit your reason for travelling
When looking for a hotel in Hoddesdon, it helps to decide first what brings you to the area. If you want your stay to coincide with the festival or the Hertfordshire Health Walk, compare your plans with the specific dates. For a stay focused on market history, historic buildings, the museum or Barclay Park, choose according to your interests.
Discover more destinations: Datchworth, Sawbridgeworth, Codicote, Stevenage, Meriden, Little Berkhampstead, Hatfield, Kings Langley
For the broader travel overview: Hertfordshire.
