"Here at Hitchin, in spite of the ravages of time and the necessities of trade, we may claim to be one of the few towns left in England that people still love to visit for the old world grace of their streets and habitations. But in truth the attraction goes deeper than good looks"
- Reginald Hine, Hitchin historian

Hitchin is perhaps an archetypal English market town. Its roots are Roman, and its story continues through the centuries, to King Offa's founding of a church here in 792 A.D. and on to the attack of the Danes in 910. In 1086, the Domesday Book describes Hitchin as a manor of the King. Since then it has been held by many lords, including John de Baliol who tried to seize the throne in 1296.

The town still contains many reminders of its medieval past, not least St Mary's Church, which dates mainly from the 13th century. Several inns of the period still survive, such as the Red Hart, dating from about 1550. Today, Hitchin is a busy little town of great charm.

Here we present a virtual tour around our town.

You can begin your visit in the Market Place or alternatively look at the Map or The Annual French Market. You can click on many of the photographs to enlarge them.