| Borehamwood | |
|---|---|
  Borehamwood Location withinHertfordshire | |
| Population | 36,322 [1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ195975 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BOREHAMWOOD |
| Postcode district | WD6 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Borehamwood (/ˌbɔːrəmˈwʊd/, historically alsoBoreham Wood) is a town in southernHertfordshire, England, 12 miles (19 km) fromCharing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322,[2] and is within theLondon commuter belt.[3] The town's film and TV studios are commonly known asElstree Studios.
One of the earliest mentions of Bosci de Boreham (Wood of Boreham), is in 1188:
In 1776, Parliament enacted:
Borehamwood was historically part of the parish ofElstree. A separateecclesiastical parish of "All Saints, Boreham Wood" was created on 26 February 1909, covering the part of Elstree parish east of theMidland Railway.[6] Despite this change to the ecclesiastical boundaries, Borehamwood remained part of thecivil parish of Elstree. The name of the civil parish was changed toElstree and Borehamwood on 24 February 1982.[7] The ecclesiastical parishes of Borehamwood and Elstree were reunited on 1 April 2005, also under the name "Elstree and Borehamwood".[8]
From the 1920s onwards, the town became known as one of the main centres of the UK film, and later television, industries due to the presence of production studios.
Following theSecond World War, the town's population greatly increased, with large areas of council housing set up for displaced Londoners, many of which are now in private ownership. Fast train connections to central London have resulted in the town becoming a primarily residential suburb. In 1946, the Admiralty started to build highly secret high-performance electronic digital computers at Borehamwood in a redundant wartime factory, firstly for the purpose of real-time gunnery control, and later for surface-to-air guided weapons and missiles, and for specialist cryptography and code-breaking computers forGCHQ.[9]
Borehamwood is currently[when?] undergoing a substantial housing transformation which has seen hundreds of new homes built over the last five years. Two further developments are being built and more are expected.
In addition to the studios, the town is home to many retail shops, hotels, restaurants, offices and light industry. The hotels cater mainly to tourists visiting the Elstree Studios, attendees of the television shows being recorded in the Elstree Studios, and London visitors due to the proximity to London and the considerable lower accommodation rates.
There is one weekly newspaper, theBorehamwood & Elstree Times.
On the west side of Borehamwood isElstree & Borehamwood railway station (TfL Zone 6) served by trains operated byGovia Thameslink Railway on theThameslink route.
Metroline forLondon buses runs its number107 service through the town fromNew Barnet toEdgware and back.Metroline forLondon buses also operate Number292 which goes to Colindale and Rossington Avenue.Uno (Bus Company) run a bus service that stops at Borehamwood (route 601) going toWelwyn Garden City viaSt Albans and back. The 644 service also runs from Hatfield to Queensbury via Borehamwood. Intalink operate a bus service to other parts ofHertfordshire.
TheA1 road passes just to the east of the town, and theM25 motorway passes about two miles (three kilometres) north of it.
In the 2011 census, the population was 31,955; this rose to 36,322 in 2021, an increase of 13.67%. Borehamwood is the most populated town in Hertsmere, ahead of Bushey. TheJewish community numbers in excess of 6,100, up from just 3,900 in 2011; combined with neighbouring Elstree, the community counts around 8,000 individuals.[10]
| Area | All people | Christian (%) | Buddhist (%) | Hindu (%) | Jewish (%) | Muslim (%) | Sikh (%) | Other (%) | No religion (%) | Not stated (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 56,490,048 | 46.3 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 6.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 36.7 | 6.0 |
| Borehamwood | 36,322 | 42.25 | 0.62 | 3.33 | 16.96 | 3.82 | 0.11 | 0.86 | 25.53 | 6.24 |
Studios and
former studios in Elstree and BorehamwoodSince the 1914, the town has been home to severalfilm studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "BritishHollywood". Whilst most of these studios, collectively known as "Elstree Studios", have now closed, two still remain.
Many films were shot at thestudios on Shenley Road includingThe Dam Busters (1955),Star Wars (1977, and subsequent films in the franchise),Moby Dick (1956),Summer Holiday (1963), andThe Shining (1980) starringJack Nicholson, some of theIndiana Jones films. The facility was partly demolished in the 1980s to make way for aTesco Extra supermarket on one side and an office block complex on the other.
The area between the supermarket and the office blocks is all that remains of the original studio, which has been much reduced in size and usefulness to production companies as a result. The Shenley Road Studios were later used for the TV seriesWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? andBig Brother, as well as several major feature films. TheInspector Morse TV series' production offices were based in the studios and, although the series was set inOxford, several exterior locations (banks, shops etc.) were filmed in the streets of Borehamwood.
The formerBritish National Studios off Clarendon Road, referred to locally as "The Douglas Fairbanks studios" (which were bought byLew Grade'sATV in May 1958),[11] are now theBBC Elstree Centre. The studios have, over the years, been home toAlfred Hitchcock's filmBlackmail,Jim Henson's TV seriesThe Muppet Show was also produced there, and now BBC's popular soap,EastEnders, and their medical dramaHolby City. An episode ofJudge John Deed included scenes of theTesco Extra, but with Borehamwood crossed out andLewes written in its place.
Several other studios including theGate Studios and theDanziger Studios at nearby Elstree have been demolished. TheMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios complex (demolished in the early 1970s) saw the production of many films, including2001: A Space Odyssey (1968),Where Eagles Dare (1968) andGoodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), as well asITV television series such asThe Prisoner (1967–68).
The newer Millennium Studios were situated on Elstree Way, Borehamwood.
The UK headquarters ofPizza Hut restaurants is based in the town, the head office of the delivery portion having moved to nearby St Albans in 2015; and, until 2003, so were the headquarters of the United Kingdom subsidiary ofT-Mobile, with both being based in the office blocks standing on part of what used to be the old Elstree Studios.Regent Inns has its head office on Elstree Way.George Wimpey also has offices within the town. The takeaway delivery companyJust Eat also has an office in the town, in the same complex as Pizza Hut. Since 2015, Borehamwood has also been home to the UK subsidiary of the olive oil brandFilippo Berio.
The first third of theWatling Chase Timberland Trail stretches fromElstree & Borehamwood railway station up toShenley.[22] South of the town is a large area of grassland and trees calledWoodcock Hill Village Green. Section 16 of theLondon Outer Orbital Path (London Loop) runs adjacent to the town, starting in Elstree and throughScratchwood towards theLondon Borough of Barnet.
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Borehamwood is home toBoreham Wood FC andWatford FC Reserves who play their home games atMeadow Park.Arsenal previously played at Meadow Park before moving toEmirates Stadium in 2024. There are several parks in the area. Aberford Park is featured with the source of the brook which has been artificially made to look like a lake. Meadow Park includes a large playing field, tennis courts and basketball courts.
Borehamwood has a large shopping area called Borehamwood Shopping Park, featuring large retail stores.
The hamlet ofWell End has a notable pub, the Mops and Brooms, reputedly the site of a battle between travellers and village folk.[23]Adjacent to the pub is a much older building: Nelson Cottage (c.1600) is now a private residence but was the original Mops and Brooms alehouse. It was renamed the Lord Nelson c.1840–50 and traded under that name until its closure in 1932 and replacement by the current pub, which eventually reverted to the older name.[24]
Borehamwood is within theBBC London andITV London region. Television signals are received from theCrystal Palace TV transmitter[25] and the local relay transmitter situated inHemel Hempstead.[26]
The town is served by bothBBC Radio London andBBC Three Counties Radio. Other radio stations includeHeart Hertfordshire andRadio Verulam.
TheBorehamwood & Elstree Times is a privately owned, online-only local newspaper covering the local and adjacent area. TheTown Crier is a quarterly, council-run community publication for Elstree & Borehamwood residents.
Borehamwood has a number of primary schools, including, St. Teresa's (RC) Primary School, Cowley Hill Primary School, Woodlands Primary School, Parkside Primary School, Yavneh Primary School and Meryfield Primary School. Secondary schools includeHertswood Academy,Elstree Screen Arts Academy andYavneh College. Independent schools includeHaberdashers' Aske's Boys',Girls' andAldenham schools.
Oaklands College has a site in Borehamwood, where it offers a small range of full and part-time courses.
The TV seriesGrange Hill was filmed at Hillside School in Borehamwood (as well asBBC Elstree Centre) from 1985 to 1990.[27]
Borehamwood istwinned with:
Borehamwood experiences anoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb) similar to almost all of the rest of the United Kingdom.
| Climate data for Boreham Wood | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 9 (48) | 12 (54) | 14 (57) | 18 (64) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 20 (68) | 16 (61) | 11 (52) | 8 (46) | 15 (59) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5 (41) | 5 (41) | 6 (43) | 8 (46) | 10 (50) | 13 (55) | 15 (59) | 16 (61) | 13 (55) | 11 (52) | 8 (46) | 5 (41) | 10 (50) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 50.7 (2.00) | 39.9 (1.57) | 31.7 (1.25) | 46.2 (1.82) | 38.9 (1.53) | 46.4 (1.83) | 33.1 (1.30) | 43.6 (1.72) | 49.7 (1.96) | 70.7 (2.78) | 58.1 (2.29) | 56.9 (2.24) | 565.9 (22.28) |
| Source:[31] | |||||||||||||
Local Government Act 1972, Section 75. Parish of Elstree now known as Elstree and Borehamwood, date of notice 24 February 1982.
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