The town of Baldock in Hertfordshire has a long history with deep roots going back more than a thousand years BC. It is known from archaeological finds that Stone Age and Bronze Age people lived in the local area close to the source of the River Ivel.
The nutrient-rich soils in the area were easy to work as farmland, and the free access to water saw a growing population setting here. The prehistoric route known as the Icknield Way was an early trade route for local craftspeople and food producers.
The trade route ran from the area to Avebury, Stonehenge and east to the flint workings near Brandon in Suffolk. There is evidence of a substantial Iron Age village or small town here that is thought to be the earliest roots of Baldock as we know it today. Although back then, it would have been a more sprawling collection of farmsteads, potters, ironsmiths and other tradespeople linked by cart tracks.
Baldock town founding
The Roman invasion of 54 AD saw the roads in and out of the area straightened and paved, merging the routes from Colchester and Verulamium at Baldock and then going north to Sandy and Godmanchester.
Roman roads were laid over time, linking up Ermine Street, the major route from London and the south, creating busy trade and transport routes across the country. There is evidence of old Roman buildings in the town, including a temple near Bakers Close.
Although there is plenty of history to suggest that Baldock was an important small town, unfortunately, there isn’t any evidence of what the town was called during these times.
Despite already having a long history, Baldock was officially founded as a small market town in 1140 by the Knights Templar. It is thought that the town was named after Baldacci, which was the Medieval name for Baghdad.
The Knights Templar at the time of the town founding were preparing to conquer Baghdad during the Crusades, so they may have named the town in anticipation of their victory.
Baldock and beer
In more recent history, Baldock owes much of its wealth to the brewing industry. The area was known for its excellent ale, which saw many Georgian coaching inns and buildings springing up in the town.
The Baldock malts were considered among the best found in England and were exported to London in great quantity. Several small breweries opened up in the town to cater for local people and the increasing passing trade along the Great North Road, where Baldock became a popular place to stop off for a break.
The Old White Horse was known to be a popular gathering place for Victorian writers, poets and
painters up to the 1880s.
Modern Baldock
20th century Baldock was the home to the Full-Fashioned Hosiery Company, later the Kayser Bondor ladies stocking factory. The company halted their production line to make parachutes during WWII. The Art Deco facade of the original factory remains, but the building was converted into a supermarket at the end of the 1980s.
Some of the early coaching inns still stand, but the Pryor Court malting mill has since been converted. However, many of the grand and prosperous Georgian houses of the time still line the historic town centre.
It is also interesting to note that Baldock was the place to go for a good drink for residents and workers building the Letchworth Garden City, just a couple of miles away. The new garden city didn’t have any pubs, so Baldock’s many inns profited from this fact!