RICKMANSWORTH

'Rickmansworth' is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England, 4¼ miles (7km) west of Watford.
The town has a population of around 15,000 people and lies on the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne, at the northern end of the Colne Valley Park.
It began to grow in the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Metro-land area, due to its station on the Metropolitan line of the London Underground. As such, it is largely a commuter town. It is contained within the M25 with good transport links to Luton and Heathrow Airports.
Colloquially Rickmansworth is often shortened to "Ricky" as used in the town's annual "Ricky Week" celebrations, which was 12th-20th May in 2007.Ricky is the place to be!

Contents

Etymology

In literature

Famous Residents

Sport

Aquadrome

Schools

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Nightlife

Arenas

Supermarkets

Shops

References

External links

Etymology

The name Rickmansworth comes from the Saxon name "Ryckmer", the local magnate, and "worth" meaning farm or stockade. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it is known as The Manor of Prichemaresworde. Later spellings are Rykemarwurthe (1119-46), Richemaresworthe (1180), Rykemerewrthe (1248), Richemereworthe (1259), Rikesmareswrth (1287) and Rikmansworth (1382).

In literature

One notable claim to fame is its inclusion on the opening page of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' by Douglas Adams.
Rickmansworth and some of its surrounding communities are also featured in the works of John Le Carre.
Victorian novelist George Eliot, real name Mary Ann Evans, had a summer residence in the lower High Street named "The Elms", which now forms part of St Joan of Arc School.

Rickmansworth, and more specifically the Rickmansworth Conservative Association, features in The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, a 1972 Australian film starring Barry Crocker, and written by Barry Humphries

Famous Residents

★ William Penn - Founder of Pennsylvania


★ Arthur Hodgson - Australian politician


★ Alan Duncan - Conservative Party (UK) Member of Parliament

Sport

The town has a public golf course called Rickmansworth Golf Club which is adjacent to the two courses that make up the private Moor Park Golf Club. Rickmansworth Cricket Club was founded in 1787 and is one of the oldest recorded clubs in England. The present clubhouse was built in 1921 by Sir William Francis Reckitt - a member of the Reckitt and Colman Mustard dynasty. Rickmansworth Cricket Club currently run 4 sides on a Saturday in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League. Chess Valley Rugby Club use the same grounds as the Cricket Club. The club have a website www.rickmansworthcc.ik.com. William Penn Leisure Centre in Mill End is named after the former school at the same site, using the original school swimming pool.

Aquadrome

Rickmansworth contains a large public park called the Aquadrome. This includes several large lakes, grass and woodland areas and a children's play area. The lakes are suitable for canoeing, sailing and fishing. The lakes are artificial, having been created by the extraction of large volumes of gravel and stone required for the building of The Empire Stadium, popularly known as Wembley Stadium.

Schools

Primary Schools

★ St Peters CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School

★ Shepherds Primary School

★ Arnett Hills JMI

★ Rickmansworth Park JMI

★ Rickmansworth PNEU

★ St John's Roman Catholic School

★ Maple Cross JMI

★ Royal Masonic School for Girls

★ St. Mary's JMI

Secondary Schools

★ Rickmansworth School

★ St Clement Danes School

★ St Joan of Arc Catholic School

★ Royal Masonic School for girls

★ William Penn School (closed)

Nightlife

There are many traditional pubs in Rickmansworth High Street including:


★ The Halfway House, good atmosphere, family pub with a lovely location alongside the riverbank.


★ Druid's - a good friendly sports watching bar.


★ The Fox and Hounds - has comedy nights upstairs


★ Urban Vine (over 21's on a Friday and Saturday Night)- a bar/restaurant


★ The Pennsylvanian - part of the JD Weatherspoons chain


★ The Coach and Houses - a traditional pub


★ The Stables - small wine bar and popular restaurant well worth taking the time to go there.Open until 2am at weekends.


★ The Feathers - a traditional pub. Don't bother going in as the owners are very moody!!


★ The White Bear - a traditional pub along beside the Grand Union Canal,


★ Long Island Exchange Restaurant and Bar - open until 2am with resident DJ at the weekends.

Arenas

Watersmeet Theatre is a 481 seat venue complex owned by Three Rivers District Council, situated in the centre of the Rickmansworth High Street. The auditorium can transform from a raked theatre to a flat floor for performances "in the round" or dinner dances, cabarets, weddings, indoor markets, craft fairs etc.Various Pantomimes have taken place and are thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.They are some of the best pantomimes in the country some say.

Supermarkets

In the high street itself, there is an Iceland and a Marks and Spencers store. The train station car park is currently being developed into a Waitrose. There is a Tesco on the outskirts of Rickmansworth, on the way to Harefield.

Shops

In the high street there are many shops, including WH Smith, Boots, Superdrug, Cafe Nero, and Mackays.
There are also many banks including Natwest, HSBC, Barclays, Abbey, Nationwide and Lloyds TSB.

References

★ Population figures (PDF)

External links

★ Local historian's site

★ Chess Valley Rugby Club