Stevenage

Sister cities

• Shymkent
• Kadoma
• Autun
• Ingelheim am Rhein

History

Stevenage lies near the line of the Roman road from Verulamium to Baldock. Some Romano-British remains were discovered during the building of the New Town, and a hoard of 2,000 silver Roman coins was discovered during housebuilding in the Chells Manor area in 1986. Other artefacts included a dodecahedron toy, fragments of amphorae for imported wine, bone hairpins, and samian ware pottery associated with high-status families. Archeological excavations have confirmed the existence of a small Roman farmstead, a malting kiln and a Celtic round house in the Chells area, and a cemetery containing 25 cremations. The most substantial evidence of activity from Roman times is Six Hills, six tumuli by the side of the old Great North Road that are presumably the burial places of members of a local family. The first Saxon camp, a little to the east of the Roman sites, was in a clearing in the woods where the church, the manor house and the first village were later built. Settlements also sprang up in Chells, Broadwater and Shephall. Before the New Town was established, Shephall was a separate parish, and Broadwater was split between the parishes of Shephall and Knebworth. During the 9th and 10th centuries AD, the Saxon village in Stevenage faced frequent attacks from Viking raiders. Stevenage was on the border of the Danelaw. A Viking spearhead was discovered by archaeologists at nearby Ardeley. According to the Domesday Book, in 1086 the Lord of the manor was the Abbot of Westminster Abbey. The settlement had moved down to the Great North Road. In 1281 it was granted a Royal Charter to hold a weekly market and annual fair, still held in the High Street. The earliest part of St Nicholas's Church dates from the 12th century, but it was probably a site of worship much earlier.…

Geography

Stevenage experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. Bedwell, Bragbury End, Broadwater, Chells, Chells Manor, Pin Green, Poplars, Old Town, Great Ashby, Shephall and Symonds Green.