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• 
  

• 
  Abbots Langley
  Coordinates: 51°42′04″N 0°24′58″W / 51.701°N 0.416°W / 51.701; -0.416
  Abbots Langley is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is an old settlement and is mentioned (under the name of Langelai) in the Domesday Book. Economically the village is closely linked to Watford and was formerly part of the Watford Rural District. Since 1974 it has been included in the Three Rivers district.
  This village has had a long history of successful human habitation. The first traces of human habitation in the area were recorded by renowned archaeologist Sir John Evans (1823 – 1908). The village sits on a saucer of clay covered by a layer of gravel, and as a result water supply has never been a problem; records show that in earlier times water could be drawn from a well just 20 ft deep^{[citation needed]}
  In 1045 the Saxon thegn Ethelwine 'the black' granted the upper part of Langlai to St Albans Abbey as Langlai Abbatis (Latin for Langlai of the Abbot, hence 'Abbot's Langley')^{[citation needed]} the remainder being the king's Langlai. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 the village was inhabited by 19 families.
  
  wn.com/Abbots_Langley
• 
  Aintree
  Coordinates: 53°28′45″N 2°56′14″W / 53.4793°N 2.9373°W / 53.4793; -2.9373
  Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England.
  It is best known as the site of Aintree Racecourse, which since the 19th century has staged the Grand National horserace. During the 1950s and '60s, there was also a three-mile-long motor racing circuit on the site, which used the same grandstands as the horserace. A shorter form of the racing circuit is still used for various events, although car racing ceased in 1982.
  Historically part of Lancashire, the name Aintree, thought to be of Saxon origin, means "one tree" or "tree standing alone." In 1999, the parish council decided to revert to its original name of Aintree Village; this request was granted by Sefton Council. Local legend held that a tree on Bull Bridge Lane, one of the oldest parts of the village, was "the Ain tree".^{[citation needed]} The tree had to be cut down in 2004 because it had become diseased and started to lean into the road.
  
  wn.com/Aintree
• 
  AL postcode area
  Coordinates: 51°46′37″N 0°17′10″W / 51.777°N 0.286°W / 51.777; -0.286
  The AL postcode area, also known as the St Albans postcode area, is a group of ten postcode districts in central Hertfordshire which are subdivisions of five post towns.
  Mail posted in this area is processed in Watford (Ascot Road WD18), and is delivered from offices at St Albans (Brick Knoll Park AL1), Harpenden (Station Road AL5), and Hatfield (Town Centre AL10). The area served includes St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield.
  The approximate coverage of the postcode districts:
  Clockwise from the east, the adjacent postcode areas are: , EN (Enfield), WD (Watford), HP (Hemel Hempstead), LU (Luton), SG (Stevenage).
  
  wn.com/AL_postcode_area
• 
  Australia
  Australia ( /əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
  For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
  
  wn.com/Australia
• 
  Baldock
  Coordinates: 51°59′23″N 0°11′20″W / 51.9896°N 0.1888°W / 51.9896; -0.1888
  Baldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It lies 33 miles (53 km) north of London, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Bedford, and 14 miles (23 km) north northwest of the county town of Hertford. Nearby towns include Letchworth and Hitchin to the southwest and Stevenage to the south.
  Baldock was founded by the Knights Templar (also the name of the town's secondary school) in the 1140s^{[citation needed]}. Perhaps for this reason, one theory of the origin of the name Baldock is as a derivation from the Old French name for Baghdad: Baldac which the Templars had hoped to conquer during the Crusades. A rival etymology, suggesting a derivation from "Bald Oak", perhaps meaning a dead oak, is superficially plausible, but the early forms of the name are against it^{[citation needed]}. Although the Templars' connections to Baghdad were "tenuous", it was widely regarded as the most prosperous market in the world and the Templars perhaps hoped that the name would confer a similar prosperity on their own market town in England^{[citation needed]}. The modern layout of the town, and many buildings in the centre, date from the sixteenth century^{[citation needed]}, with the earliest dating from the fourteenth century^{[citation needed]}.
  
  wn.com/Baldock
• 
  Bangladesh
  Coordinates: 23°N 90°E / 23°N 90°E / 23; 90
  Bangladesh (ⁱ/ˈbɑːŋɡlədɛʃ/ or ⁱ/bæŋɡləˈdɛʃ/ (Anglicized pronunciation); Bengali: বাংলাদেশ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh) is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India and Burma and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. The capital (and largest city) is Dhaka, located in central Bangladesh. The official state language is Bengali. The name Bangladesh means "Land of Bengal" or "Country of Bengal" the in the Bengali language, from Bangla "Bengal" and desh holding a dual meaning of "land" and "country" as English "country," German land, French pays, etc.
  The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal during the reign and demise of the British India. Its map was chartered by Sir Cyril Radcliffe during the creation of Pakistan and India in 1947, when the region became East Pakistan, part of the newly formed nation of Pakistan. Due to political exclusion and economic exploitation by the politically dominant West Pakistan, popular agitation grew against West Pakistan and led to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, after the Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence on 26 March 1971. With the intervention of the Indian Army, the war came to an end on 16 December 1971 with the surrender of the Pakistan Army at Ramna Race Course.
  
  wn.com/Bangladesh
• 
  Belgae
  The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland. They gave their name to the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, and very much later, to the modern country of Belgium.
  The general consensus among linguists is that the ethnic name Belgae comes from the Proto-Celtic root *belg- or *bolg- meaning "to swell (particularly with anger/battle fury/etc.)", cognate with the Old English verb belgan, "to be angry" (from Proto-Germanic *balgiz), derived ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhelgh- "to swell, bulge, billow"). Thus, a Proto-Celtic eethnic name *Bolgī could be interpreted as "The People who Swell (particularly with anger/battle fury)".
  Julius Caesar describes Gaul at the time of his conquests (58 - 51 BC) as divided into three parts, inhabited by the Aquitani in the southwest, the Gauls of the biggest central part, who in their own language were called Celtae, and the Belgae in the north. Each of these three parts were different in terms of customs, laws and language. He noted that the Belgae, being farthest from the developed civilization of Rome and closest to Germania over the Rhine, were the bravest of the three groups, because "merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind".
  
  wn.com/Belgae
• 
  Berkhamsted
  Coordinates: 51°46′N 0°34′W / 51.76°N 0.56°W / 51.76; -0.56
  Berkhamsted ( /ˈbɜrkəmstɛd/) is a historic town in England which is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead. It is also a civil parish with a designated Town Council within the administrative district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum.
  The town's most prominent role in national affairs took place in early December 1066. Duke William of Normandy, having defeated the English army at Hastings, then crossing the River Thames at Wallingford. In Berkhamsted he was met by a delegation of the English establishment. He accepted the surrender of the English led by Aetheling Edgar (the heir to the King Harold II's English claim to the Throne of England), Archbishop Aldred, Earl Edwin, Earl Morcar and the chief men of London who swore loyalty to William in return for good government. He was offered the crown there but instead said he would accept the keys to London in Berkhamsted but would accept the crown of England in London. Thus, in Berkhamsted, William of Normandy, William the Bastard, became William the Conqueror. On Christmas Day 1066 William was crowned William I of England in Westminster Abbey. A traditonal local legend refers to Berkhamsted as the real capital of England (if only for a few minutes).
  
  wn.com/Berkhamsted
• 
  Big Ben
  Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is generally extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower (officially known simply as Clock Tower) as well. The clock tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. It celebrated its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory events took place. The tower was completed in 1858 and has become one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.
  The present Clock Tower – metonymically referred to as Big Ben, and historically confused with St Stephen's Tower – was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834. The new Parliament was built in a Neo-gothic style. Although Barry was the chief architect of the Palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the Clock Tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall. The design for the Clock Tower was Pugin's last design before his final descent into madness and death, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all the designs for finishing his bell tower & it is beautiful." The tower is designed in Pugin's celebrated Gothic Revival style, and is 316 feet (96.3 m) high (roughly 16 storeys).
  
  wn.com/Big_Ben
• 
  Bishop's Stortford
  Coordinates: 51°52′19″N 0°10′21″E / 51.8720°N 0.1725°E / 51.8720; 0.1725
  Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the London commuter belt. Bishop's Stortford is 29 miles (47 km) north east of Charing Cross in the centre of London and 35 miles (56 km) from Liverpool Street station where the railway line from Cambridge to London, which runs through the town, terminates. In the 2006 edition of the Channel 4 "Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK", East Hertfordshire was the seventh best district to live in. The town has a population of 34,826.
  Nothing of historical significance is known of the Bishop's Stortford area until it became a small Roman settlement on the Roman road of Stane Street between Braughing and Colchester. After the Roman Empire broke down, the small town was abandoned in the 5th century.^{[citation needed]}
  
  wn.com/Bishop's_Stortford
• 
  Borehamwood
  Coordinates: 51°39′28″N 0°16′20″W / 51.6578°N 0.2723°W / 51.6578; -0.2723
  Boreham Wood, (The correct naming^{[citation needed]}) (often spelt Borehamwood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, situated 16.5 miles (26.6 km) north of central London. It has a population of 28,546. It is within the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamhwood and the London commuter belt. There is one weekly newspaper, the Boreham Wood and Elstree Times. The town is perhaps most well known for its film and TV studios, commonly known as Elstree Film Studios, hence the associated with Elstree.
  On of the earliest mentions of Bosci de Boreham (Wood of Boreham), is in 1188:
  In 1776, the House of Lords granted:
  Up until 1909, the town was part of the ancient parish of Elstree; the two still share a local council, Elstree and Boreham Wood Town Council.
  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 World War II, 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.
  
  wn.com/Borehamwood
• 
  Bricket Wood
  Coordinates: 51°42′35″N 0°21′31″W / 51.7097°N 0.3586°W / 51.7097; -0.3586
  Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately 4½ miles from St Albans. It is part of the parish of St Stephen. Its railway station is served by a London Midland service that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.
  Close to the village stands Hanstead House, built by Sir David Yule in 1925, who is buried in the grounds. It was subsequently bought by Herbert W. Armstrong to serve as his second Ambassador College campus. It was a training centre for HSBC.
  HSBC officially closed the training centre on 23 December 2011, stating that future training needs for the group will be accommodated in other venues.
  The village is home to the border Morris Dancing team Wicket Brood, one of the best known teams in the area.
  The village of Bricket Wood has been host to at least six naturist clubs: Fiveacres Country Club, Spielplatz, The Sun-Folk Society, Gardenia (originally named Silverbirch), Diogenes Sunlight Society (also known as The Phoenix Recreational Society), and The Suncampers. Of these, Gardenia has now closed and been built on, Diogenes became the Diogenes Sun Club when it moved to near Maple Cross. The Suncampers have gone but the three remaining clubs are all still open.
  
  wn.com/Bricket_Wood
• 
  Broxbourne
  Coordinates: 51°44′58″N 0°01′18″W / 51.7495°N 0.0216°W / 51.7495; -0.0216
  Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.
  It is located 17.1 miles (27.5 km) north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile (1.6 km) north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon. The town is near to the River Lea which forms the boundary with Essex and is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of the M25 motorway. West of the town are Broxbourne Woods, a National Nature Reserve.
  The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Broxbourne.
  Broxbourne grew up on the Great Cambridge Road, now known as the A10. A number of old houses and inns dating from the 16th to the 19th century still line the High Street (now the A1170). The Manor of Broxbourne is described in the Domesday Book, which mentions Broxbourne Mill. The manor was held in the time of Edward the Confessor by Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury, but had passed into Norman hands following the Conquest. King John granted the manor to the Knights Hospitallers until the Dissolution, when it passed to John Cock, after whose family Cock Lane is named.
  
  wn.com/Broxbourne
• 
  Broxbourne (borough)
  The Borough of Broxbourne is a local government district and borough in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Cheshunt, other towns include Broxbourne, Hoddesdon and Waltham Cross. The eastern boundary of the district is the River Lea. The borough covers 20 square miles (52 km²) in south east Hertfordshire having a population of about 96,000.
  The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Cheshunt and Hoddesdon urban districts.
  In Broxbourne borough, the Metropolitan Green Belt protects the surrounding countryside. The west of Broxbourne borough extends over well-wooded countryside to include Goffs Oak and the popular Lee Valley Park which marks the eastern boundary. Although urbanised with industrial and commercial activity, the whole area retains much of its rural character and is liked by people commuting to London. Most of Broxbourne is classified as part of the Greater London Urban Area, although it is not a London borough.
  The borough is twinned with the Sicilian city of Sutera.
  
  wn.com/Broxbourne_(borough)
• 
  Buntingford
  Coordinates: 51°56′40″N 0°00′58″W / 51.9445°N 0.0160°W / 51.9445; -0.0160
  Buntingford is a small market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the River Rib and on the Roman road Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th century one cell prison known as 'The Cage' by the ford at the end of Church Street. It has a population of 4,820.The town also has a annual firework display at The Bury, the Buntingford Cougars HQ and also a sainsburys depot. It is Hertfordshire's smallest town.
  The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Buntingford.
  The Mayor of Buntingford is Stan Bull.
  The town has a large number of Georgian and mediaeval buildings, such as Buntingford almshouses, Buntingford Manor House and the Red House. Buntingford was a stop-over on what was the main route between London and Cambridge, now the A10. Due to its desirability as a commuter town in recent years, the town has grown considerably in the past few decades, the most noticeable recent addition being the 'Bovis Estate' (circa 1990), informally named after the housing firm that constructed there; its main road is Luynes Rise, named due to the town's twinning with Luynes (near Tours) in France. Other housing estates are: Freman Drive, Vicarage Road, Snells Mead, Downhall Ley, Monks Walk, and Kingfisher Park, currently under construction (2010).
  
  wn.com/Buntingford
• 
  Cheshunt
  Coordinates: 51°42′07″N 0°02′06″W / 51.702°N 0.035°W / 51.702; -0.035
  Cheshunt ( /ˈtʃɛzənt/) is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station. The town is located 13 miles (21 km) from Charing Cross, making it one of the closest parts of Hertfordshire to Central London.
  The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Cheshunt.
  The town name comes from the Old English name (as recorded in the Domesday Book) for the area, Cestrehunt, which probably refers to a "castle, erected by the Romans", the word cestre (along with the form ceastre), or even its modern forms, chester and caster being derived from the Latin castrum meaning "fort". The town Chester also derives from this root and it is an element in various English place-names. This is commemorated in the arms of the former Cheshunt urban district council.
  
  wn.com/Cheshunt
• 
  Chiswell Green
  Coordinates: 51°43′40″N 0°21′29″W / 51.7277°N 0.3580°W / 51.7277; -0.3580
  Chiswell Green is an area, originally a hamlet, to the south of St Albans, in the administrative City and District of St Albans, Hertfordshire, with a population of approximately 2,800.
  It is located on the North Orbital Road, close to Junction 21A of the M25, and is separated from St Albans by the A414.
  To the south east of Chiswell Green is Park Street, and to the south, Bricket Wood.
  There is one pub in Chiswell Green, The Three Hammers. There is one school in West Avenue: Killigrew Primary and Nursery School. This was formed by the amalgamation of two separate schools - Infant and Junior.
  Originally positioned on Old Watford Road around The Three Hammers public house, Chiswell Green was much extended between the wars and shortly afterwards. It now is a medium-sized suburb.
  Nearby places outside the district include Hatfield to the east, Welwyn Garden City to the northeast, Luton and Dunstable to the northwest, Hemel Hempstead to the west, Watford to the southwest and Borehamwood to the south.
  
  wn.com/Chiswell_Green
• 
  City of St Albans
  The City of St Albans /sɨnt ˈɔːlbənz/, also known as the City and District of St Albans or District of St Albans, is a local government district, in Hertfordshire, England. It was created in 1974 and since then has held the status of non-metropolitan district and city. The local authority is St Albans City Council. It has routes to the M1 motorway via the A414 road (formerly the M10 motorway), and rail routes to London St Pancras and Watford via St Albans City railway station and St Albans Abbey railway station respectively.
  The district includes St Albans (population c. 58,000), Harpenden (population c. 27,600), the parishes of Colney Heath, Harpenden Rural, London Colney, Redbourn, St Michael's, St Stephen's (including the villages of Chiswell Green and Bricket Wood), Sandridge and Wheathampstead. Nearby places outside the district include Hatfield to the east, Welwyn Garden City to the northeast, Luton and Dunstable to the northwest, Hemel Hempstead to the west, Watford to the southwest and Borehamwood to the south.
  
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  Colney Heath
  Coordinates: 51°44′07″N 0°15′23″W / 51.73527°N 0.2564°W / 51.73527; -0.2564
  Colney Heath is a large village south-east of St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
  The population of the ward of Colney Heath at the time of the 2001 census was 5,449.
  Colney Heath became a civil parish in 1947 when the St. Peter Rural parish was split to form it and London Colney. There is a converted windmill in the village.
  Colney Heath is twinned with:
  Colney Heath School is the only school in the village. It is a Junior Primary and Middle school for children aged between three and eleven.
  Colney Heath has a Non-League football team Colney Heath F.C. who play at the recreation ground.
  St Albans Centurions rugby league team play at the Recreation Ground in Colney Heath.
  
  
  
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• Colney Street
  Colney Street is a hamlet in the English county of Hertfordshire.
  It lies on the A5183 road, this was formerly the A5 road and, before that, Roman Britain's Watling Street. In addition its northern boundary is delineated by the M25 motorway. These location advantages have led to it becoming a primarily industrial and business area.
  London Colney forms part of St. Albans.
  Coordinates: 51°42′24″N 0°19′53″W / 51.70668°N 0.33131°W / 51.70668; -0.33131
  
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  Dacorum
  The Borough of Dacorum is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England that includes the towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and the western part of Kings Langley. The district, which was formed in 1974, had a population of 137,799 in 2001. Its name was taken from the old hundred of Dacorum which covered approximately the same area.
  The hundred of Dacorum was first recorded in 1196 although its existence dates from the 9th and 10th century when it lay on the margins of the southern boundary of Danelaw and the River Lea. Its name in Latin means "of the Danes" . In the 11th century, the Domesday Book records that the hundreds of Tring and Danais overlapped areas of the hundred of Dacorum.
  In 1974, the modern district of Dacorum was formed under the Local Government Act 1972. Major components were the municipal borough of Hemel Hempstead, the urban districts of Berkhamsted and Tring, the rural districts of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead and those parts of the rural districts of St Albans and Watford which were within the designated area of Hemel Hempstead new town.
  
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  Denmark
  The Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark, pronounced [ˈkɔŋəʁiːəð ˈdanmɑɡ̊] ( listen)) is a constitutional monarchy and sovereign state consisting the country of Denmark in northern Europe and two autonomous constituent countries, the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The kingdom is a unitary state with some power being devolved from Denmark proper to Greenland and the Faroe Islands; this polity is referred to as the Danish Realm. Denmark proper is the hegemonial area, where judicial, executive, and legislative power resides. The Faroe Islands are defined to be a community of people within the kingdom, and the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.
  Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland and many islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm, as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago.
  
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  East Hertfordshire
  East Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council has offices in Bishop's Stortford and Hertford (Hertfordshire's traditional county town).
  The other main towns in the district are Ware (on the River Lea), Buntingford (on the River Rib), and Sawbridgeworth (on the River Stort). Of these five major towns, all except Buntingford fall within the parliamentary constituency of Hertford and Stortford. Buntingford is part of the North East Hertfordshire constituency.
  East Herts, as its council is officially known, is bordered by North Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield, and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, and by Epping Forest, Harlow, and Uttlesford in Essex.
  The district was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the municipal borough of Hertford with Bishop's Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and Ware urban districts, and Braughing Rural District, Ware Rural District and part of Hertford Rural District. By area it is the largest of the ten local government districts in Hertfordshire.
  
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  England
  England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
  The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
  
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  Fano
  Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by population after Ancona and Pesaro.
  An ancient town of Marche, it was known as Fanum Fortunae after a temple of Fortuna located there. Its first mention in history only dates from 49 BC, when Julius Caesar held it, along with Pisaurum and Ancona. Caesar Augustus established a colonia, and built a wall, some parts of which remain. In the AD 2 Augustus also built an arch (which is still standing) at the entrance to the town.
  In January 271, the Roman Army defeated the Alamanni in the Battle of Fano that took place on the banks of the Metauro river just inland of Fano.
  Fano was destroyed by Vitiges' Ostrogoths in AD 538. It was rebuilt by the Byzantines, becoming the capital of the maritime Pentapolis ("Five Cities") that included also Rimini, Pesaro, Senigallia and Ancona. In 754 it was donated to the Popes by the Frank kings.
  
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  France
  France (English ⁱ/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km² (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi).
  Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
  
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  Germany
  Germany (ⁱ/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
  A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
  
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  Greater London
  Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. This territory has the same boundaries as the London Government Office Region and the London European Parliament constituency. The region has by far the highest GVA per capita in the United Kingdom. It covers 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) and had a 2009 mid-year estimated population of 7,753,600. The term Greater London was in use before 1965 to refer to a variously defined area, larger than the County of London and often similar to the Metropolitan Police District.
  In addition to its administrative and statistical functions, Greater London (excluding the City of London) is one of the 48 ceremonial counties of England, and is under the Greater London Lieutenancy.
  Instead of forming a single political unit, London is divided into the small, interior City of London and the much wider Greater London. This arrangement has come about because as the area of London grew and absorbed neighbouring settlements, a series of administrative reforms did not fully amalgamate the City of London with the metropolitan area, and its unique political structure was retained. Outside the limited boundaries of the old city, a variety of arrangements governed the wider area since 1855, culminating with the creation of the Greater London administrative area in 1965.
  
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  Harpenden
  Coordinates: 51°49′03″N 0°21′09″W / 51.8175°N 0.3524°W / 51.8175; -0.3524
  Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.
  The town's total population is just under 30,000.
  There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural.
  Harpenden railway station is on a frequent and fast rail link to central London now served by First Capital Connect, having been served previously by Thameslink. Some trains stop at 'all stations' on the route, others stop at St Albans before continuing non-stop to London St Pancras International (Harpenden to St Pancras International - 25 minutes). Trains run north to Luton and on to Bedford. From London, the trains continue south to Brighton via Gatwick, Sevenoaks or Wimbledon and Sutton. The rail link therefore gives direct access to London Luton Airport (one stop north) and London Gatwick Airport (approx 1hr 10 m on a limited stops train).
  In common with much of the region, Harpenden is an area of extremely high property costs. Land Registry data suggests that the average house price in Harpenden in the 1st quarter of 2006 was £500,902 (against £287,277 for St Albans District generally, and £183,598 nationally). The data also indicates that an unusually high proportion of houses in Harpenden are owner occupied (81.4%, as opposed to 69.6% in the District generally, and 66.2% nationally).
  
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  Hastings
  Coordinates: 50°51′N 0°34′E / 50.85°N 0.57°E / 50.85; 0.57
  Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located 24 mi (39 km) east of the county town of Lewes and 53 mi (85 km) south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900.
  In historical terms, Hastings can claim fame through its connection with the Norman conquest of England; and also because it became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. Hastings was, for centuries, an important fishing port; although nowadays much reduced, it still has the largest beach-based fishing fleet in England. The town became a watering place in the 1760s, and then, with the coming of the railway, a seaside resort.
  The attraction of Hastings as a tourist destination continues; although the number of hotels has decreased, it caters for wider tastes, being home to internationally-based cultural and sporting events, such as chess and running. It has set out to become "a modern European town" and seeks to attract commercial business in the many industrial sites round the borough.
  
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  Hemel Hempstead
  Coordinates: 51°45′09″N 0°28′09″W / 51.7526°N 0.4692°W / 51.7526; -0.4692
  Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, 24 miles (38.6 km) to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 (but now estimated at around 89,000 by Hertfordshire County Council).
  Developed after World War II as a new town, it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century and was granted its town charter by King Henry VIII in 1539. It is part of the district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum and the Hemel Hempstead constituency.
  The settlement was called by the name Henamsted or Hean-Hempsted, i.e. High Hempstead, in Anglo-Saxon times and in William the Conqueror's time by the name of Hemel-Amstede. The name is referred to in the Domesday Book as "Hamelamesede", but in later centuries it became Hamelhamsted. In Old English, "-stead" or "-stede" simply meant a place, such as the site of a building or pasture, as in clearing in the woods, and this suffix is used in the names of other English places such as Hamstead and Berkhamsted.
  
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  Hertford
  Coordinates: 51°47′42″N 0°04′41″W / 51.795°N 0.078°W / 51.795; -0.078
  Hertford ( /ˈhɑrtfərd/ or /ˈhɑrfərd/) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000^{[citation needed]}. The name is Anglo Saxon and means the ford frequented by harts or stags.
  Hertford has been the county town of Hertfordshire since Saxon times when it was governed by the king's reeves. By the 13th century, these had been replaced by a bailiff, elected by the burgesses. Charters of 1554 and 1589 established a common council of eleven chief burgesses and a bailiff. Another charter of 1605 changed the bailiff's title to mayor. In 1835, Hertford became a Municipal Corporation; the ratepayers elected twelve councillors, who chose four aldermen, aldermen and councillors composing the council. This body elected the mayor.
  
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  Hertfordshire
  Hertfordshire (ⁱ/ˈhɑrtfərdʃɪər/ or /ˈhɑrfərdʃər/; abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.
  Hertfordshire is one of the home counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London (to the south), Buckinghamshire (to the west), Bedfordshire (including the unitary authorities of Luton and Central Bedfordshire to the north), Cambridgeshire (to the north east) and Essex (to the east).
  Hertfordshire was originally the area assigned to a fortress constructed at Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder in 913. The name Hertford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing (of a watercourse). The name Hertfordshire first appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1011. Deer feature prominently in many county emblems.
  There is evidence of human beings living in Hertfordshire since the Middle Stone Age. It was first farmed during the Neolithic period and permanent habitation appeared at the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was followed by tribes settling in the area during the Iron Age.
  
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  Hertsmere
  Hertsmere is a local government district and borough in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Borehamwood. Other towns in the borough include Bushey, Elstree, Radlett and Potters Bar.
  The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the former area of Bushey Urban District and Potters Bar Urban District with Elstree Rural District and part of Watford Rural District (the parish of Aldenham).
  The name "Hertsmere" was invented for the new district by combining the name of the county with "mere", an archaic word for boundary. The name is doubly appropriate as the area is now the southern boundary of Hertfordshire with Greater London, while up to 1965 parts of the district were on either side of the county boundary with Middlesex. The name is reflected in the council's coat of arms, which shows a hart upon the battlements of a boundary wall.
  The district was awarded borough status by Royal Charter in 1977.
  The borough was originally in the Metropolitan Police District, despite being outside the modern Greater London boundaries. It was not transferred to Hertfordshire Constabulary until 2000.
  
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  Hitchin
  Coordinates: 51°56′49″N 0°16′59″W / 51.947°N 0.283°W / 51.947; -0.283
  Hitchin is a market town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.
  Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning 'dry', which is perhaps a reference to the local stream, the Hiz. It has been suggested that Hitchin was the location of Clofeshoh, the place chosen in 673 by Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus during the Synod of Hertford, the first nationwide meeting of representatives of the fledgling Catholic churches of Anglo-Saxon England, to hold annual synods of the churches as Theodore attempted to consolidate and centralise Catholicism in England. By 1086 Hitchin is described as a Royal Manor in the Domesday Book: the feudal services of Avera and Inward, usually found in the eastern counties, especially Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, were due from the sokemen, but the manor of Hitchin was unique in levying Inward. Evidence has been found to suggest that the town was once provided with an earthen bank and ditch fortification, probably in the early tenth century but this did not last. The modern spelling 'Hitchin' first appears in 1618 in the "Hertfordshire Feet of Fines".
  
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  Hoddesdon
  Coordinates: 51°45′32″N 0°00′54″W / 51.759°N 0.015°W / 51.759; -0.015
  Hoddesdon is a town in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated in the Lea Valley. The town grew up as a coaching stop on the route between Cambridge and London. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Hertford, 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Waltham Cross and 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Bishop's Stortford. At its height during the 18th century, more than 35 coaches a day would pass through the town. It saw a boom in the mid 20th century as gravel was extracted from the area to be exhausted by the 1970s. The lakes and water pits left behind have been used for local leisure amenities. Today, Hoddesdon has a little light industry but is mainly a London commuter belt town. The town hosted the eighth Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne in 1951. It is twinned with the Belgian city of Dinant.
  The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Hoddesdon.
  The town is served by Rye House railway station and nearby Broxbourne railway station.
  
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  Hungary
  Hungary ⁱ/ˈhʌŋɡəri/ (Hungarian: Magyarország [ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ] ( listen)) is a country, which is located in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The country's capital, and largest city, is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and is a Schengen state. The official language is Hungarian, also known as Magyar, which is part of the Finno-Ugric group and is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.
  Following a Celt (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (AD 9 - c. 430) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian prince Árpád, whose great-grandson Saint Stephen I was crowned with a crown sent by the pope from Rome in 1000 AD. The Kingdom of Hungary lasted for 946 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centres of the Western world. After about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541–1699), Hungary was integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy, and later constituted half of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy (1867–1918).
  
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  Italy
  Italy ⁱ/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km² (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
  Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
  
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  Jersey Farm
  Jersey Farm is a district of St Albans situated approximately 2 miles north-east of the city centre. It is largely surrounded by countryside and is 'attached' to St Albans by the district of Marshalswick to its south-west.
  The area was developed as a residential estate in the 1970s, and as such many of the properties are more modern than in the city centre. Local amenities include pubs, small shops and a community centre. It was named after the local farm house which sat close to the current shops. This name was not that old as it changed in the 60s; before that it was known as Evans farm.
  Jersey Farm has one pub, The Blackberry Jack, as well as a branch of Tesco Express (including a post office), a pharmacy, a beauty salon 'Pure', a cycling store 'St Albans Cycles', an Indian Restaurant 'Bengal Spice', and a hair salon 'Ro Ko Ko'. The local secondary school is Sandringham.
  Jersey Farm also has its own Residents Association (JFRA) which arranges a number of yearly events such as a Fireworks display and Christmas Party for the children of Jersey Farm. Members of the Jersey Farm Residents Association are also provided with a quarterly newsletter, detailing community news and events.
  
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• Lemsford
  Lemsford is a village and parish in Hertfordshire. It is near Welwyn Garden City and was created out of Hatfield parish in 1858.
  It is nearly 3 miles N. from Hatfield, on the S.E. side of Brocket Hall Park. It is widely known for its large mill on the River Lea, which is now the headquarters of Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. The church, erected in 1859^{[citation needed]} as a memorial to the sixth Earl Cowper, is Early English and Decorated, with a good East window, also to the memory of the earl. The tower (W.) is lofty and embattled.
  Brocket Hall was a maternity hospital during World War II.
  Coordinates: 51°48′N 0°14′W / 51.8°N 0.233°W / 51.8; -0.233
  Media related to Lemsford at Wikimedia Commons
  
  
  
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  Letchworth
  Coordinates: 51°58′41″N 0°13′48″W / 51.978°N 0.230°W / 51.978; -0.230
  Letchworth, correctly titled Letchworth Garden City, is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 33,600.
  The town's name is taken from one of the three villages it surrounded (the other two being Willian and Norton) - all of which featured in the Domesday Book. The land used was purchased by Quakers who had intended to farm the area and build a Quaker community. The current town was laid out by Ebenezer Howard in 1903 using his radical new garden city approach which incorporated elements of the country, alongside city life. Mocked in the press at the time, the design was supported by the Arts and Crafts movement and the Quakers.
  As one of the world's first new towns and the first 'Garden city' it had great influence on future town planning and the New Towns movement; it influenced Welwyn Garden City, which used a similar approach and inspired other projects around the world including Canberra, the Australian capital, Hellerau, Germany, small village of Tapanila, Finland, and Mežaparks in Latvia), .
  
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  London
  London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
  London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
  
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  London Colney
  Coordinates: 51°43′34″N 0°18′00″W / 51.726°N 0.300°W / 51.726; -0.300
  London Colney is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway.
  It is near St Albans and part of the St Albans District. At the time of the 2001 census the population of London Colney ward was 7,742. It is considered a satellite or dormitory village of St Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop. The long-running 84 bus route runs through London Colney towards St Albans, and Uno bus routes 602, 636, 658 and 659 also connect the village with St Albans, Hatfield, Watford, Borehamwood and Luton.
  By repute it is the second largest village in the United Kingdom, after Cottingham near Hull.
  London Colney Primary School was initially due to open on September 4, 1939. It was then closed on the same day, as war was declared. It opened properly a day later. London Colney has a great selection of open water fishing in the River Colne and associated lakes. Colney Fields shopping park is located there.
  
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  Luton
  Luton (ⁱ/ˈluːtən/ LOOT-ən, local /ˈluːʔən/) is a large town, borough and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles (50 km) north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000.
  Luton is home to Blue Square Premier team Luton Town Football Club, whose history includes several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988. They play at Kenilworth Road stadium, which has been their home since 1905.
  London Luton Airport, opened in 1938, is one of England's major airports. During the Second World War it doubled as an RAF base.
  The University of Bedfordshire is based in the town.
  The Luton Carnival, held on the late May bank holiday, is the largest one-day carnival in Europe.
  The town was for many years famous for hat-making, and was also home to a large Vauxhall Motors factory; the head office of Vauxhall Motors is still situated in the town. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until 2002, but commercial vehicle production remains.
  
  wn.com/Luton
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  Markyate
  Coordinates: 51°50′10″N 0°27′18″W / 51.836°N 0.455°W / 51.836; -0.455
  Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
  Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county boundaries have changed over the years. At one point the boundary was the line of the main road itself; Hertfordshire to the east and Bedfordshire to the west. Markyate is located close to the source of the River Ver which has occasionally flooded the centre of the village, though the watercourse is often dry during parts of the year.
  Part of the Dacorum Borough Council district (centred on Hemel Hempstead), it has Luton (01582) phone numbers and a St Albans postal code (AL3). Although historically a rural and agricultural area it is now a dormitory village for Luton and the surrounding region as it also lies a short distance from the M1 motorway.
  
  wn.com/Markyate
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  Marshalswick
  Coordinates: 51°45′55″N 0°18′28″W / 51.765150°N 0.307707°W / 51.765150; -0.307707
  Marshalswick is a district of St Albans, in Hertfordshire, England around 1.5 miles North East of the city centre. Marshalswick borders on Jersey Farm, Fleetville and Bernards Heath and historically fell within the bounds of Sandridge Parish to the North. The 1950s Parish Church, St Mary's, was built as a daughter church of St Leonards Church Sandridge only becoming a parish in its own right in 1972 when the continued expansion of St Albans bridged the two areas with infill housing.
  The village of Marshalswick boasts a history dating back to the thirteenth Century and retains a unique Hertfordshire village feel. The name Marshalswick comes from John and William Marschal who owned the land between 1271 and 1377, and Wick which meant 'hamlet', 'town' or 'village' in Old English. The surrounding land, woods and gardens were the site of Marshals Wick Mansion, and the current residential road Marshals Drive is so named as the lane was originally the drive to the house.
  
  wn.com/Marshalswick
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  Mayfair
  Coordinates: 51°30′32″N 0°08′51″W / 51.508755°N 0.14743°W / 51.508755; -0.14743
  Mayfair (originally called The May Fair) is an area of central London, located within the City of Westminster.
  Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today (from 1686 until it was banned in that location in 1764). Until 1686, the May Fair was held in Haymarket, and after 1764, it moved to Fair Field in Bow because the well-to-do residents of the area felt the fair lowered the tone of the neighbourhood.
  Mayfair was anciently part of the parish of St Martin in the Fields, and became part of St George Hanover Square in 1724. The new parish stretched to Bond Street in the southern part of Mayfair and almost to Regent Street north of Conduit Street. The northern boundary was Oxford Street and the southern boundary fell short of Piccadilly. The parish continued west of Mayfair into Hyde Park and then south to include Belgravia and other areas.
  The old telephone district of MAYfair (later 629) changed east of Bond Street to REGent (later 734). Most of the area was first developed between the mid 17th century and the mid 18th century as a fashionable residential district, by a number of landlords, the most important of them being the Dukes of Westminster, the Grosvenor family. The Rothschild family bought up large areas of Mayfair in the 19th century. The freehold of a large section of Mayfair also belongs to the Crown Estate.
  
  wn.com/Mayfair
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  Mercia
  Mercia ( /ˈmɜrsiə/, /ˈmɜrʃə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people".
  Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys and the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex and East Anglia.
  The name Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies; and occurs as a female given name.
  Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Also, Mercia developed an effective political structure and adopted Christianity later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, P. Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley.
  
  wn.com/Mercia
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  MI5
  The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 (Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and Defence Intelligence (DI). All come under the direction of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). The service has a statutory basis in the Security Service Act 1989 and the Intelligence Services Act 1994. Its remit includes the protection of British parliamentary democracy and economic interests, counter-terrorism and counter-espionage within the UK. Although mainly concerned with internal security, it does have an overseas role in support of its mission. Conversely, to ensure that the Home Secretary is responsible for intelligence operations within the UK, the Service may act on behalf of SIS and GCHQ^{[citation needed]} even if the operation is outside its own functions (SIS and GCHQ report to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs).
  
  wn.com/MI5
• 
  Napsbury Park
  Coordinates: 51°43′30″N 0°18′00″W / 51.725°N 0.300°W / 51.725; -0.300
  Napsbury Park is a hamlet in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway.
  It is near St Albans and part of the St Albans District. It falls within the London Colney Parish Council area. It is considered a satellite or dormitory village of St Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop. The 659 bus connects the village with St Albans and London Colney.
  The presence of prehistoric or Roman activity is indicated by cropmarks to the east of the railway in Napsbury hospital grounds; and again on the north side of the hospital. Documentary evidence suggests the existence of a lost medieval settlement. Early Napsbury is mentioned in the Domesday Book: it had a house called Tylehouse which was associated with tile and brick workings. It is known that there were people settled there with tofts, smallholdings or farms, since tithes were payable in the 14th century.
  The Middlesex County Asylum was founded in 1898 with the hospital designed in a country estate style by architect Rowland Plumbe in 1900, who also rebuilt, to his designs, the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel in 1897.
  
  wn.com/Napsbury_Park
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  Netherlands
  The Netherlands (ⁱ/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] ( listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
  
  wn.com/Netherlands
• 
  New Zealand
  New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.
  During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.
  
  wn.com/New_Zealand
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  Nieuwleusen
  Nieuwleusen (Low Saxon: Ni'jlusen) is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel with 5,913 inhabitants as of 1 January 2007. At the 2001 municipal reform, most of the former municipality of Nieuwleusen was incorporated into the municipality of Dalfsen. Part, including the Lichtmis area, was added to the municipality of Zwolle.
  The provincial road N377 (the 'Den Hulst') runs along the town, going from Hasselt in the west to Coevorden in the east. To the north are the hamlet of Punthorst and the Staatsbos state woodland in the municipality of Staphorst. South of Nieuwleusen is Dalfsen, a slightly bigger town from which the municipality takes its name. To the west, provincial road N377 and highway A28 meet at De Lichtmis, the location of a former military bulwark which provided access to the north of the country. Nieuwleusen is situated between the Vecht and Reest rivers to the south and north respectively, and is counted as part of the historical region of Salland, or latterly the (Overijssels) Vechtdal (Vecht Valley - a usage in tourism).
  
  wn.com/Nieuwleusen
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  North Hertfordshire
  North Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth.
  The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the amalgamation of the urban districts of Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth, and Royston and the Hitchin Rural District.
  From eastward clockwise, it borders the districts of East Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield, St Albans in Hertfordshire, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Central Bedfordshire again, and South Cambridgeshire.
  Coordinates: 52°00′N 0°12′W / 52.0°N 0.2°W / 52.0; -0.2
  
  
  
  wn.com/North_Hertfordshire
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  Nyíregyháza
  Nyíregyháza (Hungarian pronunciation: [ɲiːrɛɟhaːzɒ] ( listen)) is a city in North-east Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,000 it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and is one of the leading cities of Northern Hungary and of the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld). Its dynamic and spectacular development has been incessant since the 18th century, being the economical and cultural center of the region. Its zoo exhibiting more than 300 species including real rarities is recognized throughout Europe.
  Nyíregyháza is located in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county in the northern Plain region (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, Hajdú-Bihar county, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county). It is the most important city of North Hungary, in all aspects of the center of the region. It is located in the center of Nyírség, as an agricultural town. The boundaries of the city are often understood as a very broad frame, because generally the near boondocks are listed here. It is located at the intersections of routes 4, 41, 36 and 38, therefore the city is easy to approach. The way to Sub-Carpathia and Transylvania is inevitable without passing the city.
  
  wn.com/Nyíregyháza
• Oaklands College
  Coordinates: 51°45′14″N 0°19′55″W / 51.754°N 0.332°W / 51.754; -0.332 Oaklands College is a further education college in Hertfordshire, England in the United Kingdom, established in 1991.
  Oaklands College is a large general Further Education College. It has campus sites in St Albans City, St Albans Smallford, Alban Park, Welwyn Garden City and a further training provision in Borehamwood. The college offers a wide range of courses covering different sector subject areas including adult and community learning, art, beauty, business, construction, equine studies, engineering, entry level studies, health and social care, hospitality and catering, public services, IT, land based studies, media and performing arts, science and maths and sport. The College also has 14-19 and 16-19 year old consortium arrangements with local secondary schools in Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and St Albans.
  The college is well respected with regards to its land based provision, these include Horticulture both Amenity and landscape, Greenkeeping, Equine studies, Animal management and Floristry.
  
  wn.com/Oaklands_College
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  Odense
  The city of Odense (Danish pronunciation: [ˈoðˀn̩sə] ( listen)) is the third largest city in Denmark. Odense City has a population of 168,798 (as of 1 January 2012 (2012 -01-01)^[update]) and is the main city of the island of Funen. The city is the seat of Odense Municipality, with a population of 191,610 (as of 1 January 2012 (2012 -01-01)^[update]), and was the seat of Odense County until 1970, and Funen County from 1970 until 1 January 2007, when Funen County became part of the Region of Southern Denmark.
  Odense (from Odins Vé, meaning "Odin's shrine", referring to the god Odin of Denmark's indigenous Norse mythology), is one of the oldest cities of Denmark and had its 1000th anniversary in 1988. To celebrate this, a forest named "the Thousand Year Forest" (Danish: Tusindårsskoven) was cultivated. The shrine of Saint Canute (Danish: Sankt Knud / Knud den Hellige) in Saint Canute's Cathedral held great attraction for pilgrims throughout the Middle Ages.
  In the 16th century, the town was the meeting-place of several parliaments, and down to 1805 it was the seat of the provincial assembly of Funen.
  
  wn.com/Odense
• Old Gorhambury House
  Old Gorhambury House located near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England is an Elizabethan mansion, built in 1563-8 by Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, and visited a number of times by Queen Elizabeth.
  The house was built partly from bricks taken from the old Abbey buildings at St Albans, then in process of demolition following the Benedictine priory's dissolution some 25 years earlier. It was used as a residence by his youngest son, the polymath (scientist, philosopher, statesman and essayist) Sir Francis Bacon, before being bequeathed by him to his former secretary, Sir Thomas Meautys, who married Anne Bacon, the great-granddaughter of the Lord Keeper.
  The estate passed in 1652 to Anne's second husband Sir Harbottle Grimston, Master of the Rolls and Speaker in the Convention Parliament of 1660. The estate is owned by the Grimston family to the present day, having been passed via Harbottle Grimston's son Samuel, who died childless in 1700, to his great-nephew William Luckyn, who in turn became the first Viscount Grimston in 1719.
  
  wn.com/Old_Gorhambury_House
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  Potters Bar
  Coordinates: 51°41′53″N 0°10′59″W / 51.698°N 0.183°W / 51.698; -0.183
  Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located 18 miles (29 km) north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618.
  The town originated in the early 13th century and remained a small settlement until the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1850. It is part of the London commuter belt.
  The origin of the Potters element of the town's name is uncertain but is generally thought to be either a reference to a Roman pottery, believed to have been sited locally, or alternatively to the Pottere family who lived in the South Mimms parish. The Bar is thought to refer to the gates leading from the South Mimms parish and into the Enfield Chase parish, or possibly from some sort of toll on the Great North Road. The original "Bar" is said to have been at what is now the Green Man pub, or at the current entrance to Morven House.
  Potters Bar is located on the Great North Road, one of two road routes from the City of London to the north of England. The road was originally numbered as the A1, and later the A1000.
  
  wn.com/Potters_Bar
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  Radlett
  Coordinates: 51°40′55″N 0°18′50″W / 51.682°N 0.314°W / 51.682; -0.314
  Radlett is a small affluent village in the county of Hertfordshire between St Albans and Borehamwood on Watling Street with a population of approximately 8,000. It is located in the council district of Hertsmere and is covered by two wards, Aldenham East and Aldenham West. It is located inside the M25 motorway.
  Radlett lies in the valley of Tykes Water, a stream that runs north from Aldenham Reservoir to the River Colne. Now entirely surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt, it is seeing significant 'infill' development and pressure to relax the Green Belt restrictions.^{[citation needed]}
  Radlett is one of the most prosperous places in Britain. The town contains many substantial detached houses with large gardens. In the older centre there are also a few streets with Victorian semi detached and terraced houses. Over the past few years, the combination of its proximity to London and good transport links have meant that Radlett has become a property hotspot^{[citation needed]} with majority of roads with an average price of over £1,000,000.
  
  wn.com/Radlett
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  Rickmansworth
  Coordinates: 51°38′18″N 0°27′57″W / 51.6383°N 0.4659°W / 51.6383; -0.4659
  Rickmansworth is the administrative seat of the Three Rivers District Council in Hertfordshire, England. With a population of 14,571 recorded at the 2001 census, Rickmansworth is a small town in South-West Hertfordshire, located mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne. The nearest large town is Watford, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) to the east. It grew dramatically during the Victorian era, and then again during the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Metro-land area, due to the extension of Metropolitan Railway, and became a commuter town. Chiltern Main Line diesel-express trains from Marylebone station, London, via Harrow-on-the Hill, to Aylesbury–change for Birmingham–and fast, electric Metropolitan trains from the City of London, via Baker Street, to Amersham-on-the-Hill (all stopping at Rickmansworth station) together with the rural surroundings, have all contributed to the growth of Rickmansworth.
  
  wn.com/Rickmansworth
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  River Ver
  The Ver is a river in Hertfordshire, England. The river begins in the grounds of Markyate Cell, and flows south for 12 miles (20 km) alongside Watling Street through Flamstead, Redbourn, St Albans and Park Street, and joins the River Colne at Bricket Wood.
  The Romans built the city of Verulamium alongside it at a time when it was navigable, expressing their preference for building in valleys rather than on hills.
  The Ver is a chalk stream, which is partly a seasonal winterbourne north of Redbourn. However, many of its natural features have been compromised as a result of being canalised during the construction of the artificial lakes at Verulamium Park in St Albans in the 1930s (following the archaeological excavations of Verulamium by Sir Mortimer Wheeler and his wife Tessa). During the 1960s and 1970s it suffered serious problems as a result of water extraction upstream. Although these abated temporarily after the closure of one of the pumping stations, as of 2005^[update] the upstream part of the river is drying up completely during the summer, and the rest of the river may suffer the same fate within a few years (compare the current situation with the "great flow of water" that was reported to exist in 1885, with a depth of 12 feet at Dolittle Mill on the Redbourn Road[1]). In 2004 a proposal for remedial work was being developed for the St Albans lakes.
  
  wn.com/River_Ver
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  Sandridge
  Coordinates: 51°46′51″N 0°18′14″W / 51.78084°N 0.30384°W / 51.78084; -0.30384
  Sandridge is a small village and civil parish between St Albans and Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom.
  The earliest recorded mention of Sandridge is in the year 796 the parish being part of the revenue of the Mercian Kings. It was given by Egfrith son of Offa in the first year of his reign to abbot Eadric second abbot of St Alban's Monastery and to the monks of St Albans.
  The original name was "Saundruage" meaning a place of sandy soil serviced by bond tenants.
  In February 1461 the final skirmishes of the Second Battle of St Albans took place in and around Sandridge as the Earl of Warwick, for the Yorkists, retreated towards Nomansland.
  The population of Sandridge ward at the time of the 2001 census was 4,808. This includes some people living in the Jersey Farm area of St Albans.
  The village has three pubs: The Green Man, The Rose and Crown and The Queen's Head.
  The village church is St Leonard's and is thought to date back to 1119.
  
  wn.com/Sandridge
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  Sawbridgeworth
  Coordinates: 51°48′50″N 0°09′00″E / 51.814°N 0.150°E / 51.814; 0.150
  Sawbridgeworth is a small, mainly residential, town and also a civil parish in Hertfordshire, England.
  Sawbridgeworth is four miles south of Bishop's Stortford, twelve miles east of Hertford and nine miles north of Epping. It lies on the A1184 and has a railway station that links to Liverpool Street station in London. The river Stort flows through the east of the town, past the Maltings (now a small business and residential area).
  Nearby towns and cities: Bishop's Stortford, Harlow
  Nearby villages: High Wych, Spellbrook, Much Hadham
  Prior to the Norman Conquest, most of the area was owned by the Saxon Angmar the Staller.
  The Manor of "Sabrixteworde" (one of the many spellings previously associated with the town) was recorded in the Domesday Book. After the Battle of Hastings it was granted to Geoffrey de Mandeville by William the Conqueror. Local notables have included Sir John Leventhorpe, who was an executor of King Henry V's will, and Anne Boleyn, who was given the Pishiobury/Pishobury estate, located to the south of the town.
  
  wn.com/Sawbridgeworth
• Sopwell House
  Sopwell House is a historic country house, now a 128 room luxury hotel, in the southern part of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It has gained fame as the gathering place for the England national football team before international football events.^{[citation needed]}
  Though mention of buildings on the site goes back to 1604 it was not developed as a country house until the master mason Edward Strong built his home here in the 18th century. Strong's career included work on St Paul's Cathedral and Blenheim Palace.
  During the mid-19th century Sopwell House known then as New Barnes (or New Barns) was the seat of the philanthropist Mrs. Isabella Worley. Amongst the many donations to St Albans from this benefactor were Christ Church on Verulam Road and the Wooden Room in Lattimore Road.
  The house was extended in Victorian times and in 1900 was leased to Prince Louis of Battenberg, an Admiral of the Royal Navy who made it his family home. His 4 children grew up here, Alice Mountbatten, Louise Mountbatten, George Mountbatten and Louis Mountbatten. They all had notable lives.
  
  wn.com/Sopwell_House
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  Sopwell Priory
  Sopwell Priory (also known as Sopwell Nunnery) was built c. 1140 in Hertfordshire, England by the Benedictine abbot of St Albans Abbey, Geoffrey de Gorham. It was founded as the Priory of St Mary of Sopwell and was a cell of St Albans Abbey.
  Juliana Berners was the prioress during the 15th century, believed to be the author of the Boke of St Albans published in 1486.
  Following the dissolution of St Albans Abbey in 1539, Sopwell Priory was bought by Sir Richard Lee (a military engineer and commander of King Henry VIII). He tore the priory down and built a house which he named Lee Hall on the site. The house was later renamed Sopwell House, the ruins of which remain today along Cottonmill Lane near the centre of St Albans.
  Coordinates: 51°44′39″N 0°20′05″W / 51.7441°N 0.3347°W / 51.7441; -0.3347
  
  
  
  wn.com/Sopwell_Priory
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  St Albans
  Coordinates: 51°45′18″N 0°20′10″W / 51.755°N 0.336°W / 51.755; -0.336
  St Albans /sɨnt ˈɔːlbənz/ is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around 22 miles (35 km) north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans.
  It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt. Property prices are notoriously high within the district, which is one of the most expensive in the UK.
  St Albans has two official demonyms: Verulamian and Old Albanian. St Albans was a settlement of pre-Roman origin named Verlamion (or Verulam) by the Ancient British, Catuvellauni tribe. It became the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the Roman city of Verulamium.
  Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr, was beheaded in AD 308 by Maximian on the orders of Emperor Diocletian, who denounced the Christian faith and had ordered the deaths of all subjects and allies of the Roman Empire who refused to give up the faith. Saint Alban consequently gave the town its modern name.
  
  wn.com/St_Albans
• Stanborough
  Stanborough is the site of an Iron Age hill fort near the village of Halwell, south of Totnes, Devon, England. The fort is situated on a promontory on the western edge of a hill at about 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level.
  Coordinates: 50°21′08″N 3°43′36″W / 50.3521°N 3.7266°W / 50.3521; -3.7266
  
  wn.com/Stanborough
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  Stevenage
  Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south.
  Stevenage is roughly 30 miles (50 km) north of central London. Its population was 1,430 in 1801, 4,049 in 1901, 79,724 in 2001 and 84,651 in 2007. The largest increase occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, after Stevenage was designated a new town under the New Towns Act of 1946.
  Two films have been filmed and set in Stevenage, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush and Boston Kickout. Spy Game was partly filmed in Stevenage but set in Washington, D.C. The BBC sitcom Saxondale was set and filmed almost entirely in Stevenage.
  Stevenage may derive from Old English stiþen āc / stiðen āc / stithen ac (various Old English dialects cited here) meaning '(place at) the strong oak'.
  The name was recorded as Stithenæce, c.1060 and Stigenace in 1086 in the Domesday Book.
  The present site of Stevenage lies near a Roman road that ran 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 in 1986 during new house building in the Chells Manor part of Stevenage. The most substantial evidence of activity from Roman times are the Six Hills, six tumuli by the side of the old Great North Road - presumably the burial places of a local family.
  
  wn.com/Stevenage
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  Tring
  Coordinates: 51°47′46″N 0°39′33″W / 51.7962°N 0.6592°W / 51.7962; -0.6592
  Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated 30 miles (48 km) north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a commuter town in the London commuter belt.
  Tring is positioned in west Hertfordshire, adjacent to the Buckinghamshire border, at a low point in the Chiltern Hills known as the 'Tring Gap'. This has been used as a crossing point since ancient times, being at the junction of the Icknield Way and under the Romans Akeman Street, the major Roman road linking London to Cirencester. It is transected east and west by the ancient earthwork called Grim's Dyke. It is located at the summit level of the Grand Union Canal and both the canal and railway pass through in deep cuttings. Tring railway cutting is 4 km (2.5 mi) long and an average of 12 m (39 ft) deep and is celebrated in a series of coloured lithographs by John Cooke Bourne showing its construction in the 1830s.
  
  wn.com/Tring
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  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
  The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
  
  wn.com/United_Kingdom
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  United States
  The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
  At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
  
  wn.com/United_States
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  Verulamium
  Coordinates: 51°45′00″N 0°21′14″W / 51.7500°N 0.3539°W / 51.7500; -0.3539
  
  Verulamium was an ancient town in Roman Britain. It was sited in the southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, Great Britain. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon (see below). The ancient Watling Street passed through the city.
  Before the Romans, the settlement was known as Verulamion (perhaps meaning "[settlement of] Uerulamos [Broad-Hand]" in Brittonic), the capital of the Catuvellauni tribe. It was established by their leader Tasciovanus and in this pre-Roman form, was among the first places in Britain recorded by name.
  The Roman settlement was granted the rank of municipium in c. AD 50, meaning its citizens had what were known as 'Latin Rights', a lesser citizenship status than the colonias possessed. It grew to a significant town, and as such received the attentions of Boudica of the Iceni in AD 61, when Verulamium was sacked and burnt: a black ash layer has been recorded by archaeologists, thus confirming the Roman written record. It grew steadily: by the early 3rd century it covered an area of about 125 acres (0.51 km²), behind a deep ditch and wall. It is the location of the martyrdom of the first English martyr saint, St Alban, who was a Roman patrician converted by the priest Amphibalus. This story is recorded by the monks of the abbey of the town, notably Brother Matthew Paris in his Anglo-Norman Vie de Seint Auban.
  
  wn.com/Verulamium
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  Verulamium Park
  Verulamium Park is a park in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Set in over 100 acres (0.40 km²) of beautiful parkland, Verulamium Park was purchased from the Earl of Verulam in 1929 by the then City Corporation. Today the park is ownered and operated by St Albans City and District Council
  The park is named after the Roman City of Verulamium on which it stands. The City walls and outline of the main London Gate can still be seen. Archaeological excavations were undertaken in the park during the 1930s by Sir Mortimer Wheeler and his wife Tessa, during which the 1800 year old Hypocaust and its covering mosaic floor were discovered. The Hypocaust Mosaic is on view to the public and currently protected from the elements by a purpose-built building in the park. On the outskirts of the park is Verulamium Museum, which contains hundreds of archaeological objects relating to everyday Roman life in what was a major Roman City. A pub, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, is also located on the edge of the park. This pub has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest such establishment in England.
  
  wn.com/Verulamium_Park
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  Ware, Hertfordshire
  Coordinates: 51°49′01″N 0°01′45″W / 51.817°N 0.0292°W / 51.817; -0.0292
  Ware is a town of around 18,000 people in Hertfordshire, England close to the county town of Hertford. It is also a civil parish in East Hertfordshire district. The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Ware.
  The town lies on the north-south A10 road which is partly shared with the east-west A414 (for Hertford to the west and Harlow to the east). There is a large viaduct over the River Lea at Kings Meads. The £3.6m two-mile bypass opened on 17 August 1976. At the north end of the bypass is the Wodson Park Sports Centre, with an athletics track, and Hanbury Manor, a hotel and country club. The former route of the A10 is now the A1170. The railway station is on the Hertford East Branch Line and operated by Greater Anglia and is only single track.
  Archaeology has shown that Ware has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic period (which ended about 4000 BC) The Romans had a sizable settlement here and foundations of several buildings, including a temple, and two cemeteries have been found. A well-preserved Roman skeleton of a teenage girl has also been found. Ware was on Ermine Street, the Roman road from London to Lincoln. It has been said that Ware is one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe.
  
  wn.com/Ware,_Hertfordshire
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  Watford
  Watford ⁱ/ˈwɒtfərd/ is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated 18 miles (29 km) northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.
  Watford was created as an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, and became a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922. The borough had 79,726 inhabitants at the time of the 2001 Census. The most recent official estimates put the population of Watford at 79,600 at mid-2006.
  The nearby areas of Croxley Green, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, Carpenders Park and South Oxhey, located in Three Rivers and Hertsmere districts, also form part of the Watford postcode area. The Watford subdivision of the Greater London Urban Area, which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census.
  Watford stands on a low hill near the point at which the River Colne was forded by travellers between London and the Midlands. This route, originally a pre-Roman trackway, departed from the ancient Roman Watling Street at Stanmore, heading for the Gade valley and thence up the Bulbourne valley to a low and easily traversed section of the Chiltern Hills near Tring. The modern High Street follows the route of this road.
  
  wn.com/Watford
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  Welwyn Garden City
  Coordinates: 51°48′22″N 0°11′36″W / 51.8062°N 0.1932°W / 51.8062; -0.1932
  Welwyn Garden City ( /ˈwɛlɪn/) is a town within the Welwyn Hatfield borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) from Kings Cross. Welwyn Garden City was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948).
  It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and exemplifies the physical, social and cultural planning ideals of the periods in which it was built. Because of its historical importance it attracts visitors from around the world.
  Welwyn Garden City was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the 1920s following his previous experiment in Letchworth Garden City. Howard had called for the creation of planned towns that were to combine the benefits of the city and the countryside and to avoid the disadvantages of both. The Garden Cities and Town Planning Association had defined a garden city as
  "a town designed for healthy living and industry of a size that makes possible a full measure of social life but not larger, surrounded by a rural belt; the whole of the land being in public ownership, or held in trust for the community"
  
  wn.com/Welwyn_Garden_City
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  Welwyn Hatfield
  The Borough of Welwyn Hatfield is a local government district in southern Hertfordshire, England.
  Its covers the two towns of Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, along with numerous smaller settlements from Woolmer Green in the north to Little Heath in the south. Each of the towns has a railway station on the East Coast Main Line and they are close to the A1 road. It borders the London Borough of Enfield.
  The district was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the Welwyn Garden City urban district, with the Hatfield and Welwyn rural districts. It petitioned for borough status in 2005, which was agreed to by the Privy Council on 15 November 2005. In April 2006 a charter conferring borough status was granted, and the title of the council officially changed to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council on 22 May 2006. The first Mayor of the borough, John Hawkins, was chosen on 22 May.
  Set within the London green belt, the towns still retain something of their own identities. Welwyn Garden City has a famous heritage being one of only two Garden Cities in the country, and is uniquely both Garden City and designated New Town. They function to some extent as dormitory towns for householders who work in London. The Welwyn Viaduct is a locally important landmark.
  
  wn.com/Welwyn_Hatfield
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  Westminster Abbey
  The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English, later British and later still (and currently) monarchs of the Commonwealth realms. The abbey is a Royal Peculiar and briefly held the status of a cathedral from 1540 to 1550.
  Westminster Abbey is a collegiate church governed by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, as established by Royal charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1560, which created it as the Collegiate Church of St Peter Westminster and a Royal Peculiar under the personal jurisdiction of the Sovereign. The members of the Chapter are the Dean and four residentiary canons, assisted by the Receiver General and Chapter Clerk. One of the canons is also Rector of St Margaret's Church, Westminster, and often holds also the post of Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons. In addition to the Dean and canons, there are at present two full-time minor canons, one precentor, the other succentor. The office of Priest Vicar was created in the 1970s for those who assist the minor canons. Together with the clergy and Receiver General and Chapter Clerk, various lay officers constitute the college, including the Organist and Master of the Choristers, the Registrar, the Auditor, the Legal Secretary, the Surveyor of the Fabric, the Head Master of the Choir School, the Keeper of the Muniments and the Clerk of the Works, as well as 12 lay vicars, 10 choristers and the High Steward and High Bailiff. There are also 40 Queen's Scholars who are pupils at Westminster School (the School has its own Governing Body). Those who are most directly concerned with liturgical and ceremonial matters are the two minor canons and the organist and Master of the Choristers.
  
  wn.com/Westminster_Abbey
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  Wheathampstead
  Coordinates: 51°48′43″N 0°17′35″W / 51.812°N 0.293°W / 51.812; -0.293
  Wheathampstead is a village and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans, in Hertfordshire, England. It is north of St Albans and in the Hitchin and Harpenden parliamentary constituency.
  The population of the ward of Wheathampstead at the time of the 2001 census was recorded as 6,058. This includes several hamlets in the parish.
  Settlements in this area were made about 50 BC by Belgae invaders. They moved up the rivers Thames and Lea from what is now Belgium. Evidence for them was found in Devil's Dyke, at the eastern side of Wheathampstead. The Devil's Dyke earthworks are part of the remains of an ancient settlement of the Catuvellauni tribe and thought to have been the tribe's original capital. The capital was moved to Verlamion (which after the Roman conquest the Romans would rename Verulamium, which in turn would become modern St Albans) in about 20 BC. The Devil's Dyke is reputedly where Julius Caesar defeated Cassivellaunus in 54 BC, although this claim is disputed. Some historians suggest that the Dyke was part of the same defensive rampart as nearby Beech Bottom Dyke, which, if correct, would make the area one of the largest and most important British Iron Age settlements.
  
  wn.com/Wheathampstead

• Adam Lallana
  Adam David Lallana (born 10 May 1988) is an English footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Championship club Southampton. Born in St Albans, Lallana began his career with Southampton as a youth player in 2000. He signed professional terms in 2006, and has remained with the club since.
  Lallana was born in St Albans but moved to the Iford area of Bournemouth when he was five years old.
  Lallana was a member of the Bournemouth Centre of Excellence, where his rich potential was eventually spotted by a talent scout from Southampton, with Lallana snapped up by the then-Premier League club, joining the Saints Academy as a 12-year old in 2000. Southampton paid £3,000 compensation to Bournemouth with further payments of £5,000 and £10,000 when he signed scholarship and professional contracts respectively. The contract with Southampton provides for Bournemouth to receive 25% of any transfer fee, in addition to the payments already made.
  Lallana was involved in Southampton's FA Youth Cup squads of 2004–05 and 2005–06, when they reached the final and semi-final respectively.
  
  wn.com/Adam_Lallana
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  Alan Smith (bishop)
  Alan Gregory Clayton Smith (born 14 February 1957) is the current Bishop of St Albans, and formerly area Bishop of Shrewsbury. He is the son of Frank Eric Smith (deceased) and Rosemary Clayton Smith (née Barker).
  He was educated at Trowbridge Grammar School for Boys and the University of Birmingham where he obtained a degree in Theology. He was also awarded a MA for his thesis 'The Poetic Art of the Hebrew Prophets' in 1979 . He trained for the priesthood at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. After ordination in 1981 in Bradford Cathedral he began his career as assistant curate at St Lawrence and St Paul Pudsey. In 1984 he took up the post as Chaplain of the Lee Abbey Community, near Lynton in North Devon, where had particular responsibility for mission and the creative arts. In 1989 he was appointed as the Diocesan Missioner for Lichfield and finally (before his elevation to the Episcopate)Archdeacon of Stoke-on-Trent. While Archdeacon he was chaired the North Staffordshire Faiths in Friendship. In 2001 he was consecrated the Bishop of Shrewsbury (one of the suffragan sees in the Diocese of Lichfield). He was chair of the Shropshire Strategic Partnership from 2006-2009. and was a member of the Rural Bishops' Panel from 2006-2009. In 2002 he completed his PhD as an external student of the University of Wales (Bangor). For Lent 2006 Smith committed himself to living on the minimum wage.
  
  wn.com/Alan_Smith_(bishop)
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  Albert Moses
  Albert Moses (born 19 December 1937) is a British-based actor born near Kandy, Sri Lanka. He had begun to act by the 1960s in India where he appeared in several films, then produced and directed his first. From India, he moved to Africa where he undertook work on documentaries. From the early 1970s, in Britain, Moses played small parts in several television series before being cast as Ranjeet Singh, a Sikh from Punjab, India, in the ITV sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–79, 1986).
  Roles in film, television and theatre include work with Kirk Douglas, Oliver Reed, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Michael Caine, Sir (Thomas) Sean Connery, Charles Dance, OBE, Kenneth Williams, Benny Hill, Pamela Stephenson, and Diana Rigg.
  Moses currently works in the following capacities:
  Moses was recently^[when?] made a Knight of the Order of St John.
  
  wn.com/Albert_Moses
• Allan Prior
  Allan Prior (13 January 1922, Newcastle upon Tyne – 1 June 2006) was an English television scriptwriter and novelist, who wrote over 300 television episodes from the 1950s onwards.
  He was founder-writer of influential police drama Z-Cars with Troy Kennedy Martin and wrote five of the first ten episodes and a total of 136 episodes for Z-Cars and spin-off series Softly, Softly. He also wrote several episodes of the 1970s science-fiction series Blake's 7.
  He wrote more than thirty original plays for television, from episodes of Armchair Theatre to later works including The Charmer (1987) and A Perfect Hero (1991). In 1995 his radio play Führer was BBC Radio 4's flagship drama for its End of the War in Europe anniversary programmes.
  His daughter is the Steeleye Span singer Maddy Prior.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Allan_Prior
• Ardal O'Hanlon
  Ardal O'Hanlon (born 8 October 1965) is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.
  O'Hanlon was born in 1965 in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland, the son of Rory O'Hanlon, an Irish politician and doctor, and has five siblings. RTÉ's Who do you think you are? programme on Monday 6 October 2008 examined Ardal's family tree. He discovered that his paternal grandfather, Michael O'Hanlon, a UCD medicine student, had joined the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and was a member of Michael Collins's squad which assassinated British secret service agents on the morning of Bloody Sunday. Details of his grandfather's activities survive in UCD Archives, as well as Blackrock College. It also transpired that on his mother's side he was a close relative of Peter Fenelon Collier, the founder of Collier's Weekly and Collier's Encyclopedia.
  O'Hanlon was schooled in Blackrock College in Dublin and graduated, in 1987, from the National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin (now Dublin City University) with a degree in Communications Studies.
  
  wn.com/Ardal_O'Hanlon
• Ayan Panja
  Dr Ayan Panja (b. June 1973, Essex) is a British media doctor, medical expert, television presenter and writer.
  He is a partner in a NHS GP town centre practice in St Albans. He is a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
  Dr Ayan currently presents a new global health series for BBC World News called The Health Show.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Ayan_Panja
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  Belgae
  The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland. They gave their name to the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, and very much later, to the modern country of Belgium.
  The general consensus among linguists is that the ethnic name Belgae comes from the Proto-Celtic root *belg- or *bolg- meaning "to swell (particularly with anger/battle fury/etc.)", cognate with the Old English verb belgan, "to be angry" (from Proto-Germanic *balgiz), derived ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhelgh- "to swell, bulge, billow"). Thus, a Proto-Celtic eethnic name *Bolgī could be interpreted as "The People who Swell (particularly with anger/battle fury)".
  Julius Caesar describes Gaul at the time of his conquests (58 - 51 BC) as divided into three parts, inhabited by the Aquitani in the southwest, the Gauls of the biggest central part, who in their own language were called Celtae, and the Belgae in the north. Each of these three parts were different in terms of customs, laws and language. He noted that the Belgae, being farthest from the developed civilization of Rome and closest to Germania over the Rhine, were the bravest of the three groups, because "merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind".
  
  wn.com/Belgae
• Ben Chaplin
  Ben Chaplin (born Benedict John Greenwood; 31 July 1969), is an English actor.
  Chaplin, the youngest of four children, was born in London in 1970 (according to IMDB.com), the son of Cynthia (née Chaplin), a drama teacher, and Peter Greenwood, an engineer. He took his stage name after his mother's maiden name. He was brought up in Windsor, Berkshire, and attended Hurtwood House. At the age of 17, he enrolled in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
  After finishing his training, he moved to London full time, where he joined a repertory theatre company. Between work as a statistician for the London Transport Authority and clerical jobs, he began landing roles in BBC dramas and British films. James Ivory and Ismail Merchant cast him as a servant in The Remains of the Day.
  Chaplin first came to public attention for his performance as Matthew Malone in the first series of the sitcom Game On. After departing the series (his character was later recast with Neil Stuke) he co-starred in several films including The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, Murder By Numbers, The Touch with Michelle Yeoh, Birthday Girl and Dorian Gray (2009) as society artist Basil Hallward.
  
  wn.com/Ben_Chaplin
• Ben Richards
  Ben Richards (born 27 March 1972 in West Sussex, England) is a British stage and television actor and dancer. Richards studied dance from an early age and later took part in theatre. He gained supporting roles on London's West End and gradually filled the role of the lead. After small roles in two films, Richards began his television career with guest roles in various British serials. In 2004 he joined the regular cast of ITV drama Footballers' Wives and after the series ended he resumed theatre work. Richards went onto secure roles in Holby City and The Bill. While working on the latter, Richards said that he will always pursue his career in theatre. Upon leaving the series he returned to theatre work.
  Richards began dancing aged seven and later attended the dance college Laine Theatre Arts. Richards later began appearing in a number of productions on London's West End. He appeared in supporting roles in the productions of Radio Times, Up on the Roof, Hot Mikado and Smokey Joe's Café and Grease. In 1998 he secured his first lead role playing Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever. He later returned to the West End production of Grease, this time playing the lead character Danny Zucco. Richards made his film debut in the 1997 movie Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis and in 1999 secured a role Julie and the Cadillacs. Guest roles in the BBC television series' Doctors and Holby City. In 2002 he played Jerry in The Full Monty the following year played the Dentist in the Little Shop of Horrors.
  
  wn.com/Ben_Richards
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  Benny Hill
  Benny Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.
  Alfred Hawthorne Hill was born in Southampton and attended Taunton's School. During World War II, he was evacuated to Bournemouth.^{[citation needed]}
  After leaving school, Hill worked at Woolworth's, as a milkman, a bridge operator, a driver and a drummer before he finally got a foot in the door of the entertainment industry by becoming assistant stage manager with a touring review. He was called up in 1942 and trained as a mechanic, but transferred to the Combined Services Entertainment division before the end of the war. It was there that he met his future agent, Richard Stone, then a colonel.^{[citation needed]}
  Inspired by the "star comedians" of British music hall shows, Hill set out to make his mark in show business. For the stage, he changed his first name to 'Benny', in homage to his favourite comedian, Jack Benny. Hill began appearing at working men's clubs and Masonic dinners before moving on to nightclub and theatre jobs. Hill auditioned for Soho's famed Windmill Theatre (home of Revudeville, a popular show of singers, comedians and nude girls), but he was not hired. Hill's first job in professional theatre as a performer was as Reg Varney's straight man, beating a then unknown Peter Sellers to the role.^{[citation needed]}
  
  wn.com/Benny_Hill
• Bishop of St Albans
  The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three archdeacons.
  The diocese covers the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and parts of the London Borough of Barnet. The see is in the City of St Albans in Hertfordshire, where the cathedra (bishop's seat) is located at St Albans Cathedral. The cathedral building itself was an abbey church (part of St Albans Abbey) prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Following its purchase by the town in 1553 it was then a parish church until its elevation to cathedral status in 1877 when the diocese was created from the diocese of Rochester under Queen Victoria by the Bishopric of St. Albans Act 1875.
  The current incumbent is the Right Reverend Dr Alan Smith, 10th Bishop of St Albans, who signs + Alan St Albans. His nomination was announced by Downing Street on 13 January 2009 following the retirement of Christopher Herbert.
  
  wn.com/Bishop_of_St_Albans
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  Chris Read
  Christopher Mark Wells Read (born 10 August 1978) is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper who is the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. He has been the first-choice England wicket-keeper on numerous occasions during his career, but has never been able to hold onto the role long term.
  Read played for Devon in a NatWest Trophy match at the age of 16, and in 1997 made a single AXA Life League appearance for Gloucestershire, claiming an NBC Denis Compton Award that year. After an England A tour to Kenya and Sri Lanka in the winter - making his first-class debut in Nairobi - Read was picked up by Nottinghamshire for the 1998 season. By June he had established himself in the side and he claimed 42 dismissals that summer as well as making 401 runs.
  He toured Zimbabwe and South Africa with the A team the following winter, and in 1999 his maiden first-class century, a well-timed 160 against Warwickshire, brought him selection for the first Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston. Still not 21, Read made a good impression: although he failed with the bat, he claimed eight dismissals, six in the second innings alone. He was retained for Lord's, but suffered a very public embarrassment when he was bowled for zero, ducking what he thought was a beamer from Chris Cairns but was in fact a well-disguised slower ball. 37 in the second innings was followed by another duck at Old Trafford, and he was dropped, though he did play in the 1999/2000 One Day International series in South Africa.
  
  wn.com/Chris_Read
• Christopher Herbert
  Christopher William Herbert is a former Bishop of St Albans.
  He was born on 7 January 1944, in Lydney in the Forest of Dean. His father helped run the family road haulage business, but was also very proud of his roots as a foundryman in a local iron works.
  Bishop Christopher was educated at Monmouth School and went on to read Biblical Studies and Philosophy at the University of Wales, Lampeter. He studied for the ordained ministry at Wells Theological College, and also obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Bristol.
  He was ordained in 1967 and from 1967–71 was Assisant Curate at St Paul's, Tupsley, Hereford, and Assistant Master at the Bishop’s School in Tupsley. From 1971–76 he was Adviser in Religious Education, and from 1976–81 Director of Education, for the Diocese of Hereford. From 1981-1990 he was Vicar of St Thomas on the Bourne, near Farnham, Surrey. He was appointed Director of Post-Ordination Training and honorary canon of Guildford Cathedral before becoming Archdeacon of Dorking in 1990. He became Bishop of St Albans in 1995.
  
  wn.com/Christopher_Herbert
• Colin Blunstone
  Colin Blunstone (born Colin Edward Michael Blunstone, 24 June 1945) is an English pop singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group The Zombies, and for his participation on various albums with The Alan Parsons Project.
  He attended St Albans County Grammar School for Boys.
  Blunstone's plaintive, wistful voice was one of the factors making The Zombies' single, "She's Not There" (written by fellow band member Rod Argent), such a big hit worldwide. After the amicable split of the band, shortly after completing the baroque pop classic LP, Odessey and Oracle, Blunstone briefly worked in the insurance business before resuming his musical career. In 1969, he signed with Deram Records and cut three singles under the pseudonym of Neil MacArthur, including a re-make of The Zombies' hit, "She's Not There" which charted in the UK.
  He had some success as a solo artist, notably in 1972 with "Say You Don't Mind" (peaked at number 15 in the UK chart and written by future Wings member Denny Laine) and "I Don't Believe In Miracles" (peaked at number 31 in the UK chart and written by Argent member Russ Ballard), both with string arrangements by Christopher Gunning. Additional minor hits followed with "How Could We Dare To Be Wrong" in early 1973 (peaked at number 45 in the UK chart) and "Tracks of My Tears" in 1982 (peaked at number 60 in the UK chart).
  
  wn.com/Colin_Blunstone
• David Essex
  David Essex OBE (born David Albert Cook on 23 July 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones), and sixteen Top 40 albums. He has also had an extensive career as an actor performing on stage and screen.
  Essex was born in Plaistow, which was at that time in Essex (hence his stage name), but now falls within the borders of Greater London. His father, Albert, was an East End dock worker and his mother, Olive (née Kemp), was a self-taught pianist and an Irish Traveller. His grandfather, Thomas Kemp, was named 'Philimore' which was the anglicised version of 'Philly Mor' - being Irish for 'Big Philly'. Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town where he grew up. Essex attended Star Lane Primary School, he loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a Grammar School, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game. He was also a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while and dreamed of one day being a professional player. He then also became interested in music and played drums with a local band, before becoming a singer.
  
  wn.com/David_Essex
• Dean Austin
  Dean Austin (born 26 April 1970 in Hemel Hempstead) is an English former footballer who played as a defender.
  He started his career at St Albans and went on to play for Southend United, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. He retired after the 2002–03 season while at Woking and has since worked as a coach.
  At the age of 12, Austin managed to get on the Watford books and also played for Sunday League side Forest United. At the age of 17, he came back to Watford and played for the under-18s. He then joined non-league side St Albans City.
  Austin was signed by Southend manager David Webb from St Albans for £14,000 in 1990 and made his debut on 10 April, as the Shrimpers held Burnley to a 0–0 draw. He went on to play the last 7 games of the 1989/90 season as Southend were automatically promoted to the Third division after defeating Peterborough 2–0 on the final day of the season. He scored his first goal for the club on 4 September 1990 in the Rumblelows Cup against Aldershot. In the 1990/91 season he received an injury and was forced to miss out on the beginning of the season, but after recovering he became an integral part of the team as Southend just missed out on the Division 3 title. He scored two more goals for Southend in the 1991/92 season, both in the league. Southend had briefly topped the Second Division after the early Boxing Day games but eventually fell away to mid table in their first season at this level, ending hopes of a unqiue third successive promotion and a place in the new FA Premier League.
  
  wn.com/Dean_Austin
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  Diocletian
  Diocletian (Latin: Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus Augustus; c. 22 December 244  – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305. Born to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia, Diocletian rose through the ranks of the military to become cavalry commander to the Emperor Carus. After the deaths of Carus and his son Numerian on campaign in Persia, Diocletian was proclaimed Emperor. The title was also claimed by Carus' other surviving son, Carinus, but Diocletian defeated him in the Battle of the Margus. With his accession to power, Diocletian ended the Crisis of the Third Century. He appointed fellow officer Maximian Augustus his senior co-emperor in 285.
  
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  Eleanor Anne Ormerod
  Eleanor Anne Ormerod (11 May 1828 – 19 July 1901) was an English entomologist. She was a daughter of George Ormerod, F.R.S., author of The History of Cheshire, and was born at Sedbury Park, Gloucestershire. From early childhood insects were her interest and she had great opportunities to study them in the large estate where she grew up. She studied agriculture in general and became a local authority on it. When, in 1868, the Royal Horticultural Society began forming a collection of insect pests of the farm for practical purposes, Ormerod contributed greatly to it, and was awarded the Flora medal of the society.
  In 1877 she published a pamphlet, Notes for Observations on Injurious Insects, which was distributed to interested persons, who in turn sent in the results of their researches, resulting in a series of Annual Series of Reports on Injurious Insects and Farm Pests. In 1881 Ormerod published a special report on the turnip-fly, and in 1882 was appointed consulting entomologist to the Royal Agricultural Society, a post she held until 1892. For several years she was lecturer on scientific entomology at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.
  
  wn.com/Eleanor_Anne_Ormerod
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  Enter Shikari
  Enter Shikari are a British rock/hardcore group that combine post-hardcore and various heavy metal sub-genres such as metalcore and alternative metal with elements of various electronic genres such as electronica, dubstep, trance and occasionally drum and bass creating a very strong electronicore sound, formed in 2003 in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The band is named after a boat belonging to Roughton "Rou" Reynolds' uncle, and a character in a play which he wrote before forming the band, both of which are named Shikari. Shikari also means 'Hunter' in Marathi, Persian, Hindi, Nepali, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali. Their debut album, Take to the Skies was released on 19 March 2007 and reached #4 in the Official UK Album Chart. Their second album, titled Common Dreads, was released on 15 June 2009 and debuted on the UK Albums Chart at 16. Their third studio album, A Flash Flood of Colour was released on 16 January 2012 and was positioned at the top of the UK Album Chart for almost its entire week of release, however it eventually debuted on the chart at 4. The band are currently embarking on the A Flash Flood of Colour World Tour.
  
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  Ewan McGregor
  Ewan Gordon McGregor (born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor who has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. He is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting (1996), Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), poet Christian in the musical film Moulin Rouge! (2001), and storyteller Edward Bloom in Tim Burton's Big Fish (2003). He has also received critical acclaim for his starring roles in theatre productions of Guys and Dolls (2005–07) and Othello (2007–08). McGregor was ranked No. 36 on Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in 1997.
  Born in the Royal Infirmary in Perth, Scotland, McGregor was brought up in the nearby small town of Crieff, where he attended the independent Morrison's Academy. His mother, Carole Diane (née Lawson), is a teacher and school administrator, and his father, James Charles Stewart "Jim" McGregor, is a physical education teacher. He has an older brother, Colin, who is a former Tornado GR4 pilot in the Royal Air Force. He is the nephew of actor Denis Lawson and the late actress Sheila Gish, and the step-cousin of the late actress Lou Gish. McGregor studied drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
  
  wn.com/Ewan_McGregor
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  Francis Bacon
  Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban(s),KC (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist and author. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Although his political career ended in disgrace, he remained extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution.
  Bacon has been called the creator of empiricism. His works established and popularised inductive methodologies for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method, or simply the scientific method. His demand for a planned procedure of investigating all things natural marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, much of which still surrounds conceptions of proper methodology today.
  Bacon was knighted in 1603, and created both the Baron Verulam in 1618, and the Viscount St Alban in 1621; as he died without heirs both peerages became extinct upon his death. He famously died by contracting pneumonia while studying the effects of freezing on the preservation of meat.
  
  wn.com/Francis_Bacon
• Garth Marenghi
  Garth Marenghi is a fictional horror author and actor, created by English comedians Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, and played by Holness. To date, the character has appeared in two stage shows, the Perrier Award-nominated Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight and Perrier Award-winning Garth Marenghi's Netherhead, and the Channel 4 TV series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and Man to Man with Dean Learner.
  After winning the Perrier Award, the creators confounded media sources by refusing to speak out of character, or give real names or backgrounds. As such, early reports speak of Garth Marenghi, and his publisher, Dean Learner, in character.
  Garth Marenghi is a spoof pulp horror author; his act, and his works are considered a parody of the horror genre. The name "Garth Marenghi" is an anagram of the phrase "argh nightmare."
  The character is highly conceited, often describing himself through epithets such as "the dream weaver", "shaman", "titan of terror", "The One Man Fear Factory" and "master of the macabre." In interviews, he compares himself positively with James Joyce, Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci and Jesus.
  
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  George Gilbert Scott
  Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878) was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses. He was one of the most prolific architects that Great Britain has produced, over 800 buildings being designed or altered by him.
  Scott was the architect of many iconic buildings, including the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station, the Albert Memorial, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, all in London, the main building of the University of Glasgow, and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.
  Born in Gawcott, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, Scott was the son of a clergyman and grandson of the biblical commentator Thomas Scott. He studied architecture as a pupil of James Edmeston and, from 1832 to 1834, worked as an assistant to Henry Roberts. He also worked as an assistant for his friend Sampson Kempthorne.
  In about 1835, Scott took on William Bonython Moffatt as his assistant and later (1838–1845) as partner. Over the next 10 years Scott and Moffatt designed over 40 workhouses. Scott also designed working-class housing for Akroydon, Halifax in 1859.
  
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  Gilberto Silva
  Gilberto Aparecido da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒiɫˈbeʁtu ˈsiɫvɐ]; born 7 October 1976), commonly known as Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Grêmio as a midfielder.
  Gilberto was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good form earned him a move to Atlético Mineiro in 2000. He became a star player for Atlético, playing for three years in the Brazilian Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. He came to particular prominence when he helped the Brazilian national team win the 2002 FIFA World Cup, playing in all seven of Brazil's matches.
  In August 2002, for a fee of £4.5 million, he joined Arsenal, with whom he won the 2004 FA Premier League as an 'Invincible', and two FA Cup trophies. In his first five seasons with the club, he played 208 games and scored 23 goals. On 19 August 2006 he scored Arsenal's first competitive goal at the newly built Emirates Stadium. He was made vice-captain of Arsenal in 2006. He has also scored Arsenal's fastest ever goal coming in at just 20 seconds in a game against PSV in the champions league. During his time with the Gunners, Gilberto developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe. In 2007, he was selected as Brazil captain for the Copa América tournament, which Brazil went on to win.
  
  wn.com/Gilberto_Silva
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  Helen Wyman
  Helen Wyman (born 4 March 1981St Albans, Hertfordshire) is a British cyclist for the KONA/FSA Factory Team. She participates in both road cycling as cyclo-cross and since she began competing at the age of 14, Wyman has represented her country at many international events including World Cups and World Championships. In 2006 she became British national champion in cyclo-cross, a title she has now won 5 years consecutivley.
  
  wn.com/Helen_Wyman
• Herbert Mundin
  Herbert Mundin (21 August 1898 – 5 March 1939) was an English-born Hollywood character actor. He was frequently typecast in films as an older cheeky eccentric, a type helped by his jowled features and cheerful disposition.
  He was born Herbert Thomas Mundin in St Helens, then in Lancashire (now part of Merseyside). His father was a nomadic, Primitive Methodist home missionary. His family moved within a short time of his birth to St Albans in Hertfordshire (the 1901 census data reveal that the family lived at St Helens Villa, Paxton Road, St Albans; his parents William and Jane apparently naming their house after the town where they first met and where Herbert was born).
  Mundin was educated at St Albans School, and joined the Royal Navy during World War I. He began his acting career on the London stage during the 1920s. Mundin first travelled to America on 18 December 1923 for a series of theatrical engagements in New York. He sailed from Southampton on the RMS Aquitania and described himself in ship’s passenger manifest as 5'7" tall with a fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes and a scar over his left eye. His big break as an actor was arguably with Gertrude Lawrence and Beatrice Lillie in Charlot's Revue when it appeared on Broadway in 1925.
  
  wn.com/Herbert_Mundin
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  Ian Holloway
  Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English football manager and former player. He became the manager of Blackpool in May 2009, and has guided the club to The Championship play-offs in both of their seasons in the division during his tenure, the first resulting in promotion to the Premier League. Holloway is well-known amongst football fans for his off-the-wall interviews, with a wide selection of quotes and soundbites being printed. Holloway's playing career spanned 18 years from 1981 to 1999. A midfielder, he began his career at hometown club Bristol Rovers in 1981, going on to play for Wimbledon, Brentford, Torquay United (on loan), back to Bristol Rovers for a second spell, Queens Park Rangers and, finally, a third spell back at Bristol Rovers, where he became player-manager before ending his playing career in 1999. Before his current job as Blackpool manager, he had also previously managed QPR, Plymouth Argyle and Leicester City. He is known by the nickname "Ollie", which is also the title of his autobiography.
  
  wn.com/Ian_Holloway
• Ian Ridley
  Ian Ridley (15 February 1934 – 13 November 2008) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the VFL.
  Ridley was a rover who was handy around goals and a 5 time premiership player with Melbourne. He topped Melbourne's goalkicking in 1960 with 38 goals and went on to coach the club during the 1970s. From 1991 until 1996 he served as the President of Melbourne Football Club. Although a well loved player, he lost his popularity with his huge push for the Demons to merge with Hawthorn. After the merger was defeated, he was replaced with Joseph Gutnick. He was named as an emergency in their official 'Team of the Century'.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Ian_Ridley
• James Runcie
  The Hon. James Runcie (born 1959) is a British novelist, documentary film-maker, television producer, theatre director, and Artistic Director of the Bath Literature Festival.
  Runcie is the son of Robert Runcie, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and Rosalind Runcie. He was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford,Marlborough College, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He gained a first class degree in English from Cambridge University in 1981.
  From 1983–1985, Runcie worked in Radio Drama for BBC Scotland as a writer and director. His work included Miss Julie, The White Devil, Roderick Hudson, Men Should Weep, and A Private Grief.
  More recently, James Runcie has produced Arts, Music, and History programmes for the BBC. He is a freelance director of documentary films, and has produced documentaries such as My Father, filmed a week before Robert Runcie's death, and a six-part series How Buildings Learn. He works freelance for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. He has worked with presenters including David Starkey, Griff Rhys Jones, Andrew Motion, Alain de Botton, and Simon Schama.
  
  wn.com/James_Runcie
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  Jim Rodford
  James Walter "Jim" Rodford (born 7 July 1941,St Albans, Hertfordshire, England) is a musician who played with The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans and was a founding member of Argent. Rodford played in The Animals II for two years, leaving to join the reformation of The Zombies in 2001; he also works with a group of former Kinks members, in The Kast Off Kinks.
  In the late 1950s, and early 1960s he was a member of The Bluetones, the biggest band in St.Albans at the time. Later, although he did not become a band member at this stage, Rodford was instrumental in helping his younger cousin Rod Argent form The Zombies in 1964.
  Rodford later joined the Mike Cotton Sound as bass guitarist.
  Along with Rod Argent, Rodford was one of the founding members of Argent. When Rod Argent quit the band, the remaining three members (Rodford, Henrit and Verity) formed the short-lived band Phoenix. Eventually, Rodford joined The Kinks, as bassist, in 1978, and played with them until their final disintegration in 1996.
  
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  John Ball (priest)
  John Ball (c. 1338 – 15 July 1381) was an English Lollard priest who took a prominent part in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. In that year, Ball gave a sermon in which he asked the rhetorical question, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?".
  He was born and lived in St. Albans, Hertfordshire and subsequently at Colchester during the Black Death. He also lived in Kent at the time of the 1381 rebellion. What is recorded of his adult life comes from hostile sources liable to exaggerate his political and Christian radicalism. He is said to have gained considerable fame as a roving preacher — a "hedge priest" without a parish or any cure linking him to the established order — by expounding the doctrines of John Wycliffe, and especially by his insistence on social equality.
  His utterances brought him into conflict with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was thrown in prison on several occasions. He also appears to have been excommunicated; owing to which, in 1366 it was forbidden for anyone to hear him preach. These measures, however, did not moderate his opinions, nor diminish his popularity; his words had a considerable effect in fomenting a riot which broke out in June 1381. The chroniclers were convinced of widespread conspiracy implanted before the spontaneous uprising occurred, with the watchword "John the Miller grinds small, small, small" and the response "The King's son of heaven shall pay for all."
  
  wn.com/John_Ball_(priest)
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  John Gosling
  John Gosling (born 6 February 1948, Paignton, Devon, England), is an English classically trained organist and pianist.
  Gosling joined The Kinks in 1970. He later formed a production company with Dave Davies at Konk Records, for which they produced three albums. Gosling left with replacement bassist Andy Pyle in 1978 to form his own band Network, who recorded an (unreleased) album for Phonogram. Until recently, he performed with The Kast Off Kinks, a line-up which also featured ex-Kink members Mick Avory and John Dalton. He also teaches music in a school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.
  
  wn.com/John_Gosling
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  John Hartson
  John Hartson (born 5 April 1975) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a striker from 1992 until 2008 notably in the Scottish Premier League for Celtic and the Premier League for Arsenal and West Ham United.
  He also played in England's top flight for Wimbledon, Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion and in the Football League for Luton Town and Norwich City. Hartson also featured prominently for Wales, earning 51 caps, scoring 14.
  Hartson was born on 5 April 1975 in Swansea, as the third of four children to Cyril and Diana Hartson. Cyril had also played football for local team Afan Lido. Hartson grew up in Talycoppa, Swansea, alongside his elder brother James, elder sister Hayley and younger sister Victoria. As a youngster Hartson represented Lonlas Boys' Club in Skewen, playing his first match aged six. He joined Luton Town's Youth Training Scheme at the age of sixteen but was suspended four months later for stealing a bank card from the son of a couple with whom he was lodging. He used the card to withdraw £50 in order to fund his gambling addiction. Hartson was suspended and sent home to Swansea but was reinstated by Luton shortly afterwards and allowed to resume his apprenticeship.
  
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  John Mandeville
  "Jehan de Mandeville", translated as "Sir John Mandeville", is the name claimed by the compiler of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a book account of his supposed travels, written in Anglo-Norman French, and first circulated between 1357 and 1371.
  By aid of translations into many other languages it acquired extraordinary popularity. Despite the extremely unreliable and often fantastical nature of the travels it describes, it was used as a work of reference — Christopher Columbus, for example, was heavily influenced by both this work and Marco Polo's earlier Il Milione (Adams 53).
  In his preface the compiler calls himself a knight, and states that he was born and bred in England, of the town of St Albans. Although the book is real, it is widely believed that 'Sir John Mandeville' himself was not. Common theories point to a Frenchman by the name of Jehan a la Barbe (or other possibilities discussed below).
  The most recent scholarly work suggests that The Travels of Sir John Mandeville was “the work of Jan de Langhe, a Fleming who wrote in Latin under the name Johannes Longus and in French as Jean le Long.” Jan de Langhe was born in Ypres early in the 1300s and by 1334 had become a Benedictine monk at the abbey of Saint-Bertin in Saint-Omer which was about 20 miles from Calais. After studying law at the University of Paris, de Langhe returned to the abbey and was elected abbot in 1365. He was a prolific writer and avid collector of travelogues, right up to his death in 1383.
  
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  John Motson
  John Walker Motson OBE (born 10 July 1945, Salford), also known as Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio.
  The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated at Culford School, near Bury St Edmunds. Culford is a public school where football was generally frowned upon at the time and rugby union, hockey and cricket are the major sports.
  Motson's career began in the newspaper business as a reporter on the Barnet Press and the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, where he first covered football. It began to take off when the BBC hired him in 1968 as a sports presenter on Radio 2. Three years later, he replaced Kenneth Wolstenholme at Match of the Day. After initially having a small role on MOTD, Motson covered the famous FA cup third round replay between Hereford United and Newcastle United on 5 February 1972, which the BBC anticipated as a five minute segment following their two main games. Non-league Hereford won the match 2-1; it became the main featured game on the show and launched Motson's career.
  
  wn.com/John_Motson
• John Sessions
  John Gibb Marshall (born 11 January 1953), better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.
  Sessions was born in Largs, and spent some of his earliest years in Kempston, Bedfordshire and St Albans, Hertfordshire. He has an elder brother and a twin sister. Sessions is openly gay. His name change occurred when he became a performer, owing to the presence of a John Marshall on the Equity register already. He graduated with an M.A. in English literature from Bangor University, where he had begun to appear to audiences with his comedy in shows such as "Look back in Bangor" and "Marshall Arts". He later studied for a PhD from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, although he did not complete the doctorate.
  This period in his life was unhappy. In a 'Worst of Times' column for The Independent from around 1990, he talked of how the freezing Canadian weather had depressed him, he was smoking 'far too many cigarettes', 'had a couple of disastrous flings' and described his PhD dissertation as '200 pages of rubbish'.
  
  wn.com/John_Sessions
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  Julian Perretta
  Julian Remo Perretta (born 13 January 1989) is an English singer-songwriter, best known for his song, "Wonder Why".
  Perretta was born in London to an Italian father and Irish mother. Perretta left school at 16 after gaining a scholarship for Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, which he left after a year to pursue a career as a songwriter. He currently lives in Miami, FL.
  Shortly after leaving school, he met the members of the band Jamiroquai and began working on demos.
  In May 2008, he joined producer Mark Ronson on a European tour, singing the Smiths' song, "Stop Me". In November 2009, Beyoncé invited Perretta to be special guest on her "I Am" UK Arena Tour.
  In 2010, Universal Music Group, signed the Brit.
  Perretta is managed by Serge Khalifa and Raphael Aflalo, of My Love Affair Management/ F**k Me I'm Famous, a company launched by Kathy and David Guetta.
  In October 2010 the singer performed on French television shows, Le Grand Journal and Taratata.
  While he is British, the singer found first success outside of the UK, especially in France, The Netherlands and Germany.
  
  wn.com/Julian_Perretta
• Justin Somper
  Justin Somper is the British author of the Vampirates children's novel series.
  He was born in St Albans and graduated from the University of Warwick. He worked as a publicist before starting his writing career.
  Short Story: Dead Deep (2007) Short story created for World Book Day 2007, available online. The story takes place after Demons of the Ocean. And before Tide of Terror
  
  wn.com/Justin_Somper
• Kate Allan
  Kate Allan (born 1975) is British historical romance novelist.
  Allan was educated at the all-girls' Bedford High School and Repton School where she was a contemporary of actors Tom Chambers and Nicholas Burns. In 1997 she graduated from the University of York with a BA in history. She is member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Historical Novels Society, the Society of Authors, and Verulam Writers' Circle.
  She was shortlisted for the 2005 Joan Hessayon New Writers Award. She is co-author of The Lady Soldier by Jennifer Lindsay.
  
  wn.com/Kate_Allan
• Kurt Jackson
  Kurt Jackson (born 1961) is an English painter whose large canvases reflect a concern with natural history, ecology and environmental issues. Born in Blandford, Dorset, he developed an early interest in natural history and landscape. He studied zoology at St Peter's College, Oxford, but spent most of his time attending classes at The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art or painting in the countryside around Oxford. In 1984 he and his wife Caroline Jackson moved to Cornwall; currently he lives and works near St Just, Penwith.
  He paints in mixed media, drawing inspiration from the Cornish landscape around Penwith and elsewhere in Britain and abroad. Appearances on British television include 'Kurt Jackson, A Picture of Cornwall' BBC1 South West, 2005 and 'Kurt Jackson, A Picture of the South West', BBC3, 2005.
  He has been Artist in Residence on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza at the Eden Project and at Glastonbury Festival since 1999. He has an Honorary Doctorate (DLitt) from Exeter University and is an Honorary Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford University. He is an ambassador for Survival International and frequently works with Friends of the Earth, WaterAid, Oxfam, Surfers Against Sewage and Cornwall Wildlife Trust. He is represented by the Lemon Street Gallery, Truro and by Redfern Gallery, in Cork Street, London. He is an academician at the Royal West of England Academy.
  
  wn.com/Kurt_Jackson
• Les Ferdinand
  Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE (born 8 December 1966 in Paddington, London) is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Beşiktaş, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England. He became the first player to score for 6 different Premier League clubs.
  He is the cousin of current Premier League players Rio and Anton Ferdinand and his son Aaron currently plays for Harrow Borough in the Isthmian League. He also has a daughter, Lauren. Popularly nicknamed Sir Les, he was made an MBE in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours.
  On 5 November 2008 Ferdinand joined fellow ex-Spur Tim Sherwood on the coaching staff of Tottenham Hotspur, utilising his experience to work with the strikers.
  Ferdinand is the joint fifth highest scorer of all time in the Premier League with 149 goals.
  Ferdinand started his career in non-league football, first at AEL (a KOPA Cypriot team in England) then to Southall then moving to Hayes. He was spotted by Queens Park Rangers and moved there for £30,000.
  
  wn.com/Les_Ferdinand
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  Luke Roberts
  Luke Roberts (born 25 January 1977) is an Australian racing cyclist specialising in both track cycling and road bicycle racing, on Team Saxo Bank for road racing.
  Born in Adelaide, South Australia, he resides both in Adelaide and in Cologne, Germany. Coming from a cycle racing family, he started competitive cycling at the age of 13, and turned professional in 2002. He was a was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. and a member of the Comnet Senges team (2002–2004), and of Team CSC from 2005 to 2007. As a team and individual pursuit specialist, holding an Olympic gold medal and World record with the Australian Pursuit team at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he contributes particularly to the success of his team in time trial events.
  In 2003 he was awarded the title of Australian Male Track Cyclist of the Year. In 2005 he was awarded the Order of Australia medal in the Australia Day Honours List. In 2002, 2003 and 2004 he was a World Champion Team pursuit, and won the silver medal in 2002 and 2003 for the World Individual Pursuit Championship.
  
  wn.com/Luke_Roberts
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  Maddy Prior
  Madeleine E. "Maddy" Prior (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.
  Born in Blackpool, Prior moved in her teens to St Albans, where she befriended the young Donovan Leitch and Mac MacLeod in The Cock pub . She later formed a duo with MacLeod called 'Mac & Maddy'. She became a roadie for visiting American musicians, including Reverend Gary Davis. They gave her useful advice about singing British folk songs instead of American songs.
  Maddy's father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police drama Z-Cars, and wrote Stookie, a 6-part series for television, about a boy with his arm in a sling. Maddy sang the title song, which was released as a single in 1985. It reappeared on the Steeleye Span album A Rare Collection 1972 – 1996.
  After a brief stint with Mac MacLeod in 'Mac & Maddy' (another act formed at The Cock Pub), by 1966 she began performing with Tim Hart, another St Albans resident, and together they recorded two albums before becoming founding members of Steeleye Span in 1969. They were the backbone of the group until the early 1980s when ill-health forced Hart into semi-retirement. Apart from the tambourine and spoons, Prior doesn't play an instrument, but she always gives a sprightly performance of her individual dances. In 1974 Ralph McTell wrote "Maddy Dances" in her honour, included on his album "Easy".
  
  wn.com/Maddy_Prior
• Mark Lawson
  Mark Gerard Lawson (born 11 April 1962) is an English journalist, broadcaster and author.
  Born in Hendon, London, Lawson was raised in Yorkshire and is a Leeds United fan and a Northampton Town FC season ticket holder. He was educated at St Columba's College in St Albans and took a degree in English at University College London, where his lecturers included John Sutherland and A. S. Byatt. He currently lives near Towcester.
  Lawson has been a freelance contributor to numerous publications since 1984, beginning on The Universe in that year, and for The Times from 1984 to 1986. He has written a column for The Guardian since 1995, having previously written for The Independent (1986–95), and has twice been TV Critic of the Year as well as winning many other journalism awards. However, his Guardian journalism has not been universally admired and Richard Gott, a former colleague, has commented that the "prevalence of the bland and the obsequious" on The Guardian is typified by Lawson's "embedded presence".
  
  wn.com/Mark_Lawson
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  Matthew Holness
  Matthew James Holness (born 1975) is an English comedian and actor.
  Born in Whitstable, Kent, Holness attended Chaucer Technology School in Canterbury and read English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. As a member of the Footlights, he was involved with and appeared in a number of shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the mid nineties. He also served as vice-president when David Mitchell was president and his contemporaries included Robert Webb and Richard Ayoade. He continued his studies at Cambridge and finished a MA, graduating in absentia due to his comedy work.
  Before he was on television, he played Bob Fossil and was the first choice for the role, however contract limitations between Channel 4 (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace) and the BBC (Mighty Boosh) saw Rich Fulcher take the role permanently, in The Mighty Boosh stage show. He is currently the only regular cast member (of six) from the TV version of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace who has yet to feature in the TV version of The Mighty Boosh. He is the only main character from Darkplace (of four) not to have appeared in The IT Crowd.
  
  wn.com/Matthew_Holness
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  Matthew Macfadyen
  David Matthew Macfadyen (born 17 October 1974) is an English actor, known for his role as MI5 intelligence officer Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks (also known as MI-5) and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
  Macfadyen was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, the son of Meinir (née Owen), a drama teacher and former actress, and Martin Macfadyen, an oil worker. His paternal grandparents were Scottish and his maternal grandparents were natives of Wales. Macfadyen was brought up in several locations, including Jakarta, Indonesia, because of his father's profession. He attended schools in England (including in Louth, Lincolnshire), Scotland and Indonesia, and went to Oakham School in Rutland, before being accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at age 17.
  After having studied at the RADA from 1992 to 1995, Macfadyen quickly became a well-known actor in British theatre due primarily to his work with the stage company Cheek by Jowl, for whom he played Antonio in The Duchess of Malfi, Charles Surface in The School for Scandal, and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. His Benedick was particularly memorable, played as an officer-class buffoon with a moustache and a braying laugh. In 2005, he played to further great acclaim the part of Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts One and Two at the Royal National Theatre, with Michael Gambon in the role of Falstaff. In 2007, he returned to the stage, portraying an American, Clay, a stay at home father with a liberal attitude in the play The Pain and the Itch.
  
  wn.com/Matthew_Macfadyen
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  Matthew Paris
  Matthew Paris (Latin: Matthæus Parisiensis, lit. "Matthew the Parisian"; c. 1200 – 1259) was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire. He wrote a number of works, mostly historical, which he scribed and illuminated himself, typically in drawings partly coloured with watercolour washes, sometimes called "tinted drawings". Some were written in Latin, some in Anglo-Norman or French verse. His Chronica Majora is an oft-cited source, though modern historians recognize that Paris was not always reliable. He tended to glorify Emperor Frederick II and denigrate the Pope.
  In spite of his surname and knowledge of the French language, Paris was of English birth, and is believed by some historians to be of the Paris family of Hildersham, Cambridgeshire. He may have studied at Paris in his youth after early education at St Albans School. The first we know of Matthew Paris (from his own writings) is that he was admitted as a monk to St Albans in 1217. It is on the assumption that he was in his teens on admission that his birth date is estimated; some scholars suspect he may have been ten years or more older; many monks only entered monastic life after pursuing a career in the world outside. He was clearly at ease with the nobility and even royalty, which may indicate that he came from a family of some status, although it also seems an indication of his personality. His life was mainly spent in this religious house. In 1248, Paris was sent to Norway as the bearer of a message from Louis IX to Haakon IV; he made himself so agreeable to the Norwegian sovereign that he was invited to superintend the reformation of the Benedictine monastery of Nidarholm outside Trondheim.
  
  wn.com/Matthew_Paris
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  Maximian
  Maximian (Latin: Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius Augustus; c. 250 – c. July 310) was Roman Emperor from 286 to 305. He was Caesar from 285 to 286, then Augustus from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn. Maximian established his residence at Trier but spent most of his time on campaign. In the late summer of 285, he suppressed rebels in Gaul known as the Bagaudae. From 285 to 288, he fought against Germanic tribes along the Rhine frontier. Together with Diocletian, he launched a scorched earth campaign deep into Alamannic territory in 288, temporarily relieving the Rhine provinces from the threat of Germanic invasion.
  The man he appointed to police the Channel shores, Carausius, rebelled in 286, causing the secession of Britain and northwestern Gaul. Maximian failed to oust Carausius, and his invasion fleet was destroyed by storms in 289 or 290. Maximian's subordinate, Constantius, campaigned against Carausius' successor, Allectus, while Maximian held the Rhine frontier. The rebel leader was ousted in 296, and Maximian moved south to combat piracy near Hispania and Berber incursions in Mauretania. When these campaigns concluded in 298, he departed for Italy, where he lived in comfort until 305. At Diocletian's behest, Maximian abdicated on May 1, 305, gave the Augustan office to Constantius, and retired to southern Italy.
  
  wn.com/Maximian
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  Mercia
  Mercia ( /ˈmɜrsiə/, /ˈmɜrʃə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people".
  Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys and the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex and East Anglia.
  The name Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies; and occurs as a female given name.
  Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Also, Mercia developed an effective political structure and adopted Christianity later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, P. Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley.
  
  wn.com/Mercia
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  Michael Morpurgo
  Michael Morpurgo, OBE,FKC, AKC (born 5 October 1943) is an English author, poet, playwright and librettist, best known for his work in children's literature. He was the third Children's Laureate.
  Michael Morpurgo was educated at schools in central London, Devon, Sussex and Kent; his unhappy experiences at boarding school would inform his novel The Butterfly Lion, one of his more famous works. He attended the independent prep school Mount House in Devon until he was 13. He then went to The King's School, an independent school in Canterbury, and while there he was once described as being "rather stupid but great at rugby". He later trained for the British Army at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He then took up a teaching job.^{[citation needed]} He graduated with a 3rd class degree in English and French from King's College London
  Morpurgo's first job was as a primary school teacher, in Kent. In his late twenties, while he was teaching, he discovered his talent for storytelling, of which he later said "I could see there was magic in it for them, and realized there was magic in it for me."
  
  wn.com/Michael_Morpurgo
• Minhyong Kim
  Minhyong Kim is a South Korean mathematician who specialises in arithmetical algebraic geometry. He received his PhD at Yale University in 1990 under the supervision of Serge Lang and Barry Mazur, going on to work in a number of universities, including M.I.T., Columbia, Arizona, Purdue, the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, and UCL (University College London). He is currently Professor of Number Theory and Fellow of Merton College at the University of Oxford, and holds the Yun-san Chair in Mathematics at the Pohang University of Science and Technology.
  His most notable contribution to number theory has been the application of arithmetic homotopy to the study of Diophantine problems, especially to finiteness theorems of the Faltings–Siegel type.
  
  wn.com/Minhyong_Kim
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  Nicholas Breakspear
  Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100 – 1 September 1159), born Nicholas Breakspear or Breakspeare, was Pope from 1154 to 1159.
  Adrian IV has been the only Englishman so far to occupy the papal chair. It is generally believed that Nicholas Breakspear was born at Breakspear Farm in the parish of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire and received his early education at the Abbey School, St Albans (St Albans School).
  His father was Robert, who later became a monk at St Albans. Nicholas himself, however, was refused admission to the monastery, being told by the abbot to "wait to go on with his schooling so that he might be considered more suitable" (Abbey chronicles). In the event, he did not wait and went instead to Paris and finally became a canon regular of the cloister of St. Rufus monastery near Arles. He rose to be prior and soon thereafter was unanimously elected abbot. This election has been traditionally dated to 1137, but evidence from the abbey's chronicles suggests it occurred about 1145.
  His reforming zeal as abbot led to the lodging of complaints against him at Rome; but these merely attracted to him the favourable attention of Pope Eugene III, who created him Cardinal Bishop of Albano in December 1149.
  
  wn.com/Nicholas_Breakspear
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  Nicole Kidman
  Nicole Mary Kidman, AC (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian actress, singer, film producer, and humanitarian. Kidman began her career in 1983, starring in various Australian film and television productions until her breakthrough in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm. Following several films over the early 1990s, she came to worldwide recognition for her performances in Days of Thunder (1990), Far and Away (1992), and Batman Forever (1995). Kidman followed this with other successful films in the late 1990s. It was her performance in the musical, Moulin Rouge! (2001) which earned Kidman her second Golden Globe Award and first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her performance as Virginia Woolf the following year in the drama film The Hours (2002) received critical acclaim and earned Kidman the Academy Award for Best Actress.
  Kidman's other notable films include To Die For (1995), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Cold Mountain (2003), The Interpreter (2005), and Australia (2008). Her performance in 2010's Rabbit Hole (which she also produced) earned Kidman further accolades including a subsequent Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Kidman has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 1994 and for UNIFEM since 2006. Kidman's work has earned her a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Golden Globe Awards, one BAFTA, and an Academy Award. In 2006, Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest civilian honor, and was also the highest-paid actress in the motion picture industry. As a result of being born to Australian parents in Hawaii, Kidman has dual citizenship in Australia and the United States.
  
  wn.com/Nicole_Kidman
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  Nigel Gibbs
  Nigel James Gibbs (born 20 November 1965 in St Albans), is a former English footballer. A Watford supporter, as well as a product of their youth system, Gibbs spent his entire professional career as a right back for the club. He was voted Watford F.C. Player of the Season in 1992, and later captained them. In addition, Gibbs played nine times for the England youth team, and five times for England under-21s. Upon retiring as a player in 2002, Gibbs stayed on as manager at Watford, primarily working with the youth and reserve teams. He took charge of the first team for a week following Ray Lewington's sacking as manager, but in turn was dismissed by incoming manager Aidy Boothroyd just before the start of pre-season training the following season, a decision which angered and distressed a significant proportion of the Watford fanbase, much to the annoyance of the then Chairman, Graham Simpson who regarded any questioning of his management teams decisions a sign of disloyalty to the new regime he was imposing. After taking a year off to acquire the UEFA Pro Licence, Gibbs joined Reading as a youth manager in 2006, reaching his current position of assistant manager in 2009–10.
  
  wn.com/Nigel_Gibbs
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  Nigel Marven
  Nigel Marven (United Kingdom, 27 November 1960) is a British wildlife presenter, television producer, author, and ornithologist.
  Marven studied botany at Bristol University until the age of 22 when he left to begin his career at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol. Over the following years he worked firstly as a wildlife documentary researcher for such programmes as My Family and Other Animals then went on to produce such series as The Land of the Russian Bear. He enjoyed a 12-year professional collaboration with David Attenborough whom he holds in high esteem. In 1998, he moved to ITV where, to his surprise, he found himself being asked to present wildlife documentaries as well as producing them.
  He is known^{[citation needed]} for his unorthodox, spontaneous, and daring style of presenting wildlife documentaries as well as for including factual knowledge into the proceedings. This has led some people to compare him to Steve Irwin^{[citation needed]}. In his first television series for ITV, Giants, he swam with a great white shark without the protection of a cage. Other scenes included him having a goliath birdeater spider, arguably the largest spider in the world, walk over his face, and grappling with a fifteen-foot rock python deep in its underground lair. This style of presenting has won him many viewers^{[citation needed]} to his succeeding series and to date he has presented 21 wildlife series for TV.
  
  wn.com/Nigel_Marven
• Olivia Allison
  Olivia Federici (nee Allison)(b. February 13, 1990 in Plymouth ) is a British synchronized swimmer.
  Her most notable achievements to date are winning four consecutive gold medals at the British Synchronized Swimming Championships from 2004 to 2007. She has competed at numerous European and World Championships and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she finished in 14th position in the duet event. Following the recent 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, in which she participated with Jenna Randall who has been her partner since before the 2006 Commonwealth Games, she is currently ranked 8th in the duet. Olivia won the silver medal in the duet competition at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and has been selected to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the duet and team events. Olivia Allison married to Roberto Federici on 28 July 2011 in St.Albans.
  
  
  
  wn.com/Olivia_Allison
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  Peter Mensah
  Peter Mensah (born on 27 August 1959 in Accra, Ghana), is an English/Ghanaian actor, best known for his roles in Tears of the Sun and 300, and more recently on the Starz original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, and Spartacus: Vengeance.
  Mensah comes from an academic family. He was born in Ghana, to parents of the Ashanti people, but he moved to Hertfordshire, England, with his father (an engineer), his mother (a writer) and two younger sisters at a young age. Mensah moved to Canada 11 years ago. He emigrated from Britain to see the world and it was a toss-up whether his destination would be Canada or Australia. The paperwork for Canada came through first.
  Mensah's film credits include Avatar, 300, Hidalgo, Tears of the Sun, Jason X, Harvard Man, Bless the Child and The Incredible Hulk. He also stars in the short film The Seed, produced and directed by Linkin Park's DJ Joe Hahn. He has made television appearances in Star Trek: Enterprise, Tracker, Witchblade, Blue Murder, Relic Hunter, Earth: Final Conflict, Highlander: The Raven, Final Destination, and La Femme Nikita. He was a member of the repertory cast of the A&E Network series A Nero Wolfe Mystery.
  
  wn.com/Peter_Mensah
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  Photek
  Rupert Parkes (born 1972, St Albans, England), known as Photek, is a Los Angeles-based British record producer and DJ. He joined the drum and bass scene relatively early (his first release was in 1992, a collaboration with Rob Solomon a.k.a. Lexis), and is still one of its most respected players. In the mid-to-late Nineties he was a very active remixer, and he has also done some soundtrack work, most notably for The Animatrix.
  His early tracks are somewhat ambient, but already feature the rhythm pattern of his seminal 1997 work Modus Operandi, which embodies most of his mid-nineties style: atmospheric, but at the same time very cold and paranoid, consisting mostly of jazz-influenced, highly complex drum patterns and sequenced double bass lines, sometimes with minimalistic synth melodies on top. Photek is also influenced by traditional Japanese music and culture, with song titles as "Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu (2 Swords Technique)" (named after the Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu technique) and "The Seven Samurai" (named after the movie of the same name).
  
  wn.com/Photek
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  Pope Adrian IV
  Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100 – 1 September 1159), born Nicholas Breakspear or Breakspeare, was Pope from 1154 to 1159.
  Adrian IV has been the only Englishman so far to occupy the papal chair. It is generally believed that Nicholas Breakspear was born at Breakspear Farm in the parish of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire and received his early education at the Abbey School, St Albans (St Albans School).
  His father was Robert, who later became a monk at St Albans. Nicholas himself, however, was refused admission to the monastery, being told by the abbot to "wait to go on with his schooling so that he might be considered more suitable" (Abbey chronicles). In the event, he did not wait and went instead to Paris and finally became a canon regular of the cloister of St. Rufus monastery near Arles. He rose to be prior and soon thereafter was unanimously elected abbot. This election has been traditionally dated to 1137, but evidence from the abbey's chronicles suggests it occurred about 1145.
  His reforming zeal as abbot led to the lodging of complaints against him at Rome; but these merely attracted to him the favourable attention of Pope Eugene III, who created him Cardinal Bishop of Albano in December 1149.
  
  wn.com/Pope_Adrian_IV
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  Queen Victoria
  Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.
  Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke of Kent and the King died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne at the age of 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died without surviving legitimate issue. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the Sovereign held relatively few direct political powers. Privately, she attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments. Publicly, she became a national icon, and was identified with strict standards of personal morality.
  She married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children and 26 of their 34 grandchildren who survived childhood married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign, her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.
  
  wn.com/Queen_Victoria
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  Ralph Chubb
  Ralph Nicholas Chubb (8 February 1892 - 14 January 1960) was an English poet, printer, and artist. Heavily influenced by Whitman, Blake, and the Romantics, his work was the creation of a highly intricate personal mythology, one that was anti-materialist and sexually revolutionary.
  Ralph Chubb was born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. His family moved to the historic town of St Albans before his first birthday. Chubb attended St Albans School and Selwyn College, Cambridge before becoming an officer in the First World War. He served with distinction but developed neurasthenia, and he was invalided out in 1918.
  From 1919 to 1922 Chubb studied at the Slade School of Art in London. It was there that he met Leon Underwood and other influential artists. He went on to contribute several articles and poems for Underwood's magazine, The Island. Although his work was displayed at such venues as the Goupil Gallery and the Royal Academy of Art, his paintings did not sell. There are several in public collections in Britain. His major painting The Well (1920) is in Wakefield; Southhampton has bathers with boys wrestling, and there are nudes at Leamington, all illustrated in the Public Art Foundation catalogues. He moved with his family to the village of Curridge, near Newbury in Berkshire. He began to devote his artistic talents to the printed works which would remain his chief labor in life.
  
  wn.com/Ralph_Chubb
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  Robert Runcie
  Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, PC, MC (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991.
  Runcie was born and spent his early life in Great Crosby, Merseyside, to middle class and rather non-religious parents. He initially attended St Luke's Church, Crosby (where he was confirmed in 1936), before switching to the Anglo-Catholic St Faith's Church about a mile down the road. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby, before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford.
  He earned a commission in the Scots Guards during World War II, serving as a tank commander and earning the Military Cross for two feats of bravery in March 1945: he rescued one of his men from a crippled tank under heavy enemy fire, and the next day took his own tank into an exceptionally exposed position in order to knock out three anti-tank guns. As a result, he is unique among modern Archbishops of Canterbury in having killed fellow human beings. In May 1945, he was among the first British troops to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
  
  wn.com/Robert_Runcie
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  Rod Argent
  Rod Argent (born Rodney Terence Argent, 14 June 1945, St Albans, Hertfordshire, England) is an English rock musician and a founding member of the 1960s English pop group The Zombies and the 1970s band Argent.
  While at St Albans School, he met Paul Atkinson and Hugh Grundy. The three joined with Colin Blunstone and Chris White to form The Zombies. As a child he sang as a boy chorister in St Albans Cathedral Choir.
  In addition to playing piano and keyboards in the group, Argent was (with White) one of the group's two main songwriters, penning the hits "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", and "Time of the Season", amongst others.
  Argent was initially the group's lead singer, with Blunstone on guitar. When Argent's keyboard talents became apparent, he became the group's full-time keyboard player, conceding the role of lead singer to Blunstone.
  After The Zombies split, he went on to form Argent, who had a hit album in 1972 with All Together Now, which contained the single "Hold Your Head Up". They also recorded the original version of the rock anthem "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", written by lead singer Russ Ballard, which was later covered by other artists, including Petra and KISS. Argent's first album included the song "Liar" (also composed by Ballard), which became a hit for Three Dog Night.
  
  wn.com/Rod_Argent
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  Ronnie Barker
  Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman. He was known for his roles in various British comedy television series, such as The Frost Report, Porridge, The Two Ronnies and Open All Hours.
  He began his acting career in repertory theatre and decided he was best suited to performing comic roles. Barker gained his first acting successes at the Oxford Playhouse and later in various roles in the West End including Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound. During this period, he became a cast member on BBC radio and television comedy programmes such as The Navy Lark. Barker got his television break with the satirical sketch series The Frost Report in 1966 where he met future collaborator Ronnie Corbett. He joined David Frost's production company and was to star in a number of ITV shows including a short film during this period.
  After rejoining the BBC Barker found fame with the sketch show The Two Ronnies (1971—1987) with Ronnie Corbett. After the series of pilots called Seven of One, he gained starring roles in the sitcoms Porridge, its sequel Going Straight and Open All Hours. Apart from being a performer, he was noted as a comedy writer both under his own name and the pseudonym Gerald Wiley, which Barker adopted to avoid pre-judgements of his talent. Barker won the BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment Performance four times, amongst other awards, and received an OBE in 1978.
  
  wn.com/Ronnie_Barker
• Rosie Marcel
  Rosie Marcel (born 6 May 1977 in Roehampton, London) is best known as Jac Naylor, the Consultant cardiothoracic surgeon in the BBC drama series, Holby City. She is the daughter of television director Terry Marcel and sister of writer and actress Kelly Marcel.
  Marcel describes herself as being from a 'dramatic' family, and she had her first job at the age of three as a fairy in A Midsummer Nights Dream at the National Theatre. In November 2005, Marcel joined Holby as Jac Naylor. Prior to this she appeared in over twenty productions of The Bill, in which her character had an affair with Sergeant Dale Smith.
  Marcel's mother was an Amish lady, Lindsey Brook was an actress and her father, Terry Marcel, is a director; they divorced in 1995. Her older sister Kelly is a writer and actress who has appeared in both Holby City and The Bill, but is now best known as the writer and executive producer of the television series Terra Nova They also have a younger brother, Luke.
  Marcel met her now-husband, assistant director Scott Bunce, whist working together on the The Vice. She proposed to him via a newspaper ad which said "Scott Bunce, I, Rosie Marcel, love you and wish to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" They married on 21 February 2004 in a small ceremony in Gretna Green.^{[citation needed]}
  
  wn.com/Rosie_Marcel
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  Rowan Atkinson
  Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line. He has been listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy, and amongst the top 50 comedians ever in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians. He has also had cinematic success with his performances in the Mr. Bean movie adaptations Bean and Mr. Bean's Holiday and in Johnny English and its sequel Johnny English Reborn. He also starred in the film Never Say Never Again (a spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball) in 1983.
  Atkinson, the youngest of four brothers, was born in Consett, County Durham, England. His parents were Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May (née Bainbridge), who married on 29 June 1945. His three older brothers were Paul, who died as an infant, Rodney, a Eurosceptic economist who narrowly lost the United Kingdom Independence Party leadership election in 2000, and Rupert. Atkinson was brought up Anglican, and was educated at Durham Choristers School, St. Bees School, and Newcastle University. In 1975, he continued for the degree of MSc in Electrical Engineering at The Queen's College, Oxford, the same college his father matriculated at in 1935, which made Atkinson an Honorary Fellow in 2006. First achieving notice at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1976, while at Oxford, he also acted and performed early sketches for the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS), the Oxford Revue and the Experimental Theatre Club (ETC), meeting writer Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall, with whom he would continue to collaborate during his career.
  
  wn.com/Rowan_Atkinson
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  Saint Alban
  Saint Alban was the first British Christian martyr. Along with his fellow saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three martyrs remembered from Roman Britain. Alban is listed in the Church of England calendar for 22 June and he continues to be venerated in the Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox Communions. St Alban is mentioned in "Acta Martyrum", and also by Constantius of Lyon in his Life of St Germanus of Auxerre, written about 480. He also appears in Gildas' 6th century polemic De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae and Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.
  In 2006 some Church of England clergy suggested that Alban should replace St George as the patron saint of England. There have also been claims that he should be patron saint of Britain as a whole.^{[citation needed]}
  According to Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, I.vii and xviii, Alban was a pagan living at Verulamium (now St Albans), who converted to Christianity, and was executed by decapitation on a hill above the Roman settlement of Verulamium. St Albans Abbey was later founded near this site.
  
  wn.com/Saint_Alban
• Samuel Ryder
  Samuel Ryder (24 March 1858 - 2 January 1936) was an English businessman, entrepreneur, golf enthusiast, and golf promoter. He originated the idea of selling garden seeds in "penny packets" and built a very successful business on the concept. After funding an international golf competition in 1926, he sponsored the Ryder Cup, donating a gold trophy for the first biennial golf championship between the best professional golfers in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1927. The Ryder Cup has developed into golf's most important team competition.
  Ryder was born at Walton-le-Dale near Preston, Lancashire. He was the fourth of the eight children of Samuel Ryder Sr. (1823/4–1904), a gardener, and Elizabeth (née Martin) (1822/3–1904), a dressmaker. He had three elder and two younger sisters, and two younger brothers. He trained as a teacher at Owens College in Manchester (now Manchester University), but did not graduate due to ill health. Ryder first worked at a shipping firm in Manchester, and then for his father, whose business has expanded to include a Nursery, florist, and seed merchant. Friction with his father led Ryder to move south to London to join a rival seed merchant. Ryder married Helen Mary (née Barnard), known as Nellie, on 20 November 1890. Their two daughters, Marjorie and Joan, were born in 1893 and 1896.
  
  wn.com/Samuel_Ryder
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  Sean Connery
  Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award) and three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award).
  Connery is best known for portraying the character James Bond, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983 (six Eon Productions films and the non-canonical Thunderball remake, Never Say Never Again). In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables. His film career also includes such films as Marnie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Murder on the Orient Express, Dragonheart, and The Rock. He was knighted in July 2000. Connery has been polled as "The Greatest Living Scot" and "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". In 1989, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine and in 1999, at age 69, he was voted "Sexiest Man of the Century".
  
  wn.com/Sean_Connery
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  St Alban
  Saint Alban was the first British Christian martyr. Along with his fellow saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three martyrs remembered from Roman Britain. Alban is listed in the Church of England calendar for 22 June and he continues to be venerated in the Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox Communions. St Alban is mentioned in "Acta Martyrum", and also by Constantius of Lyon in his Life of St Germanus of Auxerre, written about 480. He also appears in Gildas' 6th century polemic De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae and Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.
  In 2006 some Church of England clergy suggested that Alban should replace St George as the patron saint of England. There have also been claims that he should be patron saint of Britain as a whole.^{[citation needed]}
  According to Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, I.vii and xviii, Alban was a pagan living at Verulamium (now St Albans), who converted to Christianity, and was executed by decapitation on a hill above the Roman settlement of Verulamium. St Albans Abbey was later founded near this site.
  
  wn.com/St_Alban
• Stacey Dooley
  Stacey Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is a British television personality who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing in a number of BBC Three documentaries highlighting child labour issues in developing countries.
  Originally hailing from Luton, where she once worked as a shop assistant, Dooley was approached to appear in a series of proposed cutting edge documentaries for the BBC.
  While taking part in the real-life series Blood, Sweat and T-shirts, she was presented as a typical fashion-obsessed consumer. However, during her appearance Dooley was shown to develop a strong interest in the nature of third world labour laws, and subsequently had her own show, Stacey Dooley Investigates, greenlit in August 2009.
  The two-part special was shown on BBC Three throughout August and September 2009. It also aired in Australia on ABC2 from 2 June 2010.
  In October 2010, BBC Three aired a further two programmes, the first on former child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the second on sex trafficking and 'underage sexual slavery' in Cambodia. Radio Times commented on the series, "She sees the joyless expressions of girls parading before men in a bar in Phnom Penh - one girl clutches a cuddly toy. It seems a hopeless situation, especially when we learn that the children are being betrayed by their own families. But spirited, empathetic Stacey won't be thwarted, and sees a way out via a charity that gives [the children] a new purpose in life."
  
  wn.com/Stacey_Dooley
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  Stanley Kubrick
  Stanley Kubrick (/ˈkuːbrɪk/; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor. He is regarded as having been one of America's greatest filmmakers. His films, typically adaptations of novels or short stories, were noted for their "dazzling" and unique cinematography, attention to details to achieve realism and an inspired use of music scores. Kubrick's films covered a variety of genres, including war, black comedy, horror and science fiction. Kubrick was also noted for being a perfectionist, using painstaking care with scene staging and working closely with his actors.
  Starting out as a photographer in New York City, he taught himself all aspects of film production and directing after graduating high school. His earliest films were made on a shoestring budget, followed by one Hollywood blockbuster, after which he spent most of the rest of his career living and filming in England. His home became his workplace where he did his writing, research, editing and management of production details. This allowed him to have almost complete artistic control, but with the rare advantage of having financial support from major Hollywood studios.
  
  wn.com/Stanley_Kubrick
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  Stephen Hawking
  Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. His key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding gravitational singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation (or sometimes as Bekenstein–Hawking radiation).
  He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and in 2009 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. Subsequently, he became research director at the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.
  Hawking has a motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a condition that has progressed over the years. He is now almost completely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. He has been married twice and has three children. Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; these include A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
  
  wn.com/Stephen_Hawking
• Stephen Lander
  Sir Stephen James Lander, KCB (born 1947) is a former chairman of the United Kingdom's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), who also served as Director-General of the British Security Service (MI5) from 1996 to 2002.
  Lander attended Bishop's Stortford College and Queens' College, Cambridge, where he earned a doctorate in history. In 1975, after three years at the Institute of Historical Research (part of the University of London) where he was assistant editor of the Victoria History of Cheshire, and serving as an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Liverpool, he joined MI5. He was Director-General of MI5 from 1996 to 2002.
  In April 2006 he was appointed chairman of Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). He retired from that post in 2009.
  
  wn.com/Stephen_Lander
• Steve Blinkhorn
  Stephen F. Blinkhorn (CPsychol, FBPsS) (born 1949) is a British occupational psychologist and psychometrician (based in St Albans, UK), who continues to contribute to psychology and psychometric testing.
  Blinkhorn is known for publishing a number of landmark papers, many of which have taken the form of book reviews for Nature magazine, including: "Willow, Titwillow, Titwillow" (a review of Herrnstein and Murray's The Bell Curve); "What skulduggery?" (a review of Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man); and "A gender bender" (a critique on Paul Irwing and Richard Lynn's paper on sex and intelligence). Other papers have argued about the inappropriate use of the Rasch model, and the misuse of personality tests.
  After attending grammar school, Blinkhorn attended St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
  From 1973 to 1987, he developed and ran one of the first postgraduate studies in Occupational Psychology (in Britain) at what was then Hatfield Polytechnic, now the University of Hertfordshire. During this time, he also spent a year as a visiting professor in the neurological laboratory at Stanford University, California (1981–1982).
  
  wn.com/Steve_Blinkhorn
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  Steve Collins
  Stephen Collins, more commonly known as Steve Collins, (born 21 July 1964, Cabra, Dublin, Ireland) is a former professional boxer. Known as the "The Celtic Warrior", Collins is the former WBO middleweight and super middleweight champion.
  Collins began his professional career in America, and lost two world title fights on points. It was not until Collins reached his 30's that he fulfilled his potential. Having competed against the best boxers on both sides of the Atlantic, Collins tends to be linked more to the era in the UK when there was a great rivalry between British boxers Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn. He fought and beat both, twice.
  He is the brother of former footballer and current (June 2011) manager of Monaghan United football club, Roddy Collins.
  Collins won 26 Irish titles at middleweight, light-heavyweight and cruiserweight as an amateur before turning professional in Massachusetts, U.S. in October 1986. His debut fight was against Julio Mercado on the undercard of a bill that featured his future trainer Freddie Roach and the future Fight of the Year winner Micky Ward. Collin's beat Mercado by way of knockout in the third round.
  
  wn.com/Steve_Collins
• 
  Thomas Spencer Wells
  Sir Thomas Spencer Wells, 1st Baronet (3 February 1818 – 31 January 1897) was surgeon to Queen Victoria, a medical professor and president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
  He was born at St Albans, Hertfordshire and received his early education at St Albans School (then located in the Lady Chapel of the Abbey).
  After a short time as a pupil of a surgeon in Barnsley (Yorkshire), he studied medicine at Leeds, Trinity College Dublin, St Thomas' Hospital (becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) in 1841 and a Fellow (FRCS) in 1844), and later in Paris, France.
  He served as a naval surgeon in Malta, and then established his own practice in London in 1853. In 1854, and from 1856 to 78, he was surgeon of the Samaritan Free Hospital for Women, London (serving in between as an army surgeon in the Crimean War). He also lectured at the Grosvenor School of Medicine (which later became the medical school of St George's Hospital). In 1877 was appointed Hunterian Professor of Surgery and Pathology at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (of which he was elected President in 1883 — in the same year he was created baronet). From 1863 to 1896 he was surgeon to Queen Victoria's household.
  
  wn.com/Thomas_Spencer_Wells
• Tim Hart
  Tim Hart (9 January 1948 - 24 December 2009) was an English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of electric folk band, Steeleye Span.
  Tim Hart was born in Lincoln. His father, Rev. Canon Dennis Hart, was the vicar of St Saviour's in St Albans. Hart began his life as a musician performing with the Rattfinks, St Albans School's second band, the first being The Zombies. In 1966, he began performing with the Blackpool born Maddy Prior, touring English folk clubs. In 1968 and 1969 the duo recorded two albums: Folk Songs of Olde England, (Volumes One and Two).
  From 1970 to 1982, Hart and Prior were the backbone of Steeleye Span. Hart's contribution to the band demonstrated his musical abilities on a wide range of instruments, some electronic, including: acoustic guitars, dulcimer, organ, 5 string banjo, mandolin, bells, tabor and spoons as well as vocals.
  In 1971, as well as recording two albums as part of Steeleye Span, they recorded Summer Solstice - a much more professional recording than their first two albums, including a string arrangement by Robert Kirby, better known for his work with Nick Drake. Almost every song that Hart sang was traditional. Steeleye Span's commercial success peaked in 1975. They toured in the United States and Australia and used electric instruments more frequently. However, further hits eluded them. They announced that their 1978 tour of the United Kingdom would be their farewell, although they have in fact continued recording and performing live to this day.
  
  wn.com/Tim_Hart
• Tommy Hampson
  Thomas "Tommy" Hampson (28 October 1907 – 4 September 1965) was an English athlete, winner of the 800 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
  Hampson, a native of Clapham (London), didn't take up running seriously until the last year of his studies at Oxford University. After completing his education, he became a teacher in 1930 (at St Albans School). That same year, he won the British AAA championships over 880 yd (805 m), a title he would also claim in 1931 and 1932.
  Also a winner at the inaugural British Empire Games, Hampson was one of the world's leading runners in the 800 m and half-mile event. That made him one of the top favourites for the 800 m gold at the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles. In the final, Hampson fought off Canadian Alex Wilson to break the tape in 1.49,7, a new world record.
  He added a second Olympic medal with the British 4 x 400 metres relay team, which came second to the United States. Hampson ended his sports career later that year. Several years later, he left his teaching job to become an educator in the Royal Air Force, a job he kept until after World War II.
  
  wn.com/Tommy_Hampson
• William Henry Page
  William Henry Page (1861–1934) was a prolific and pioneering historian and editor. For the last three decades of his life was general editor of the Victoria County History.
  William Page was born in Paddington, London on 4 September 1861, the fifth of six children of Henry and Georgina Page. He was schooled locally at Dr Westmacott's School and then entered Westminster School, where his education was cut short by the death of his father in 1875.
  Georgina then moved the family to Lewisham and Page was articled to a civil engineer. Page had two older brothers, one of whom moved to Australia. Page completed his articles and in about 1881 followed him to take up an engineering post with the Government of Queensland. Page returned to London in 1884.
  Page's eldest sister married the record agent and antiquarian William John Hardy, who employed Page from 1885. The business later became the partnership of Page and Hardy, with an office in Lincoln's Inn.
  In 1886 Page married Kate Marion Rowe. They settled in Forest Hill and had a daughter (Dorothy) and a son.
  
  wn.com/William_Henry_Page
• Willis Hall
  Willis Hall (6 April 1929 – 7 March 2005) was an English playwright and radio and television writer who drew on his working class roots in Leeds for much of his writing.
  His best-known work was Billy Liar (1960), co-written with lifelong friend and collaborator Keith Waterhouse, and based on the latter's novel. Hall's rise to prominence originated from his play about British soldiers in the Malayan jungle, The Long and the Short and the Tall (1959).
  He wrote more than a dozen children's books, including a series about a family called the Hollins who meet a vegetarian vampire called Count Alucard. He also wrote a book, Henry Hollins and the Dinosaur. His membership in the Magic Circle was a source of inspiration for these books. He also wrote 40 radio and television plays, as well as contributing to many TV series, including The Return of the Antelope and Minder.
  He wrote a musical about the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge, and others based on the books Treasure Island and The Wind in the Willows. He also wrote Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure.
  
  wn.com/Willis_Hall
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  Yevgeny Zamyatin
  Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin (Russian: Евге́ний Ива́нович Замя́тин, Russian pronunciation: [jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ zɐˈmʲætʲɪn]) (February 20, 1884 – March 10, 1937) was a Russian author of science fiction and political satire. Despite having been a prominent Old Bolshevik, Zamyatin was deeply disturbed by the policies pursued by the CPSU following the October Revolution. He is most famous for his 1921 novel We, a story set in a dystopian future police state. In 1921, We became the first work banned by the Soviet censorship board. Ultimately, Zamyatin arranged for We to be smuggled to the West for publication. The subsequent outrage this sparked within the Party and the Union of Soviet Writers led directly to Zamyatin's successful request for exile from his homeland. Due to his use of literature to criticize Soviet society, Zamyatin has been referred to as one of the first Soviet dissidents.
  Zamyatin was born in Lebedyan, 300 km south of Moscow. His father was a Russian Orthodox priest and schoolmaster, and his mother a musician. He may have had synesthesia as he gave letters and sounds qualities. For example, he saw the letter "L" as having pale, cold and light blue qualities.
  
  wn.com/Yevgeny_Zamyatin