A royal spa and a king's fund

Northaw's story is tangled up with kings. In 1618 James I enclosed Northaw Common to enlarge his great hunting park at Theobalds. In return, money from the king bought around twenty acres to support the people of the parish. King James' Fund still benefits the community today.

Half a century later, the King's Wells near Cuffley became fashionable under Charles II, who is said to have sent down a tent for the visitors who came to drink the iron-rich water.

Go further back and you meet the 12th-century hermit Sigar, who was said to have banished the nightingales from the woods with his prayers. Read more in our history of Northaw.