This constituency covers a chunk of land in north and central Hertfordshire taking in the two towns after which it is named: Hitchin in the north of the seat, and Harpenden in the south.
Harpenden is halfway between St Albans and Luton, and with greens on either side of the high street and a number of commons and parks, it has a more rural atmosphere than one might expect: locals still refer to the centre as ‘the village’.
Harpenden sees its most prestigious contribution to history as Rothamsted Manor and its Agricultural Research Centre: it was founded by Sir John Bennet Lawes, the ‘father of agricultural science’, whose work led to the development of artificial fertilisers.
Hitchin has a large number of Georgian and older houses, having historically prospered through the wool trade. The River Hiz runs through the town, the earliest recorded mention of which was in 758 when King Offa celebrated a victory over his rival Beornred by founding a Benedictine house that is the ancestor of the present parish church.
Today, Hitchin is a more socially mixed town than Harpenden, with which it has few connections.