Buntingford - market town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England

Buntingford is a market town of 5,000 people (2011) in Hertfordshire. The town has many Georgian and medieval buildings, such as Buntingford almshouses, Buntingford Manor House and the Red House.

Understand

Buntingford is on the River Rib. The village of Aspenden adjoins Buntingford to the southwest.

The name of the town is believed to originate from the Saxon chieftain or tribe Bunta; it does not refer to the bird Bunting, or the festive flag-like decorations.

Get in

The only way to get to this town is by car or bus. Bus service to Buntingford from other towns is very limited. Reaching town by taxi from another town with a rail connection is quite expensive.

Get around

As Buntingford is very small it can be easily traversed by walking, if one does not have use of a car.

See

• Button Snap cottage, Westmill, Buntingford SG9 9NN (take Cherry Green Road west from Westmil, go to Cherry Green Farm; road curves north to cottage), 51.9201°, -00.0398°. Private residence; not open to public. This is a very old thatched-roof cottage that has existed hundreds of years. It was owned and occupied by the writer Charles Lamb from 1812 to 1815. Button Snap cottage can be viewed from the road and a memorial to Charles Lamb is along the road in front of the cottage. 2015-08-12
• St Mary the Virgin Church (Westmill Church), C/O Greenacre, Westmill (across the street from the Westmill Village Hall), 51.9262°, -0.0099°. This is a functioning church that had its origins about 1100 AD, if not earlier. Many additions have been added through the centuries. Major renovation was done to it in the 19th century. 2015-08-13
• Cromer Windmill, Cromer SG2 7QE (on B1037), 51.941°, -0.104°. May-Sept Sa Su 14:30-17:00. Weather-boarded post mill built 1740. Adult £2.50, child 50p 2021-06-23

Do

Market day is Monday, and early closing Wednesday. The Buntingford Carnival is held every other year. There is also a classic car event held in the town each year, on the first Saturday in September.

The 'World Sausage Tossing Championship' has taken place at The Countryman Inn, in Chipping near Buntingford, every August since 2014.

Buy

• Pearce's Farmshop & Cafe, Hamels Mead, Buntingford Herts SG9 9ND (on east side of A10 2½ miles south of Buntingford and 1000 feet north of Puckeridge), 51.9004°, 0.0119°, +44 1920 8211246, info@pearcesfarmshop.com. M-Th 8:30-5:30PM, F 8:30AM-6PM, Sa 8:30AM-5PM, Su 8:30AM-4PM. It is a shop for produce, frozen food, plants, garden supplies and a café. The café items are of good quality. The café has inside seating and open-air seating. Prices in shop vary much; for full meals prices range from £6.25 to £15.95 2015-08-21

Eat

See Pearce's Farmshop & Café in 'Buy' section above.

• The Sword Inn Hand, Westmill, Buntingford, Hertfordshire SG9 9LQ (a short distance west of St. Mary the Virgin Church), 51.9259°, -0.0106°, +44 1763 271356. Hours not listed, but is open during daytime and early evening. This is a 14th-century inn with some modernization for guests. It is a pub and restaurant and has four rooms that can be rented for overnight. £20 for many meals 2015-08-13

Drink

The town has a number of public houses – The Brambles (formerly The Chequers), The Fox and Duck, The Black Bull, The Crown and The Jolly Sailors.

Sleep

• The Old Swan Teashop, Hare Street, 51.947648°, 0.020678°, +44 1763 289265.

Connect

Go next

The next town south on the A10 road is Puckeridge. To the north the next settlement is the village of Chipping.