Churchyards

The Town Council maintains four closed churchyards in the town; All Saints, St Andrew, Holy Trinity and St Leonard's. We have continued with our programme of tree and path maintenance to ensure our churchyards remain safe and pleasant places to visit, as well as regularly monitoring the safety of the ancient headstones.

All Saints' Church, situated adjacent to Gascoyne Way, is the largest of the four churches and the churchyard covers 6 acres. It is a haven for wildlife, with many varieties of wildflowers and species of birds can be seen. The avenues of chestnut tress were originally planted to commemorate the return of Charles II in 1660. Some of the yew trees are at least 300 years old. Interesting gravestones include two millstones just west of the Tower, under which millers were buried. The iron gates either side of Gascoyne Way are of late 18th Century origin and were owned by Dr Thomas Dinsdale, the pioneer of the smallpox vaccination. The gates were donated to All Saints' in 1963 and make a fine feature in a churchyard that has been in use for at least 1000 years.

Holy Trinity Church, Bengeo is a late Victorian building and is an oasis of calm alongside the busy through road from Hertford to Ware.

St Leonard's Church, Bengeo is a tourist attraction for walkers following the Lea Valley Trail who pause to spend a few quiet moments on this ancient site of Christian Worship.

St Andrew's Church, is thought to have existed on the site since AD860, with the current building having been completed and consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester in 1870.