Located in the heart of the Home Counties, Hertford has retained its identity as the administrative capital of 'The Shire of Hertford' for 1,000 years and yet has managed to remain a small, almost 'self-sufficient' town. The arable land surrounding Hertford led to the creation of its staple industry of brewing, with mills and maltings dominating the sky-line alongside civic buildings and private homes when many of the early photographs in this book were taken over a century ago. The book contains period photographs, many being published here for the very first time, which have mainly been sourced from Hertford Museum's extensive archive. The contrasting illustrations provide an accessible and interesting way of seeing the extraordinary changes that have taken place in this charming and historic market town over a century or more of evolution, expansion and re-development.