Welham Green

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Not to be confused with Walham Green.

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Welham Green
Welham Green shown within Hertfordshire
Population	3,639 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	TL232055
District	Welwyn Hatfield
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ST ALBANS
Postcode district	AL9
Dialling code	01707
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
European Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Welwyn Hatfield
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Coordinates: 51°44′05″N 0°13′02″W / 51.73468, -0.21732

Welham Green is a village in the parish of North Mymms, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated close to the Great North Road coaching route that used to run to York and the north. The Great North road is now by-passed by the A1(M). Even so, Welham Green has developed into a large village over the last 20 years, helped by the 1986 opening of its own railway station between Brookmans Park and Hatfield on the East Coast main line. Recent housing development has portended the joining of the village with the neighbouring town of Hatfield. Residents, who would like to maintain Welham Green's character, have resisted such development.

Welham Green from the East Coast main line

[edit] Vincenzo Lunardi

On the corner of Huggins Lane and Parsonage Lane is a stone plinth. This marks the point where, in 1784, balloonist Vincenzo Lunardi, while on the historic first hot air balloon flight in England, made his first landing. Legend states that on landing Lunardi handed a cat and a dog that had accompanied him from London to a local woman before re-ascending and continuing northward.

The text of the plinth reads:

NEAR THIS SPOT AT 3.30 IN THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 15TH 1784 VINCENZO LUNARDI THE ITALIAN BALLOONIST MADE HIS FIRST LANDING WHILST ON HIS PIONEER FLIGHT IN THE ENGLISH ATMOSPHERE. HAVING HANDED OUT A CAT AND DOG THE PARTNERS OF HIS FLIGHT FROM LONDON HE RE-ASCENDED AND CONTINUED NORTH EASTWARD