Tring facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tring
Market town
Tring High Street
Tring
Area	36.21 km2 (13.98 sq mi)
Population	12,427
• Density	321.32/km2 (832.2/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SP924117
Civil parish	Tring
District	Dacorum
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TRING
Postcode district	HP23
Dialling code	01442
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Harpenden and Berkhamsted
List of places UK England Hertfordshire 51°47′46″N 0°39′33″W / 51.7962°N 0.6592°W / 51.7962; -0.6592

Tring is a market town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in a gap within the Chiltern Hills. This area is known for its beautiful natural scenery.

Tring is about 30 miles (48 km) from Central London. It is connected to London by the old Roman road called Akeman Street. Modern links include the A41 road, the Grand Union Canal, and the West Coast Main Line railway.

People have lived in Tring since prehistoric times. The town was even mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. Tring received its special market charter in 1315. Today, many people who live in Tring travel to London for work. As of 2021, Tring had a population of 12,427 people.

What's in a Name? The Meaning of Tring

The name Tring likely comes from an old English word. It might be from Tredunga or Trehangr.

'Tre' means 'tree' and 'ing' suggests 'a slope where trees grow'. So, Tring could mean 'a tree-covered slope'.

A Journey Through Tring's History

People lived in Tring long ago, even before recorded history. There are signs of Iron Age burial mounds and old defensive walls. These are found near The Ridgeway. Later, Saxon burials were also discovered here.

The Roman road called Akeman Street runs right through the town. It is now known as the High Street.

Tring was an important place during the time of the Domesday Book (1086). It was the main settlement in the 'Hundred of Tring'. The town had a large population and paid a lot of tax.

In 1315, Tring was given a special market charter by King Edward II. This allowed Faversham Abbey to hold weekly markets on Tuesdays. They could also hold a ten-day fair starting on June 29th. This charter stopped other markets from opening too close to Tring.

The tower of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Tring was built between 1360 and 1400.

East of Tring, there was once a small village called Pendley. In 1440, a landowner named Sir Robert Whittingham changed the area. He turned 200 acres (about 80 hectares) into pasture. He also built a manor house called Pendley Manor.

Tring Park Mansion was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1682. It was built for Henry Guy, who worked for King Charles II.

An interesting fact: John Washington was born and grew up in Tring. He was the great-grandfather of George Washington, the first President of the United States.

Tring became much richer in the early 1800s. This was thanks to the Grand Junction Canal and later the London and Birmingham Railway. Industries like flour milling, brewing, and silk weaving grew.

In 1835, the old Pendley Manor was destroyed by fire. A new manor house was built in the Jacobean Revival style. This building is still standing today.

In 1836, Thomas Butcher and his son started a private bank in Tring. It was known as Tring Old Bank. Later, it became part of the National Westminster Bank.

In the late 1800s, the Rothschild family moved to Tring. They had a big impact on the town. Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild gave the land for Tring Market House to the town.

His son, Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, built a private zoological museum. It had one of the world's largest collections of stuffed animals. This museum is now part of the Natural History Museum, London. It is called the Natural History Museum at Tring.

In 1902, the 2nd Lord Rothschild released edible dormouses into Tring Park. He was famous for riding around town in a carriage pulled by zebras! In Tring town centre, there is a special pavement maze. It is shaped like a zebra's head to remember this link to the Rothschild family.

The old livestock market is now a place for weekly markets. It also hosts a farmers' market every two weeks. The old market office is now the Tring Local History Museum. It opened in 2010.

How Tring is Governed

Tring is part of the UK Parliament area called Harpenden and Berkhamsted. Victoria Collins became the MP in July 2024.

Tring has three levels of local government. These are Tring Town Council, Dacorum Borough Council, and Hertfordshire County Council. As of 2019, Tring Town Council has 11 Liberal Democrats and 1 Conservative.

Tring's Local Government History

The parish of Tring used to cover a large area, including the town and nearby villages. From 1859, the town part of Tring had its own local board. This board helped manage local services.

In 1894, Tring became an urban district. This meant it had its own council. The old parish of Tring was split. The rural part became a separate parish called Tring Rural.

Tring Urban District Council met in different places over the years. They used the Vestry Hall and then the Tring Market House. From 1952, they were at 9 High Street.

In 1974, the Tring Urban District was changed. It became part of the Dacorum district. A new successor parish was created for Tring. Its council is now called Tring Town Council. Tring Town Council is based at the Market House.

Tring's Geography and Nature

Tring is in west Hertfordshire, near the Buckinghamshire border. It sits in a low point of the Chiltern Hills, called the 'Tring Gap'. This gap has been used as a crossing point for a very long time. It is where the Icknield Way and the Roman road Akeman Street meet.

The ancient earthwork called Grim's Dyke crosses the area. Both the Grand Union Canal and the railway pass through deep cuttings here. The Tring railway cutting is 2.5 miles (4 km) long. It is about 39 feet (12 m) deep on average.

The four Tring Reservoirs were built to supply water for the canal. These reservoirs are Wilstone, Tringford, Startops End, and Marsworth. They have been a national nature reserve since 1955. They are also a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Nearby is the Ashridge Estate, which is part of the National Trust. It is located within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The civil parish of Tring includes smaller areas. These are Little Tring, New Mill, Bulbourne, and Hastoe.

Tring's Climate

Heygates Flour Mill

Heygates Mill is a large flour mill in Tring. It used to be a windmill run by William Mead. The windmill was taken down in 1910 to build a wheat storage silo.

The Heygate family took over the business in 1945. Today, the mill processes 100,000 tons of wheat each year. This produces 76,000 tons of flour. Most of this is for bakers.

In the past, only two men worked the windmill. They could mill ten stone of flour per hour. Now, with computers, the mill produces over twelve tons per hour. Heygate's Tring mill has 80 employees. They use sixteen trucks to deliver flour across the south of England.

Tring's Economy

Pendley Manor is a hotel, conference, and arts centre. It is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the town.

Tring Brewery has been making beer in Tring since 1992.

The UK headquarters of Huel Ltd. is also in Tring.

Tring hosts the Tring Book Festival every November. It is a two-week event. Tring is also part of the Dacorum Local Food Initiative.

Media and News

Local news and TV shows for Tring come from BBC East and ITV Anglia. TV signals are received from the Sandy Heath transmitter.

Tring's local radio stations include BBC Three Counties Radio and Heart Hertfordshire. There is also Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts and Tring Radio. Tring Radio is a community-based station.

The local newspaper that serves the town is the Hemel Hempstead Gazette & Express.

Getting Around Tring: Transport

Railway Connections

Tring railway station is about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town. It is on the West Coast Main Line.

London Northwestern services run from Milton Keynes Central to London Euston. Southern also runs a service. This service goes across London to East Croydon. The station is served by both slow and semi-fast trains.

A Look Back at the Railway

The station first opened in 1837. It was built by the London & Birmingham Railway. The railway engineer Robert Stephenson was in charge.

Tring railway station is located a bit far from the town. This was because local landowners, like John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow, wanted to protect their land. They asked for changes to the railway's route.

Some people wrongly think Lord Rothschild objected. However, he was not born until three years after the railway opened. The Rothschild family bought land in Tring much later.

There was once a plan to extend the Metropolitan Railway to Tring. This would have made Tring station a main stop. However, this project never happened.

Bus Services

Bus services in Tring are run by Arriva, Red Rose Travel, and Red Eagle. You can travel directly to places like Aylesbury, Dunstable, Hemel Hempstead, Luton, and Watford.

Roads Around Tring

In 1973, the A41 Tring bypass was opened. This road goes through Tring Park. It was first planned as a new motorway.

In 1993, the A41 bypass was made longer. It now connects the Tring bypass to the M25 motorway.

Learning in Tring: Education

Tring School is a state secondary school and sixth form. It has about 1,500 students aged 11–18. The school is on Mortimer Hill, on the east side of town. It focuses on Humanities subjects like History, Geography, and English. It became an Academy in 2012.

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts is a special independent school. It teaches performing arts and academic subjects. It is located in Tring Park Mansion and has 300 students.

Tring has four state junior schools: Bishop Wood CE Junior School, Dundale Primary and Nursery School, Goldfield Infants and Nursery School, and Grove Road Primary School.

The Tring Youth Project is a youth club for ages 11 to 18. It is at the Temperance Hall.

Tring also has a theatre youth group called Court Youth Theatre. It is linked to the Court Theatre at Pendley Manor.

There is also an air cadet squadron in Tring (2457 Squadron) on New Road.

Tring in Literature

The famous writer Edward Lear mentioned Tring in his book A Book of Nonsense:

There was an Old Person of Tring,
Who embellished his nose with a ring;
He gazed at the moon,
Every evening in June,
That ecstatic Old Person of Tring.

Tring on Television

The 1980 TV series, Shillingbury Tales, was filmed in the village.

Sports and Activities

Tring Sports Centre is located at Tring School.

Tring has three football clubs: Tring Athletic, Tring Town, and Tring Corinthians. They all play in the Spartan South Midlands Football League. Tring Tornadoes is a youth football club for boys and girls up to 16.

The town also has a rugby club, Tring R.U.F.C. There is a Tring Hockey Club with men's and ladies' teams. Tring Park Cricket Club plays in the Home Counties Premier Cricket League. Tring also has a squash club.

Famous People from Tring

• Sir Francis Verney (1584–1615), an English adventurer.
• John Washington (1631–1677), the great-grandfather of George Washington.
• Sir William Gore (1643–1707), a merchant and Lord Mayor of London.
• John Brown (1795–1890), a brewer in Tring.
• Gerald Massey (1828–1907), a poet and Egyptologist, was born nearby.
• Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (1868–1937), a banker and zoologist.
• Edward Barber (1893–1915), born in Tring, was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery in World War I.
• Roger Moorhouse, a British historian and author.
• Lawrence Ward, a former official in the British House of Commons.
• Julian James, a former professional footballer.
• Graham Poll, a former English football referee.
• Gilbert Lacy (1834–1878), a cricketer.
• Arthur Butcher (1863–1955), a cricketer.
• Robert Holmes (scriptwriter) (1926–1986), a television writer for Doctor Who, was born in Tring.
• Graham Barber, a former Premiership football referee.

Images for kids

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  The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Tring, seen from the Rose and Crown.

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  Tring High Street in the 1800s.

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  Tring Market House.

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  Walter Rothschild and his carriage drawn by zebras.

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  Council offices from 1952 to 1974 at 9 High Street, Tring.

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  A view over Tring, looking north.

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  A London Midland train at Tring railway station.

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  A lithograph showing the Tring Cutting being built for the London and Birmingham Railway in 1839.

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  Pendley Manor hotel.

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  High Street, Tring, Hertfordshire.

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  Church of St Peter and St Paul.

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  Tring Reservoirs at sunset.

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  Sign to the Zoological Museum.

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  Tring Park.

See also

In Spanish: Tring para niños