Welham Green
First balloon landing in England
In the village, on the corner of Huggins Lane and Parsonage Lane, is a stone plinth marking the brief landing at 3.30pm on 15 September 1784, of the Italian balloonist Vincenzo Lunardi. The actual spot where the first hydrogen filled balloon flight over England touched down is almost three miles away opposite Queenswood School north of Shepherds Way (B157) to the south-east of Brookmans Park. The plinth states that on landing Lunardi handed to a local resident a cat and a dog that had accompanied him from London, before re-ascending and continuing north east. According to witness statements at the time, the cat, which had become ill, was cared for by a local girl who had been working in the cornfield where the balloon touched down.
The plinth reads:
Near this spot at 3.30 in the afternoon of September 15, 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.
Public transport
The village is served by Welham Green railway station and local bus services provided by Uno, Centrebus and Sullivan Buses.
References
- ^ "Welwyn/Hatfield Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
External links