Stevenage Hertfordshire Stevenage Hertfordshire Located in north Hertfordshire, Stevenage delights in being a real mix of old and new. As one of Britain first new towns Stevenage is a particularly good example of how major new housing developments can be successfully planned and managed to enhance modern living, yet still retaining as much of a town’s original character and heritage where possible. Whilst most people know of Stevenage as a new town that helped to solve the UK’s post war housing problems, there is also exciting evidence of Roman and Saxon settlements in the area. In fact Stevenage is built alongside a Roman road and was used as a coaching stop for a great many years. Today the most striking evidence of Roman life in the area are the six burial mounds that run near the Great North Road that have been dated at around AD100. There has also been a substantial find of Roman coins that can now be seen in the local museum. The 15th century saw the arrival of wealthy merchants in the area, whose houses can still be seen in the Old Town High Street. Trade continued to thrive throughout the 17th and 18th century for travellers on route from London, where Stevenage, at 30 miles away from the capital, made the perfect stop-off point. This constant influx of travellers led to numerous inns and thriving businesses and today the most historic areas of Stevenage are evident around the Town Square that is now a conservation area.