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Watford is a major regional centre for the
northern Home Counties. It is the most westerly of these commercial centres and
the only one in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford
and Stevenage to be its major sub-regional
centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development The primary
shopping area is the Harlequin Shopping Centre, a large purpose-built indoor
mall with over 140 shops, restaurants and cafes built during the 1990s, opened
officially in June 1992.
The High Street, running
through the town centre, is the main focus of activity at night having a high
concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants.
The head offices of a number
of national companies such as Camelot Group, operator of the National Lottery; Iveco,
manufacturers of commercial vehicles; Haden Young, the building services
division of Balfour Beatty; Bathstore, the largest bathroom retailer in the UK;
construction firm Taylor Woodrow; and Mothercare, are located in the town. The
borough is also the UK
base of many multi-nationals including Total Oil, Sanyo, TK Maxx, Costco, Vinci,
and Beko.
The town was home to the Scammell
Lorries Factory from 1922 until its closure in 1988. The site is now a
residential area.
Watford is close to
strategic roads - the M25 motorway that rings London
and the M1 motorway that connects London to the Midlands
and northern England.
The town is served by one of
the principal National Rail north-south rail routes – the West Coast Main Line
– which connects London (terminus at Euston) to
the Midlands, north-west England
and Scotland.
Some long-distance trains on this route serve Watford Junction, where there are
also frequent suburban and regional trains. There is a shuttle train service to
St Albans, via some local stations in North Watford, and a direct rail
connection to Gatwick
Airport and the south
coast via Clapham Junction.
London Overground services
run from Watford Junction along a suburban loop to Watford High Street station
and Bushey station, continuing along the West London Line to Clapham Junction
and along the Watford DC Line to Euston.
London Underground serves Watford
Metropolitan Line station at the outer north-western boundary of the Tube
system. The station is located outside the centre of Watford, close to Cassiobury Park. If the proposed Croxley Rail Link
goes ahead, the Metropolitan Line branch would be diverted to Watford Junction
via the disused Croxley Green branch, providing two new Underground stations
between Croxley and Watford Junction
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