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Hitchin is a historic market town in North Hertfordshire, situated about 35 miles north of London on the banks of the River Hiz. It grew significantly during the medieval period as a center for the wool trade, and the layout of the town center still reflects this history, with narrow cobbled alleyways leading off a large market square. The town is anchored by the 14th-century St Mary’s Church, which is remarkably large for the size of the town, and the nearby 17th-century Biggin Almshouses. Geographically, it sits in a gap in the Chiltern Hills, meaning the surrounding landscape is characterized by rolling chalk downs and the famous lavender fields at Ickleford just to the north. For daily life, the town remains quite self-contained; it has a long-standing traditional market that runs several times a week and a railway station on the Great Northern line, which provides a direct link to both London King’s Cross and Cambridge in about 30 minutes. It manages to maintain a distinct character that feels separate from the post-war "New Towns" like Stevenage or Letchworth that sit nearby.