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Watford Leasing

Did You Know?

Watford Colosseum is well-known for its acoustic qualities and has been regarded as one of the best in Europe. It has also been used to record the soundtracks of The Lord of the Rings, The Sound of Music and Star Wars. Not a bad list, right?

Peep Show is arguably one of the finest British sitcoms to ever grace our TV screens. We all love the El Dude Brothers, that goes without saying, but our town also has a link to one of the show's other stars. Matt King - aka Super Hans - was born in Watford before he moved to Australia.

Jimmy Perry teamed up with BBC comedy producer David Croft to write a sitcom about his experiences in the Watford Home Guard during World War II. The programme? Dad's Army.

Are you a fan of strawberries? If so, you'll love this. It's believed that the commercial strawberry – which is actually a hybrid of the European strawberry and a Chilean species – was first cultivated within the grounds of Moor Park mansion.

It's safe to say that when the Exorcist was released in 1974 that it wasn't greeted warmly by locals. That would actually, in fact, be an understatement, as picket lines were held outside the town's Odeon. Protesters were worried that the film would "affect young people in Watford" and make them "susceptible to demon power". Who knew?

There are 92 nationally listed buildings in Watford. These include St Mary's Church, which dates to the 12th century, and Holy Rood Church which dates to 1890. 5. Watford is one of only 18 authorities in England and Wales headed by a directly elected Mayor.

Watford began as a settlement in the 12th century when the Abbot of St Albans who owned the land here was given permission to hold a weekly market. He chose a site on a slight rise above the ford over the river Colne, along a route already used by travellers.

Watford's nickname is 'The Hornets', the nickname was chosen by the club's supporters because they play in yellow and black. A hornet is a type of large wasp. There used to be a hornet on the club badge but it was replaced by a hart, which is an old-fashioned word for 'stag', which is a male deer.

Celebrity links to Watford include: footballer and actor Vinnie Jones, comedian Cyril Fletcher, Labour politician Mo Mowlam, comedian and actor Terry Scott, actor Robert Glenister, and rapper and viral YouTuber Olajide Olatunji, better known as KSI.