History of Baldock:
Twentieth Century

The creation of Letchworth Garden City, just a couple of miles away, at the turn of the century and the coming of the Bondor hosiery factory in 1929 brought work to the town. Furthermore, as pubs did not exist in Letchworth, Baldock's many pubs and inns profited from the increased trade.

Many houses were built off Mansfield Road in the 1930s to house the influx of workers and large areas off the London Road were developed between the wars and into the 1950s so moving the town's boundary much further south than previously.

The biggest changes in recent years have been the building of the Clothall Common estate to the east of the old town and the bypasses for the main roads, the A1 and A505. These roads brought trade to Baldock for centuries, but modern traffic levels brought congestion to the medieval street plan. Now Baldock has a new life as a pleasant market town with a wide High Street and attractive pubs and restaurants.