Venue
University of Hertfordshire de Havilland Campus
The course will be held at the University of Hertfordshire's de Havilland Campus. Some features of the de Havilland Campus include a 450 seat auditorium, a 500 seat restaurant, and an impressive sports village including an indoor swimming pool.
Accommodation
Attendees will be accommodated in the residences at the de Havilland Campus. These are all single rooms with ensuite facilities, internet connection (please bring your own ethernet/RJ45 cables for the use of this facility), refrigerator, tea/coffee making facilities and a welcome pack.
Check in will be from 1400 on the day of arrival and each room must be vacated by 1000hrs on the day of departure. There is a complimentary luggage room prior to check in/out. You will be provided with breakfast, lunch and an evening meal, although the latter will be part of the conference trip and conference dinner. There will be a Reception with a buffet at 18.00 on the Sunday evening. The buffet will be substantial enough that a dinner will not normally be required.
For more information about accommodation in the residences at the de Havilland Campus, please click here.
A Brief History of the University of Hertfordshire
The University has a rich heritage in pioneering technology: its roots lie in the aerospace industry and Hatfield played a distinguished and leading role in aviation development. This dated to the early thirties when the de Havilland company acquired some farmland to the west of the town to use as an airfield (on part of which, the new campus is built). The world's first commercial airliner, the Comet, was built in Hatfield soon after the Second World War. Other significant aircraft built in the area are the Mosquito and the Comet Racer. More recently, the Blue Streak rocket (which formed the lower stage of Europa, the precursor to Ariane) was built and tested here. The satellite and missile programmes led to creation of courses within the University on celestial mechanics and consultative work was done for NASA on the optimization of orbital trajectories. The superb Bayfordbury Observatory was built to support the undergraduate programmes and is perhaps the finest teaching observatory in the UK.
The Surrounding Area
Although close to London, Hatfield is surrounded by lovely Hertfordshire countryside, with many small villages with the local pub or pubs a key feature. It is just a few miles from the County Town of Hertford, and from historic St Albans with the beautiful Abbey Cathedral and Roman remains. University buses run a regular service to these locations. Other local places of interest are Hatfield House, previous home to Elizabeth I of England, and Knebworth House, home of the Lytton family since 1490. It is more famous today as a venue for rock concerts. The University of Hertfordshire website provides information on places of local interest. The University is just 20 miles away from London and Hatfield is on the main rail line into Kings Cross, with the typical journey time ~22 mins. There is also a slower train service which goes to Moorgate (time ~30 mins), near to the London financial centre. The University owned bus service, known as Uno, runs bus services across Hertfordshire and North London. The travel page provides links to the rail services, transport to and from the close-by airports of Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and Gatwick (the latter is the furthest away but transport links are very good).
