Venues
Berkhamsted Town Hall
Berkhamsted Town Hall is the traditional venue for the opening of the Festival, the Thursday evening reception and (for those who have booked) dinner, and all sessions on the Friday, the first full day. With its striking Gothic façade, this unique Victorian building, dating to 1859, provides a convenient central location as well as an atmospheric backdrop to the first phase of the Festival.
Address: 196 High St, Berkhamsted, HP4 3AP
Accessibility: for first floor events, there is a lift.
Further venue information: visit the Town Hall website or contact the manager at bthtmanager@tiscali.co.uk
Berkhamsted School
Berkhamsted School was founded in 1541 by John Incent, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, as a Christian foundation. In 1888, a separate girls’ school was established and in 1997 both schools were amalgamated in a single educational establishment. Amongst Berkhamsted School’s most eminent former pupils was Graham Greene whose time there coincided with his father, Charles, becoming Head Master in 1911. The school provides the venue – Deans Hall, a recently refurbished modern auditorium – for the Saturday and Sunday sessions of the Festival.
Address: Castle Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 2BB
Accessibility: Deans Hall can be accessed by stairs or lift.
Further venue information: visit the Berkhamsted School website or email at enquiries@berkhamsted.com
Berkhamsted Civic Centre
On the first and second evenings of the Festival, the Thursday and the Friday, usually at 8pm, there are film showings at Berkhamsted Civic Centre, either movies for which Graham Greene wrote the screenplay – The Third Man (1949) being the most famous example – or else film adaptations of Greene novels and, occasionally, Greene-themed documentaries
Address: 161 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 3HB
Accessibility: there are ramped/sloped entry and exit points and good interior accessibility.
Further venue information: please contact the duty manager on 01442 228925
Festival venues map
As well as showing the Town Hall, Berkhamsted School and the Civic Centre, this map pinpoints the railway station and the two hotels recommended by the Festival, namely The Kings Arms and The Penny Farthing, both on the High Street albeit at opposite ends. For accommodation options follow this link.
Getting to Berkhamsted
By train
Berkhamsted is just 30-40 minutes from London Euston with up to four trains per hour. Trains also run regularly from Milton Keynes (25–30 minutes) and other destinations. On exiting the station, turn left for Berkhamsted School (a 4-minute walk), or turn right for the High Street and the other Festival venues (7-10 minutes walk depending on destination). Also see the map above.
By car
Berkhamsted is easily accessible by road:
- From the M1 take Junction 8 (6 miles away)
- From the M25 take Junction 20 (8 miles away)
Local taxi
- A1 Taxis(based at Berkhamsted railway station): telephone 01442-875100 or 01442-258000
Parking
- Lower Kings Road multi-storey car park (with its wall of greenery) in front of Waitrose is the best option. Address: Lower Kings Road
Berkhamsted, HP4 2AB. - St. John’s Well car park to the rear of Marks & Spencer. Address: St John’s Well Lane, Berkhamsted, HP4 1HA.
- Water Lane short-stay car park behind Tesco. Address: Water Lane, Berkhamsted, HP4 3AP.
- Berkhamsted School (Castle Street campus), the Saturday evening and Sunday morning of the Festival, free to attendees. Address: Berkhamsted School, Castle St, Berkhamsted, HP4 2BB.
Restaurants and Pubs
Berkhamsted offers a large variety of restaurants, cafés and traditional pubs — all within a short walk of the Festival venues. The following lists provide recommendations: