The town is the site of the original campus of Hatfield Polytechnic[?], which has since become the University of Hertfordshire[?]. It is also the location of the first de Havilland aircraft factory with an associated airfield where airliners such as the Dove, Heron, Comet, Trident and HS146 were built. Production of the latter type was transferred to Woodford in Cheshire during the 1990s by which time it was known as the British Aerospace 146 "Whisperjet". An early bizjet, the DH125, was also developed here although mass production took place at Hawarden in Cheshire. Some components of wind turbines were also developed here prior to the airfield's closure. Parts of the airfield are now in use as film studios.
Hatfield House in the vicinity is a famous film location that appears in a number of films that include Batman and Eyes Wide Shut.
The area contains the site of a fatal train derailment on October 17, 2000. The crash brought track maintenance deficiencies to public attention, to the severe detriment of Railtrack, the company established to manage rail infrastructure, and set in motion the events that led to its insolvency.
A number of places named after Hatfield can be found around the world:
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