Stevenage, town and borough in Hertfordshire, south-eastern England. Stevenage is a large post-war extension of Old Stevenage, a market town that dates from the 7th century and lies 45 km (28 mi) north of London. Stevenage was the first new town to be designated by planners under the New Towns Act of 1946 to cater to the needs of the post-war overspill population from London. The borough was created in 1974 to coincide with the designated area of the new town. Stevenage is now dominated by high-tech industries, based alongside the A1 motorway that bypasses the town. The town's industries include light engineering, the manufacture of electronics and communications equipment, and furniture. The old town, birthplace of the theatre producer and designer Edward Gordon Craig in 1872, contains coaching inns, a 12th-century church, a 16th-century grammar school, and a market. Population (1991) 76,064.
