Three Rivers

Three Rivers, district, administrative and historic county of Hertfordshire, southeast England, in the southwestern corner of the county. Three Rivers district is essentially a dormitory suburban area on the northwest border of Greater London. Rickmansworth is the district seat.

The district’s gently rolling countryside is traversed by the wooded valley of the River Colne. Sands and gravels have been extensively worked, and the resulting series of flooded pits are used now for recreation or for water storage. Rickmansworth and Croxley Green once had paper mills; other manufacturing industries included printing works and asbestos-sheet and truck manufacturing. Although there is still some manufacturing, services now constitute the bulk of the district’s economic activity. Area 34 square miles (88 square km). Pop. (2001) 82,848; (2011) 87,317.