London Colney
Encyclopedia
London Colney is a village
and civil parish in Hertfordshire
, England
. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway
.
It is near St Albans
and part of the St Albans District
. At the time of the 2001 census
the population of London Colney ward was 7,742. It is considered a satellite or dormitory village of St Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop. The long-running 84 bus route
runs through London Colney towards St Albans, and Uno
bus routes 602
, 636, 658 and 659 also connect the village with St Albans
, Hatfield
, Watford
Borehamwood
and Luton
.
By repute it is the second largest village
in the United Kingdom
, after Cottingham
near Hull
.
London Colney has a great selection of open water fishing in the River Colne and associated lakes. Colney Fields shopping park is located there.
has its training ground on Bell Lane, London Colney, comprising a high-tech indoor training and fitness facility with outdoor football pitches. The training ground is also occasionally used by the England football squad, which regularly stay at the nearby The Grove
Hotel during home matches at Wembley Stadium. Watford F.C.
also train in London Colney on Arsenal F.C.'s old training ground which is situated next to their current one.
The village boasts a large number of pubs compared with its relatively small size, in common with nearby St Albans
. Starting from the southern end of the High Street, the pubs are: The Colney Fox (formerly The WaterSplash Hotel); The Bull; The Green Dragon; The Golden Lion; and The White Horse. The Swan pub stood on the northern side of the river for over 300 years before its demolition in the early 1970s. The Bell pub (at the roundabout on the Southern extreme of the village) became a McDonalds restaurant in the 1990s. The White Lion and the Kings Head are in the process of being converted to residential accommodation.
J. Sainsbury's flagship store is also located in London Colney at the retail park, which also contains a Marks & Spencer
's, Next
, Boots, Monsoon
, Accessorize and Sports World
.
The Mosquito Aircraft Museum now known as the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
established in 1959 is located at Salisbury Hall on the south side of the M25 motorway.
(a tributary of the Thames
joining at Staines
) at the multi-arched brick-built Telford
Bridge (a listed building). The original fording point can still be seen on the Western side of the bridge, with the Bull and Green Dragon pubs conveniently situated on opposite sides of the ford. Nearby flooded gravel pits form a nature reserve for wild birds. The A6 used to pass through the village. The bypass was built in 1959, to join with the A414
at the north end of the village. The A6 became the A1081
.
was convicted of cruelty to animals after not feeding his pet snake. The story appeared in the Herts Advertiser
newspaper, and noted that the former WWF
wrestler lived in Whitehorse Lane.
movements. The aim of the magazine is to promote the interests of London Colney residents by providing local information and an opportunity for local firms to advertise. The magazine has been produced continuously since 1984 and now has a website where you can view back copies.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
.
It is near St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
and part of the St Albans District
City and District of St Albans
The City of St Albans , also known as the City and District of St Albans or District of St Albans, is a local government district, in Hertfordshire, England. It was created in 1974 and since then has held the status of non-metropolitan district and city. The local authority is St Albans City Council...
. At the time of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the population of London Colney ward was 7,742. It is considered a satellite or dormitory village of St Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop. The long-running 84 bus route
London Buses route 84
Hertfordshire bus route 84 is a commercial bus service, operated by Metroline, in London and Hertfordshire, England.The route runs between New Barnet in North London and St Albans in Hertfordshire...
runs through London Colney towards St Albans, and Uno
Uno (bus company)
Uno is a bus service operated by the University of Hertfordshire, England, serving members of the general public, and also its own students and staff...
bus routes 602
Uno bus route 602
Uno bus route 602 is a commercial bus service operated by Uno which is the trading name of Universitybus Ltd. The route has contracted bus service elements for Hertfordshire County Council, in Hertfordshire, England...
, 636, 658 and 659 also connect the village with St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, Hatfield
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
, Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
Borehamwood
Borehamwood
-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
and Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
.
By repute it is the second largest village
Largest village in England
Several places claim to be the largest village in England. This title is disputed as there is no standard definition of a village and size might be determined by population or area....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, after Cottingham
Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire
Cottingham is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies just to the north-west of the city of Kingston upon Hull...
near Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
.
History
London Colney Primary School was initially due to open on September 4, 1939. It was then closed on the same day, as war was declared. It opened properly a day later.London Colney has a great selection of open water fishing in the River Colne and associated lakes. Colney Fields shopping park is located there.
Local features
Arsenal F.C.Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
has its training ground on Bell Lane, London Colney, comprising a high-tech indoor training and fitness facility with outdoor football pitches. The training ground is also occasionally used by the England football squad, which regularly stay at the nearby The Grove
The Grove
The Grove may refer to:Canada* Lakefield College School , a boarding schoolUnited Kingdom* The Emirates Stadium, sometimes called "The Grove" in reference to its pre-sponsorship name, "Ashburton Grove"...
Hotel during home matches at Wembley Stadium. Watford F.C.
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
also train in London Colney on Arsenal F.C.'s old training ground which is situated next to their current one.
The village boasts a large number of pubs compared with its relatively small size, in common with nearby St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
. Starting from the southern end of the High Street, the pubs are: The Colney Fox (formerly The WaterSplash Hotel); The Bull; The Green Dragon; The Golden Lion; and The White Horse. The Swan pub stood on the northern side of the river for over 300 years before its demolition in the early 1970s. The Bell pub (at the roundabout on the Southern extreme of the village) became a McDonalds restaurant in the 1990s. The White Lion and the Kings Head are in the process of being converted to residential accommodation.
J. Sainsbury's flagship store is also located in London Colney at the retail park, which also contains a Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
's, Next
Next (retailer)
Next plc is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire, England. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East...
, Boots, Monsoon
Monsoon Stores Ltd
Monsoon Accessorize is a design-led retailer based in London operating two international retail clothing chains - Monsoon and Accessorize.- History :...
, Accessorize and Sports World
Sports World
SportsDirect.com is a British sporting goods retailer, the primary retail asset of Sports Direct International plc. The company was formerly known as Sports World and before that Sports Soccer, but since 2007 branches of the chain have been rebranded as SportsDirect.com, the domain name of its...
.
The Mosquito Aircraft Museum now known as the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, formerly the Mosquito Aircraft Museum, is a volunteer-run aviation museum in London Colney, Hertfordshire, England...
established in 1959 is located at Salisbury Hall on the south side of the M25 motorway.
Geography
The High Street crosses the River ColneRiver Colne, Hertfordshire
The Colne is a river in England which is a tributary of the River Thames. It flows mainly through Hertfordshire and forms the boundary between the South Bucks district of Buckinghamshire and the London Borough of Hillingdon...
(a tributary of the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
joining at Staines
Staines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
) at the multi-arched brick-built Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
Bridge (a listed building). The original fording point can still be seen on the Western side of the bridge, with the Bull and Green Dragon pubs conveniently situated on opposite sides of the ford. Nearby flooded gravel pits form a nature reserve for wild birds. The A6 used to pass through the village. The bypass was built in 1959, to join with the A414
A414 road
The A414 is a major road in England. It runs from the A41 at a junction west of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, through the town to junction 8 of the M1 motorway at Buncefield, and running parallel to the M1 until junction 7, heading south of St Albans, east through Hatfield, Hertford, then...
at the north end of the village. The A6 became the A1081
A1081 road
The A1081 road in Hertfordshire, England broadly follows and replaces the former route of the A6 south of Luton in Bedfordshire.It runs from Luton Airport south via Harpenden to St Albans and then bears southeast via London Colney to High Barnet, where it meets the A1000 .The route was renumbered...
.
Local residents
A minor scandal occurred in 2005, when local resident Jake 'the Snake' RobertsJake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
was convicted of cruelty to animals after not feeding his pet snake. The story appeared in the Herts Advertiser
Archant
Archant is a publishing company, based in Norwich, England, United Kingdom. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 75 weekly newspapers, and 75 consumer and contract magazines....
newspaper, and noted that the former WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
wrestler lived in Whitehorse Lane.
The Parish
London Colney Parish Council publishes a quarterly magazine, edited by volunteers, called The London Colney News. It is delivered free to all households in the village by members of the Scout and GuideGirlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
movements. The aim of the magazine is to promote the interests of London Colney residents by providing local information and an opportunity for local firms to advertise. The magazine has been produced continuously since 1984 and now has a website where you can view back copies.