20 Gorgeous Hertfordshire Villages To Visit

Hertfordshire villages, in the area just north of London, don’t have the most glamourous of reputations.

Many people would see the county as a suburb of London, or commuter belt at least, forgetting that it’s a home to wonders such as St.Albans and some lovely villages which are the equal of the more famous counties of Surrey and Suffolk, say.

We feature 20 of the latter, lovely Hertfordshire villages, here:

Aldbury

Aldbury is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire. The parish including Aldbury Common, is about four miles (6.4 km) south-east from Tring and six miles (9.7 km) north-east from Hemel Hempstead, in the Chiltern Hills area of England.

Much Hadham

Much Hadham is one of the most popular Hertfordhsire villages, and civil parish, in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire. It is about three miles (5 km) north-west from Hemel Hempstead. The village, including the hamlet of Little Hadham, is a conservation area.

Nascot

Nascot is a village and civil parish near to Watford in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east from Hemel Hempstead and about 10 miles (16 km) south-west from London. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 591 and at the 2011 Census the population was 637.

Westmill

One of several pretty Hertfordshire villages near Standon (see below)

In the Domesday Book, Westmill was listed as Wistelai and consisted of two manors. The manor on the east side of the parish is now known as Standon and is within a mile (1.6 km) of East Mill Lane. The manor on the west side is known as ‘West Mill’.

The name ‘West Mill’ may have originated from one of two things: it may have been called ‘The West Vale’ or named in order to distinguish it from Standon village which lay directly across what would now be called Old Church Lane. It was likely to be called ‘The Western Manes’ because it was situated

Standon

Standon is a village in the parish of East Mill, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated approximately three miles (5 km) to the north-west of Hemel Hempstead.

Standon consists of four distinct hamlets, each one with its own historical identity: West Mill (already mentioned), East Mill, Mill Fold and Standon Green.

The churchyard of Standon church contains the grave of a 15th-century blue plaque winner; Sir Henry Marney who was master of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. Standon was recorded in the Domesday Book as ‘Westone’.

Therfield

Therfield is a village in the borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire. It is also located about three miles (5 km) north-west of Hemel Hempstead.

In the Domesday Book, Therfield was listed as Terachou and consisted of two manors. The manor on the east side of the parish is now known as Bygrave and is within a mile (1.6 km) to Bygrave Mill Lane and about eight miles (13 km) from Old Hemel Hempstead Road. The manor on the west side is known as Therfield Hall Farm and has been demolished but was found to be inhabited by Daniel Collin in 1377.”

Wheathampstead

Wheathampstead is a town in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It has a population of approximately 5,000.
Wheathampstead is located about four miles (6.4 km) north of St Albans and not far from Welwyn Garden City, it lies just off the A1 road. It is contiguous with the village of Wheathampstead Common, where (in 1841) the population was enumerated.

Redbourn

Redbourn is a large village in northern Hertfordshire, England. It is about three miles (5 km) north of the town of Hitchin. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 4,940.

Some notable features of Redbourn are a Tudor stone church on Church Hill, an ancient settlement fortification and Greenhill House which has been designated as a Grade I listed building because it was built by Sir John Gresham in 1565-6.
On 17 July 2004, Redbourn was declared an Unitary Benefice with St Andrews Church to form Trowbridge cum Redbourn.”

Whetstone

Whetstone is a village in the parish of Adwell, Hertfordshire, England. It is located approximately one mile north of Tring.

Flaunden

Flaunden is a village in the parish of Chipperfield, Hertfordshire, England. It is located about three miles (5 km) north-west from Hemel Hempstead.

It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Floandene and was listed as having six households. The spelling continued to evolve into Florendene by 1435 and eventually Flaunden by the 20th century.

Hunsdon

Hunsdon is an ancient village and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire. The parish, including the hamlet of Browning’s Green, is about three miles (5 km) north-east from Hemel Hempstead and eight miles (13 km) east from Stevenage.

The local old airfield was used as a base by the Royal Air Force under the name RAF Hunsdon.

Brent Pelham

Brent Pelham is a small village, with some of the prettiest cottages of the Hertfordshire villages we feature here. It was once in the ancient parish of Welwyn, which now lies in the district of Hertsmere.

Brent Pelham sprang up around 1850 around a public house known as the Cock Inn, which was located on what would now be called Park Lane.

The area surrounding Brent Pelham is mostly rural with agriculture being the main economic activity.

Great Amwell

Great Amwell is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is located about four miles (6.4 km) south-west from Hemel Hempstead and nine miles (14 km) north-east from Stotfold.

The village has its own parish church: St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Great Amwell – it was partially rebuilt after the Civil War in 1648.

Great Gaddesden

Great Gaddesden is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The village is located within the borough of Dacorum about six miles (10 km) north-west from Berkhamsted.

Great Gaddesden was listed as having four households in the Domesday Book. The area surrounding Great Gaddesden is mostly rural with agriculture being the main economic activity.

Codicote

Codicote is a village in the parish of Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire. It is located two miles (3 km) to the north-east from Little Gaddesden.

This village comprises mainly terraced “Old English” style housing and some more modern development.
The local school is Codicote C.E Primary School which was established in 1933 and for which Princess Anne was appointed as patron in 1987.

Gilston

Gilston is a village in the parish of Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire. It is located about one mile to the north-east from Little Gaddesden.

The built up area surrounding Gilston includes mainly “Old English” style housing and some more modern development. The local school is in Little Gaddesden which was established in 1932 and for which Princess Anne was appointed as patron too in 1987.

Ayot St. Lawrence

Ayot St. Lawrence, one of the ‘Ayots’, is a small village in the eastern part of Hertfordshire. It is within the parish of Bushey Heath, which lies within the district of Dacorum.

The Ayots chapel was built in 1836 by Rev. George Bourne and his wife as a memorial to their daughter Eliza who died on 7 October 1835 aged 19 years. The site is at the foot of Green Lane, near the church and school and surrounded mainly by fields but also partly by woodland.

St Ippolyts

St. Ippolyts is in a gap in the Chiltern Hills to the south east of Hitchin.

The old parish church of St Ippolyts is dedicated to Saint Ippolytus, a martyr also known as Ilya of Kuarin. It is situated in the village of Bushey Heath and is a Grade II listed building. It was built in 1876 and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage for its “particularly fine interior”.