Cosmopolitan London Colney

Known as a dormitory or satellite village of St. Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop, you would be wrong in thinking London Colney is a small, quiet village. It is actually one of the biggest villages in Britain, with a lively and cosmopolitan community, situated north of the country’s capital, and only about three miles from the centre of St. Albans, Hertfordshire.

Probably best known for its associations with football, London Colney is home to Arsenal Football Club’s training grounds, which are also occasionally used by the England football team, and is also home to the training grounds of Watford FC. Arsenal’s grounds boast ten full-size football pitches, plus an indoor facility, and a medical and rehabilitation centre. The grounds are not open to the public, but if you’re a member of the supporters club, then you can be in with a chance of winning tickets for an exclusive tour with an Arsenal legend if you enter their monthly prize draw.

If football isn’t your thing, then the village might just be one you drive through when picking up or dropping off your car with St. Albans Car and Van Hire. However, the village itself does have an interesting history, first appearing on a Hertfordshire map in 1645. It was the on the main coaching route from London to Holyhead, and as such was home to 26 pubs and inns to accommodate the travellers. It was also in this area that the Romans captured St. Alban before taking him to Verulamium in St. Albans for execution. It is thought that he was arrested in the Chantry Chapel in the grounds of what was Colney Park Mansion House, which is one building of interest in the village.

Other interesting buildings in the area include Tyttenhanger House – a Grade I listed 17th century country mansion which has been converted into commercial offices, and Salisbury Hall, dated from around 1685, and which has seen a number of famous residents including the mother of Winston Churchill.