London Colney
| London Colney | |
| Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|
 Bridge over the Colne at London Colney | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL175045 |
| Location: | 51°43’34"N, 0°18’0"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 7,518 |
| Post town: | St Albans |
| Postcode: | AL2 |
| Dialling code: | 01727 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | St Albans |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
St Albans |
London Colney is a village in southern Hertfordshire, found to the southeast of the City of St Albans. The city and the motorway are major presences; Junction 22 of the M25 motorway is at London Colney. It stands on the River Colne, from which it takes the latter part of its name. On the Colne and its associated lakes, anglers enjoy fine open water fishing.
Colney is considered a satellite village of St Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop, and bus routes lead out to St Albans and indeed to Hatfield, Watford, Borehamwood and Luton.
Name
Colney is named from the River Colne which runs at the foot of the village. The "London" prefix is said to derive from the village's position on the road to London; it is not on Watling Street though; that runs further west at Colney Street.
About the village
The High Street crosses the River Colne 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.
The village was on the boundary of the Metropolitan Police District until 1999 and the boundary of the same area was set in the 1860s as the boundary for the London Coal Tax area too: two coal posts still stand in London Colney.
The village has 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.
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.
Big Society
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 local Scouts and Guides. 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.
Sport & Leisure
- Football: London Colney FC play at Cotlandswick Playing Fields.
Arsenal FC 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 FC also train in London Colney on Arsenal FC's old training ground which is situated next to their current one.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about London Colney) |