Coordinates: 51°43′34″N 0°18′00″W / 51.726°N 0.300°W
| London Colney | |
  London Colney
 London Colney shown within Hertfordshire |
|
| Population | 7,518 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | St Albans |
| Shire county | Hertfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ST ALBANS |
| Postcode district | AL2 |
| Dialling code | 01727 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | St Albans |
| List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire | |
London Colney is a village 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, 632, 658 and 659 also connect the village with St Albans, Hatfield, Watford and Borehamwood.
By repute it is the second largest village in the United Kingdom, after Cottingham near Hull.
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History
London Colney Primary School was initially due to open on September 4th 1939. It was then closed on the same day, as war was declared. It opened again a day later.
Local features
Arsenal F.C. 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 Sopwell House 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, which reputedly has the highest density of pubs per population size in the UK. 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 White Lion; The Golden Lion; and The Pear and Partridge (formerly 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.
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.
Geography
The High Street crosses the River Colne (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.
Local residents
A minor scandal occurred in 2005, when local resident Jake 'the Snake' Roberts 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.
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 Guide 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.
The village has a clock of a unique and not universally popular design at its centre. Commissioned to mark the millennium, it bears the names of local residents who contributed to the cost. The clock is shaped to recall the curve of the River Colne as it flows through the village.
External links
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