How Wood

How Wood
Average housing stock in How Wood
How Wood is located in Hertfordshire
How Wood
How Wood
Location within Hertfordshire
Population3,542 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid referenceTL141036
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townST ALBANS
Postcode districtAL2
Dialling code01727
PoliceHertfordshire
FireHertfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hertfordshire
51°43′10″N 0°21′01″W / 51.71956°N 0.35026°W / 51.71956; -0.35026

How Wood is a residential village, south of Park Street village between the centres of Watford and St Albans in St Stephen civil parish, Hertfordshire, England.

The district council (in this instance, mid-tier of local government) is the City and District of St Albans, named after the homonymous historic cathedral city, whose boundaries are contiguous with the village via neighbouring villages and hamlets.

Although the area was once part of Park Street, development took place in most of the agricultural fields around Park Street Lane. Park Street joined the City Council rather than St Stephen civil parish. How Wood has grown to a sizeable residential area: its population in 2001 was 3,542. The area has the physical divide from Park Street of a railway line bridge adjoining two fields and a wood leading down to increasingly riverside woodland in Park Street, which sits on the river Ver in the northwest.

Amenities

In How Wood there is a row of shops on How Wood, including a Co-op and an off-licence, a stationery shop and bakery that is well known in Hertfordshire (Simmons). Park Street Lane leads under the railway line and then is immediately in the edge of the village centre of Park Street; in the centre is a Barbers and two pubs

There are two schools, one outlying and one on the main street which has three listed buildings; the main street is a by-road to St Albans as it is from Bricket Wood only. The listed buildings are at Grade II and are Park Cottage, The Homestead and Orchard Cottage.[2] Burstone Manor Farm is a pretty farm with mainly plant nurseries and some fisheries between the village and Chiswell Green - it is at the higher Grade II* and is a much older timber frame building, some of it 12th century, the remainder of it 15th and 17th century with new casements and with a moat.,[3] between the housing estates and Burstone Manor Farm are the smaller remains of How Wood and the larger Birch Wood.

Park Street and St Albans offer nearby eateries and bars, several adjoining the rather pure river Ver which is opposite Park Street Village and has the closest watercress beds to London.

Transport

The village is served by How Wood railway station on the Abbey Line, linking it with St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction.

How Wood has its own primary school, How Wood Primary School and Nursery.

Site of Special Scientific Interest

Moor Mill Quarry, West, a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, is located on the other side of the railway line.

Nearest Settlements

References

  1. ^ Key Statistics for HCC Settlements Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1102863)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
    Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1102864)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
    Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1175499)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1102862)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 August 2012.