Park Street Village and How Wood
Park Street is a Village of St Albans, Hertfordshire in the parish of St Stephen, running alongside the River Ver in the City and District of St Albans, Park Street falls within the Metropolitan Green Belt, It is approximately two-and-a-half miles by road from St Albans via Watling Street (the old Roman road from London to Chester and Holyhead) and then a post-Roman offshoot, St Stephen’s Hill, into the medieval city centre. The surrounding area is host to a number of idyllic lakes and forested nature walks, which make for a wonderful area to stroll through, and excellent for dog walkers. The lakes, once the Moor Mill Pits, located between Park Street and Frogmore, are considered great for fishing. This has led to a great deal of interest among the angling community for their considerable and diverse aquatic wildlife. The area has a BP petrol station which also contains a Marks & Spencer food store and on Park Street Lane is Park Street Guns, a small shopping parade can be found within a short walk at How Wood, comprised of a Co-op good store, hairdresser, butcher, Simmons bakers, pharmacy and florist
There is a village hall which opened in 1936 and serves as the polling station of the area, plus Park Street Baptist Church on Penn Road. Park Street is also home to a recreation ground and sports fields, Park Street Village FC and a cricket ground/pavilion. Park Street railway station is the first station after St Albans Abbey on the St Albans branch line. The train service on this line is known locally as the ‘Abbey Flyer’. NB (In the future there are plans for the line to go directly into Euston).
History
The Park Street & Frogmore Society was formed to promote interest in local history and nature, covering the three villages of Park Street, Frogmore and Colney Street.
Park Street is of late and initially disparate medieval origin. After the Norman Conquest, the area was known as ‘Parke Street’, and formed part of the land grant given to St Albans monastery in 793 AD. The street’s mill - ‘Le Parkmulle’ (Park Street Mill) was first referred to in the 12th Century. The mill, which was converted into offices in the 1980s, was once used for grinding flour, and also supplied the Abbey with eels reared and trapped in the surrounding ponds. The mill still forms a very prominent feature in the centre of Park Street, and provides a pleasant backdrop to the war memorial garden to the north of the village. The railway bridge near Sycamore Drive was demolished around 1948 after being damaged by a giant propeller being delivered to the Handley Page aircraft works, whose runway was in use until the mid-1960s for the maintenance and testing of the V bomber fleet
Schools
Park Street has two primary schools, Park Street Church of England Primary School and How Wood Primary School, both of which are rated ‘good’ by Ofsted. The nearest secondary school is the Marlborough Science Academy, which is also rated ‘good’.
Property
By the 14th Century, Park Street was home to one of the largest and richest manors in the area, supplying large quantities of corn to the Abbey. There are still many buildings in the area of architectural/historic interest.
The oldest buildings surviving appear to be numbers 61-63 (originally a single early 15th Century late Medieval hall house) and number 68 (a 16th Century timber framed building with the remains of a jettied front). The rest of the area’s architectural heritage traces back to the brick-built early Victorian era - though Toll Cottage on Bury Dell is dated as a 17th Century property.
Today it boasts several side streets from its main thoroughfare, such as Oliver Close, Sycamore Drive and The Beeches.
Motorways
Park Street is superbly located for easy access and just a short drive from both the M25(J21A) and the M1(J8).
Pubs and Takeaways
Rumbles fish bar and The Oriental serve as the local takeaways in Park Street, at the How Wood shops there is Sea World and The Village Spice, there are two pubs, The Falcon and The Overdraught
Bricket Wood
Having the best of both worlds – the feeling of living in the countryside together with the convenience of being a short journey to the heart of the capital city.Coming under St Albans City and District Council, its proximity to London and the neighbouring towns of Watford and St Albans has made Bricket Wood an attractive prospect to home-buyers
Property
The average price for a property stands at £615.364, according to property site Zoopla. The average flat is priced at £267,454 with a terraced house coming in at £424,565. Property values have increased by a massive 37 per cent in the last five years, which works out at £167,000 for the savvy investor.
Amenities
Oakwood Road is home to a mix of shops, including a butcher a greengrocer, a café, a medical centre, a pharmacy, and a dental surgery. The quintessential village pub, The Gate, is the place to visit for genuine home-cooked food, hearty cask ale and the promise of a warm welcome.
Transport
Bricket Wood is served by trains operating between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey. Trains run every 45 minutes in each direction Monday to Saturday. London-bound commuters can make the journey to the capital in an impressive 15 minutes by taking the train from Watford Junction direct to Euston. Car drivers can make easy connections using the M1 and M25
Schools
The majority of local children attend Mount Pleasant Lane JMI and Nursery School, which has around 350 pupils ranging in age from 3-11 years old (including the morning nursery). The school was rated ‘good’ in its most recent Ofstead.