Estate agents in Hertfordshire - Shenley

Did you know

• Amenities

  The White Horse is a popular Gastro Pub at the southernly edge of the village.

  There is also an Italian restaurant L’Italiana, in what used to be The Black Lion public house. Shenley cricket ground boasts the considerable fame of a 19th century pavilion designed by none other than W. G. Grace. Grace was commissioned on the request of the esteemed Porter family, who owned substantial landholdings around Shenley at the time.

  Shenley Sports Grounds, to the north of the village, are the current training facilities of Watford FC. The site was originally used by Arsenal until 1999 when they moved to a neighbouring site under new manager Arséne Wenger.

  Shenley Park is home to an orchard, meadow and two-acre walled garden with its own amphitheatre. It also has a tea room with adjacent playground, which makes it a popular spot for families.

• Transport

  Just 5 miles south of St Albans . It is a 5 minute drive to reach the M25 or the A5183 which is the Old Watling Street.

  Radlett railway station is less than 10 minutes away by car, with excellent links to London. Bus routes to north London boroughs and other areas of Hertfordshire also run through Shenley on a regular basis.

• Property

  Shenley is a mostly residential area offering a good mix of properties.

  The most significant development in Shenley in recent times is Harperbury Park, a 206-home scheme built on the site of Harperbury Hospital mental health facility, which was demolished in 2018.

• Schools

  Shenley Primary School, in the heart of the village, serves most of the local children.

  A fee-paying alternative is Manor Lodge, an independent primary school for children aged four to 11, on the periphery of the village.

  Jewish parents may also be interested in Clore Shalom (‘good’), a single form entry Jewish primary school that teaches the National Curriculum alongside traditional Jewish studies.

  The independent Haberdashers’ Aske’s boys’ and girls’ schools are also nearby, just off Watling Street on the fringes of Elstree.

  The closest state secondary schools to the village include Hertswood Academy in Borehamwood and the partially selective Dame Alice Owen's School in Potters Bar.

• History

  Cited three times in the Domesday Book, Shenley is an Anglo-Saxon settlement originally titled ‘Senlai,’ which means ‘fair clearing or wood”.

  Instantly recognisable on the bank of the village pond is the ‘Cage’, or ‘lock-up.’ This domed construction, with a single arched wooden door, was built in the 1700s, and served as a prison for the parish constabulary. Before a national system of policing was instituted, villages would often have their own provincial lock-ups. Local criminals would be detained provisionally, before being sent to a larger town for trial.

  An inscription can still be seen on the structure: ‘Do well. And Fear not.’ ‘Be sober. Be vigilant.’