London Colney

London Colney is a village and civil parish in south central Hertfordshire. It is a satellite village of St Albans, where some villagers travel to work and shop. As of 2011 it had a population of 9,500 residents.

Understand

River Colne at London Colney

In the 3rd or 4th century AD, Alban was captured in the London Colney area and taken to Verulamium, where he was executed after admitting he had become a Christian - St. Albans was named in his honour.London Colney was first appeared on a Hertfordshire map in 1645.

London Colney grew through the years being on the coaching route from London to Holyhead. At one time there were 26 inns and pubs in the village to accommodate travellers, coachmen and the teams of horses. Today it has the same function as a pseudo M25 services at J22.

From the 19th until the late 20th century three large mental hospitals (Napsbury, Shenley, Harperbury) were in the vicinity and they employed many residents; Napsbury was inside the village boundaries. Only Harperbury, now named Kingsley Green, remains and is today much smaller.

Today London Colney is mainly a residential area. Many of its residents work in nearby St. Albans or commute into London.

Get in

London Colney connects by bus service to St. Albans and Hatfield. The 84 and the 602 run from St Albans with the 602 also going from Hatfield. The M25 skirts the southern edge of the village.

Get around

This village can be traversed on foot. Bus service travels along High Street through the village. Many people use private vehicles to get around London Colney.

See

A number of things to see are just outside the boundaries of London Colney. However, a few sites are inside the village.

• 1 All Saints Pastoral Centre (On London Colney's south side along B5378 (Shenley Lane)). Gardens open in daytime hours. Supposedly the priest who was protected by Alban in Roman times lived on this site. Alban swapped cloaks with the priest and was arrested and taken to Verulamium, where he was executed. St. Albans is named in his honour. This centre was built in 1901 as a Roman Catholic convent. After that it became used as a conference center. The grounds may be traversed by the public and they have been maintained as a peaceful garden. (updated Sep 2015)
• 2 Broad Colney Lakes Nature Reserve, South part of London Colney (Road B5378 (Shenley Lane) borders the west side of this Nature Reserve). Open in daytime hours. This park is along the River Colne. In the 1920s gravel was extracted and three lakes were left. Woods have grown around these lakes, one of which is in the River Colne's centre. The Reserve is twenty-six acres and is traversed by several footpaths. Various edible fish are in the lakes. (updated Sep 2015)
• 3 De Havilland Aircraft Museum (Mosquito Museum), Salisbury Hall, London Colney, AL2 1BU, ☏ +44 1727 826400, curator@dehavillandmuseum.co.uk. Tu-Su 10:30AM-4PM. The only museum in the world where you can get close up to 3 iconic DH Mosquito Aircraft including the unique prototype, where it was designed and built. Adults £14, children £8, concessions £12. (updated Sep 2020)
• 4 Napsbury Park (Formerly Napsbury Hospital) (Northwest section of London Colney). Napsbury Park is on the site of Napsbury Hospital, a large mental hospital that existed from 1898 to 1998, with at least one building still in use at least to 2002. The site was listed as a Grade II Historic Park and Garden in 2001 and since then has undergone redevelopment into a residential area. Many of the old buildings were renovated into residential space, some were torn down and others have been neglected and are in a severe state. The ones renovated are good examples of how Napsbury Hospital once appeared. A number of homes are owned by Arsenal FC and Watford FC football players, since practice fields are just outside London Colney. (updated Sep 2015)

Buy

London Colney's High Street has a variety of small retail shops. Other outlets are just off High Street. However, London Colney's huge shopping area is the Colney Fields Shopping Park.

• 1 Colney Fields Shopping Park (Colney Fields Retail Park), J22, M25 Motorway, London Colney,Herts AL2 1AB (This shopping park is at Junction 22 of the M25 Motorway, on London Colney's southeast corner), ☏ +44 20 7493-4455 (for contact through Morgan Williams). This large shopping centre has three main outlets, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and next. Other retailers include Boots, T K Maxx, Monsoon, New Look and Starbucks. Sainsbury's has a petrol station at the east end of the centre. A free car park has 1,400 spaces. (updated Sep 2015)

Drink

• 1 The Colney Fox, 1 Barnet Road, AL2 1BL (Barnet Road is also High Street), ☏ +44 1727 823698. M-Sa noon-11PM; Su noon-10:30PM. This is a combination pub and restaurant in an attractive old wood-finished building. Beers, ales, stouts, wines and a large variety of liquors are offered. This pub has a large menu of food from which to choose. Organisations and clubs can reserve sections of the pub for meetings. (updated Oct 2015)
• 2 Green Dragon, Waterside, AL2 1RB, ☏ +44 1727 530312, info@greendragonlondoncolney.co.uk. (updated Nov 2020)

Sleep

• 1 Holiday Inn Express St. Albans, Colney Field Retail Park, AL2 1AB, ☏ +44 1727 615000. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. £47+. 

Cope

1 Gents Public Toilet, High St, AL2 1AU. 8AM–6PM. free. 

Go next

Just to the northwest of London Colney is St Albans.

Routes through London Colney

West London ← Watford ←

anticlockwise  clockwise

→ Potters Bar → East London