London Colney
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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 through London Colney to Potters Bar, while the 602 and 359 also serve the village.
By repute it is the second largest village in the United Kingdom, after Cottingham near Hull.
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 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 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; The Pear and Partridge (formerly the White Horse); and The King's Head. 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 MacDonalds 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, Sports World and Borders book shop.
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.
London Colney became a civil parish in 1947 when the St Peter Rural parish was split to form it and Colney Heath.
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 for 21 years 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.
