This large rural village and civil parish is seven miles south of Hitchin, near Knebworth and Welwyn Garden City.
Codicote uses a Hitchin postcode (SG4) or a St Albans postcode (AL6), and has a population of more than 2,000.
It has a parish council – which maintains a website for services, businesses and village - amentities as well as being part of the jurisdiction of North Hertfordshire District Council.
Council tax for a Band A property in the district is £141.3; a Band D property is £211.96 and a Band H property it is £423.92.
Housing
Codicote has typically timber-framed and chequered brick housing. Notable buildings include the 18th century Pond House and half-timbered As You Like It Peking restaurant. Codicote Lodge is 18th century and Codicote Bury is 17th century.
Churches
Beautiful St Giles Church, with its picturesque chapel of the Holy Innocents, was dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester between 1108 and 1115 during his period in office.
Transport
Knebworth train station is two miles outside the village. There are also Welwyn North and Welwyn Garden City railway stations close by with great links to main towns and cities.
Road links are excellent for commuting with M1 8.7 miles away and the A1(M) just over three miles away.
Schools
Codicote Church of England Primary School was originally built in 1857 but the current school building on Meadow Way was established in 1972.
Secondary education is provided by nearby town schools with many locallers from Codicote being allocated places at Hitchin Boys’ School, Hitchin Girls’ School and Monk’s Walk School in Welwyn Garden City.
History
In 1086, there were only two corn mills and 100 people in Codicote. From these humble beginnings, a marketplace and fair was built around St Giles Church, which prospered so much that it had grown into a village by the 13th century.
The first pub, which served travellers from Oxford and London, was built in 1279 and the building still holds an alcohol licence today.
The market was known for selling pottery and quality cloth, the transfer of which material may have contributed to the spread of the plague through the village in 1348-1349.
Codicote passed to Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, and his Barber Surgeon, John Penne, bought the manor from the king in 1545.
More recently, plaited straw for Luton’s hat industry was produced in Codicote.
Food and drink
The Codicote Globe is a popular and friendly pub on the High Street, that has live music performances, DJ sets, and a Thai food special on Fridays and Saturdays.
Other local pubs, both in High Street, are The Goat Inn and The Bell Motel, which has a number of residential rooms behind the main building. The Sports and Social Club off Bury Lane is a meeting point for villagers too.
The Garden Café at Wyevale Garden Centre, The Codicote Spice Indian restaurant and Deli Stop coffee shop are nearby amenities for eating and drinking.
Sport and leisure
Opportunites in Codicote for sport and leisure are facilitated by three main outdoor sports areas and activities; two football pitches, three tennis courts and a cricket wicket used by four teams. There is a non-league football club (Codicote FC) which uses the John Clements Memorial Ground.
Famous associations
British singer/songwriter Kim Wilde married in the village church of St Giles in September 1996 and comedian, author and political activist Robert Newman – a former comedy partner of David Baddiel – was raised in Codicote and surrounding villages Datchworth and Whitwell.
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