Area Guide: The upmarket Hertfordshire village of Essendon

Essendon is a hilltop village in the south east of Hertfordshire, which overlooks the valley of the River Lea. 

And while the affluent rural enclave is less than five miles east of Hatfield, it’s a world away from the busy Hertfordshire town in look and feel.

Property

Not surprisingly for such an attractive, well-located place, property in Essendon doesn't come cheap.

Notable homes currently on the market in the village include an £8.25m pile set in four acres and a £4.75m country estate with leisure complex. 

The most affordable home currently for sale in Essendon is a partially renovated three-bed cottage, which has a guide price of £625,000. 

According to Rightmove, properties in the village had an overall average price of £701,667 over the last year, a dip from the 2015 peak of £1,101,111. (Though with so few homes changing hands, this data has limited value.)  

Claims to fame

Novelist Barbara Cartland is a famous former resident of Essendon, and once lived in the huge 10-bedroom mansion, Camfield Place. Beatrix Potter was also a regular visitor to the area as her grandfather used to live there.

Amenities

The village hall is a community hub, hosting carpet bowls and pilates classes as well as meetings of The Essendon Society and the Women's Institute. The venue can also be hired for weddings, birthday parties and other celebrations.

St Mary the Virgin church contains evidence of previous rectors dating as far back as 1213, with Norman fragments discovered at the site in the 19th century.

In 1916, the largest air raid of The Great War - 16 airships - struck Essendon farmland and parts of the church and village. In the aftermath of the bombings it emerged that two young sisters were killed in their nearby home.

A restoration project to reconstruct the building was completed by the following year, with many of the previous features replicated.

Essendon Country Club is home to two 18-hole golf courses, a nine-hole pitch and putt, a driving range and a 'swing studio'. There's also a popular restaurant on site and space is available for private events, such as weddings and funeral receptions.

Schools

Essendon C of E (VC) Primary School has only four classes with two year groups in each, starting with nursery and Reception. In its most recent Ofsted report, the school was again found to be 'good'. The inspector noted that children feel "very safe" at the school. "Pupils I spoke to stated categorically that bullying did not happen at Essendon… As a small school, the pupils I spoke to felt that pupils treated each other like members of a family."

Nearby secondary options include Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School ('outstanding').

Travel

With rail links from nearby Hatfield that can have you into London King's Cross within half an hour, Essendon is the perfect location for commuters seeking the best of country and city life. Buses also run regularly from Essendon to local villages, while major roads, including the A1(M) and the M25, are a short drive away.