A peaceful hamlet surrounded by countryside, but within a short drive of both St Albans and Hatfield, Tyttenhanger offers residents the best of both worlds. We found out more about it.
The name Tyttenhanger – or Tydenhangre – was first recorded in 1248. It is thought to mean the “wooden slope belonging to Tilda”.
Property
Between London Colney and Colney Heath, across the A414 from Tyttenhanger, is the Tyttenhanger Park estate. It includes the historic Tyttenhanger House, Grade II listed stables, a chapel and residential accommodation set in 42 acres of parkland.
Henry VIII spent time here in 1528 as he attempted to avoid the ‘sweating sickness’ that was doing the rounds in London. The estate sold for £4.7 million in 2018 and is currently home to commercial offices.
Another building of note is the Grade II listed Hill End Farm, while it’s said that the first steeplechase in England ran through the land now known as Highfield Farm.
There aren’t currently any homes for sale in Tyttenhanger itself, though there are a couple of nearby options on Puddingstone Drive, in the Highfield Park area; a four-bed detached house for £975,000 and a three-bed semi for £675,000.
Tyttenhanger's peaceful rural setting is currently under threat, however. Hertsmere Borough Council is keen to build 6,000 homes in the Tyttenhanger countryside, creating a new village called Bowmans Cross. The Save Tyttenhanger! campaign has been launched in response.
Amenities
There is a Spar store, a couple of takeaways, a doctors’ surgery and a barbers at the nearby Highfield shops on Russet Drive. There is also The Plough, a friendly, unpretentious pub on Tyttenhanger Green.
Transport
Tyttenhanger is within easy reach of the M1, M25, A414 and the A1(M) by car. Main train stations are a short distance away at St Albans with fast services into central London.
Sport and leisure
The Charles Morris Hall is Tyttenhanger’s local community centre, which is available for hire. It was built with funds left by a previous owner of Highfield Hall and is named in his honour.
The village committee organise many events, including an annual bonfire and fireworks display, a Christmas party and regular quiz evenings, which have helped to maintain a strong sense of community.
Highfield Park is immediately north of the hamlet and offers 60 acres of green space, including bike paths, boules courts, orchards and a maze.
Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits are one of the best places to see a variety of interesting bird species in Hertfordshire. The restored gravel pits and woodland area between London Colney and Colney Heath are recognised by the RSPB and Herts Birds Club.
The main pit is still used to source water to wash the sand and gravel which is extracted from an active quarry south of Coursers Road. As well as gulls, waders, sandpipers, dunlins, ruddy ducks and sand martins, butterflies and dragonflies can be seen here. The area’s fishing lakes are also popular.
There are two nearby leisure centres. Nuffield Health in Highfield Park Drive has personal trainers, a gym, pools, tennis and squash courts and club, physiotherapists and a rehabilitation gym. It is a members’ club.
The YMCA community gym on Russet Drive is a more affordable alternative. It has two gym areas, a multi-use sports hall, a couple of dance studios, an astro pitch and personal trainers.
Schools
The closest primary schools for children living in Tyttenhanger include Windermere and London Colney (both rated ‘good’ by Ofsted). Children aged four to 19 are served by Samuel Ryder Academy ('good'), an all-through school in St Albans.
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