Area Guide: The Watford suburb of Garston

Property

The streets of Garston are lined mostly with a mix of 1930s semis, terraced houses and flats.

Homes currently on the market locally include the 14-bed, Grade II listed High Elms Manor, which was most recently in use as a school and has a guide price of £8,500,000.

The property is set in approximately 10 acres of private grounds and gardens, and features event rooms, a large ballustraded terrace and a network of cellars.

Somewhat more affordable options include a four-bedroom detached property at North Orbital Road for £850,000. 

According to Rightmove, overall sold prices in Garston over the last year were three per cent up on the previous year and nine per cent up on the 2020 peak of £408,554. 

Schools  

Garston is renowned for its outstanding secondary schools, and Parmiter's in High Elms Lane is one of the most oversubscribed in Hertfordshire.  

Parmiter's is a partially selective co-educational state comprehensive, with a sixth form. It was originally based in East London before moving to Herts in 1977, and was rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted at its last inspection.

Another 'outstanding' local school is St Michael's Catholic High School, also in High Elms Lane, which is a comprehensive with pupils aged between 11 and 18.

In 2009 Francis Combe Academy opened on Horseshoe Lane, replacing Francis Combe School and Community College. It was found to require improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2019.

Primary school options in Garston include The Grove Academy and Coates Way JMI, both of which have a 'good' Ofsted rating.

Transport links  

Garston has excellent road links, as it is within easy and convenient reach of the M1, M25 and A41 motorways.

The suburb also has its own railway station, which is the third stop on the Abbey Line after Watford Junction and Watford North.

Mainline train services from London Euston also go through Watford.

Food and drink  

There are plenty of chain restaurants for people to choose from in Garston - with branches of Frankie & Benny's, McDonald's, TGI Friday's and Papa John's all close by.

There is also a Harvester on North Orbital Road, as well as a few independent outlets on Garston Park Parade, including takeaway pizza, Chinese and fish and chips.

There is also a popular pub nearby - the Dome Bar on St Albans Road - which serves food and also has sport on the big screen and live music.

Sport and leisure  

One of the area's major attractions is Garston Park - half of which is a nature reserve. 

The park itself covers 6.4 hectares and includes woodland, grassland and wetland. It is also inhabited by a variety of wildlife, such as red foxes, woodpeckers and butterflies.

There is also a playground for children, as well as exercise spots and areas of mown grass which are ideal for running.

Meanwhile, Watford Leisure Centre - Woodside on Horseshoe Lane has plenty of sports facilities - with two pools, a gym, an exercise studio, a squash court and a hall offering table tennis, badminton and five-a-side football. 

Watford Leisure Centre - Woodside (Image: Google Street View)

For other activities there is Woodside Leisure Park, which has a Vue cinema and Hollywood Bowl with 10-pin bowling - plus a bar, a café and an arcade.

For more family fun there's Ninja Warrior - which has replaced Gambado soft play as a popular venue for kids' parties.

As part of Watford, Garston is close to all the town has to offer - such as the Watford Palace Theatre, Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden and Atria Watford shopping centre - previously known as the Harlequin Centre or Intu Watford.

This area guide is sponsored by Frost's, who have offices in St Albans, Marshalswick, Wheathampstead and Harpenden (Image: Frost's)