Abbots Langley is a large village in Hertfordshire. Birth place to the only English Pope, Nicholas Breakspear (Pope Adrian IV), in 1100, it was also home to Elizabeth Greenhill, who features in The Guinness Book of Records. Elizabeth was noted as mothering thirty-nine children (thirty-two daughters and seven sons) during the 17th century, who all survived to adulthood! Abbots Langley is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book, under the name of Langelai.
Back then, the area was a district of meadows and woods, with records showing the inhabitants as being about nineteen village men and their families, a priest, and a knight! Nowadays, the parish of Abbots Langley is home to over 10,000 residents, and is a mix of urban and rural areas.
The residential areas are sought after locations for commuters, with easy access to central London only twenty minutes by train. One residential street some of you might be familiar with is Edinburgh Drive, where houses in the road have been featured in the popular TV comedy The Inbetweeners.
As well as having great train links, the M25 passes right through the parish, so if you’ve hired a vehicle from St. Albans Car and Van Hire, you’re bound to see signs for the area. It has good access to road, rail, and air, including the Grand Union Canal, which links London with Birmingham, with connections into Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Situated on the eastern border of the parish is the M1 - the main motorway linking London and the north west of the country.
The village itself has a calendar of events throughout the year, with the popular Carnival and Festival of Arts to name a couple. The Festival of Arts features a wide variety of displays, performances and entertainment, such as jazz bands, poetry reading, orchestral performances, and wonderful flower displays. Why not see what’s on, if you’re passing through?
Posted on February 9th 2015