Hemel Hempstead - Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods

The grand design for Hemel Hempstead newtown saw each new district centred around a parade or square of shops called a neighborhood centre. Other districts existed before the newtown as suburbs, villages and industrial centres and were incorporated into the town.

• Adeyfield — Located on a hill to the east of the old town, this was the first of the New Town districts to be started. The first four families of Hemel Hempstead’s new town moved into their homes in Adeyfield on Wednesday, 8 February 1950.
• Apsley — a nineteenth century mill town a mile south of old Hemel which grew up around the paper making industry — notably the John Dickinson Stationery mills. Now a suburb of Hemel with many warehouse outlets set in Retail parks, a large office facility for Hertfordshire County Council and a large Sainsbury's Supermarket.
• Bennetts End — Located on the rising ground to the south east and another original district of the new town. Construction began in 1951 and by autumn 1952 300 houses were occupied.
• Boxmoor — A mostly Victorian era developed district to the southwest which grew up because of its proximity to the London Midland and Scottish Railway station and trains to London.
• Chaulden — an early new town district, west of the town, commenced in 1953 with its own neighbourhood shopping centre.
• Corner Hall — an estate adjacent to the plough roundabout frequently thought to be part of Apsley. Bounded by Lawn lane and St Albans Hill.
• Cupid Green — a sixties estate north east of the town on the site of the old fireworks factory.
• Felden — Felden is a partly rural area south west of Hemel Hempstead that has many wealthy detached houses. It is home to the national headquarters of the Boys' Brigade.
• Gadebridge — A later 1960s development located north west of the old town.

• Grovehill — Grovehill is a housing estate towards the northern edge of Hemel Hempstead. It was developed as part of the second wave of development of the New Town commencing in 1967 and completed in stages by the early 1980s. Within the estate there are such features as 'Henry Wells Square' containing local shops, off licences, a pub, a 12 table snooker club. The estate also contains 'Grovehill Community Centre', the local 'Grovehill Playing Fields', home to many football (soccer) pitches, a baseball ground and changing facilities. Grovehill also incorporates various churches, a doctor's surgery and a dental surgery as well as several schools including The Astley Cooper School.
• Highfield — a district of the original new town located north of the old town.
• Leverstock Green — A village 4 km east of the old town which pre-existed the new town and which has now been subsumed into it, although retaining its original village centre. It was once a popular place for actors and artists to live.
• Nash Mills — a historic name for a district beside the River Gade downstream and southeast of the town which had water mills present since at least the 11th century. It is now a mix of industrial use and housing from the nineteenth century through to small modern developments.
• Warner's End — an original new town residential district on chalk upland to the west of Hemel Hempstead where work commenced in 1953.
• Woodhall Farm — A housing estate on the north eastern edge of town towards Redbourn. Woodhall Farm was built in the mid to late 1970s on the former Brock's Fireworks site with a mix of private and housing association stock. Built by Fairview Estates it has property ranging from four-bedroom detached houses down to one bedroom low-rise flats. The area has a shopping centre with a Sainsbury's, Newsagents, Takeaway and Off-licence. It also has two infant schools and middle schools and a doctor's surgery serving the local area.