Flamstead

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.81874
longitude= -0.43744
official_name= Flamstead
population=
shire_district= Dacorum
shire_county = Hertfordshire
region= East of England
FireandRescue= Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
constituency_westminster=
post_town=
postcode_district =
postcode_area=
dial_code=
os_grid_reference=

Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original "Verulamstead". It should not be confused with the village of Flamstead End near Cheshunt in East Hertfordshire.

Flamstead stands on a ridge above the River Ver, which runs on its north side; to the south the village extends downhill to the adjoining hamlet of Trowley Bottom. The first documented record of the village was in 1006, and it was also recorded in the Domesday Book eighty years later. In the Middle Ages it was important enough for a market and fair to be held there, though it is now mainly a dormitory village for neighbouring towns, several of which can be reached by bus from the village. The current population is around 1,150.

From a distance the village is dominated by the parish church of St Leonard, with its characteristic "Hertfordshire Spike" spire. St Leonard’s (Church of England) is believed to stand on the site of a ninth century Saxon chapel, though the oldest parts of the present structure date from around 1140. Features of interest include mediaeval wall paintings, the Saunders Memorial of 1670, and a fine fifteenth century rood screen. The village also has a Methodist Church,

Other notable buildings in Flamstead include the almshouses in the High Street, built in 1669; the "Three Blackbirds" pub opposite (one of four in the village), partly dating from the sixteenth century; and several attractive cottages of similar age. Flamstead has 65 listed buildings.

Flamstead has a primary school, though older local children have to travel to secondary schools elsewhere in Hertfordshire. The present school dates from the late 1950s, and the previous school building adjacent to the churchyard is now the Village Hall.

The "Old Watling Street" in the parish, as its name suggests, follows the route of the original Roman road. The modern A5 runs roughly parallel with it but closer to the River Ver.

"Beechwood Park", once the site of a Benedictine nunnery and now home to a preparatory school, lies in the parish, though it is closer to the neighbouring village of Markyate. Beechwood Park gave its name to a song by The Zombies, written by the group's bassist Chris White, who grew up in Markyate.

Since 2002, an annual Scarecrow Festival has been held in Flamstead to raise funds for the upkeep of the church and for local charities.

External links

* [http://www.flamstead-herts.co.uk The village website, with links to other sites of interest]
* [http://www.flamsteadpc.org.uk/ The parish council's website]
* [http://website.lineone.net/~pjoiner/genuki/HRT/Flamstead/index.html GENUKI(tm) page]
* [http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/flamstead.htm Hertfordshire genealogy site for Flamstead]
*oscoor gbx|TL078145