Pictures of Shenley

About Shenley

Shenley is a small village in Hertfordshire, it is equidistance of around 5 miles from both Watford and St. Albans.

It is probably best known as the home of the training ground of Arsenal Football Club, one of England's most famous teams. The ground boasts state of the art facilities for the players, this was achieved following the multi-million pound transfer of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid.

The village has a lively, thriving community, its excellent sporting facilities include a well established Cricket club which is thought to have been founded in 1861. Its beautiful 19th century Pavilion was designed by the legendry W.G Grace. The club is enthusiastic, with several outstanding match fixtures set for most seasons. It offers a warm welcome to new members and does much to support potential youthful players. There is an extremely friendly social side to Shenley Cricket Club, summer barbecues, disco's and themed evenings are the norm throughout the season. The attractiveness of the setting and reputation of facilities are such that the club is in huge demand for corporate and social events.

Historically, Shenley has been established for more than a thousand years, it is mentioned in the Doomsday Book and its name is translated from the Anglo-Saxon Scenlai, meaning Bright Clearing. This would have been highly appropriate for in those days most of Hertfordshire was densely wooded, it had only a few forest clearings and the odd isolated farmstead and hamlet, of which Shenley would have been one. It has always been a popular residential place, people settled here in the 1300's to escape the smog and smoke of London. Thus, the village prospered, craftsmen settled in the area, but agriculture was the main source of employment.

Today the village continues as a prosperous place. It has all the usual village amenities, including three pubs - the King William, Queen Adelaide and the Black Lion. King George V and Queen Mary visited in 1934 to open the new hospital. Later, during World War II part of the hospital was used for the military. In recent times, the hospital was sold off, in its place is new housing and Shenley Park.

The village offers many pleasant places to wander and it has a racing stables and bridle pathways on the southern side of the Woodhall Estate.

Shenley's close proximity to London (10 miles) makes it a quieter alternative in which to stay for anyone wanting to explore Hertfordshire and at the same time make frequent trips to the Capital.