Flamstead

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Flamstead stands on a ridge above the River Ver, and is dominated by St. Leonard’s parish Church. 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.

St Leonard’s 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.

Other notable buildings in Flamstead include the almshouses in the High Street, built in 1669, the Three Blackbirds pub opposite, partly dating from the sixteenth century, and several attractive cottages of similar age.

In recent years an annual Scarecrow Festival has been held in the village.