Ayot St Lawrence

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Ayot St Lawrence
Ayot St Lawrence (Hertfordshire)
Ayot St Lawrence

Ayot St Lawrence shown within Hertfordshire
OS grid reference TL195165
District Welwyn Hatfield
Shire county Hertfordshire
Region East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WELWYN
Postcode district AL6
Dialling code 01707
Police Hertfordshire
Fire Hertfordshire
Ambulance East of England
European Parliament East of England
UK Parliament Welwyn Hatfield
List of places: UKEnglandHertfordshire

Coordinates: 51°50′04″N 0°16′02″W / 51.83434, -0.26709

Ayot St Lawrence is a small village in Hertfordshire, between Harpenden and Welwyn. There are several other Ayots in the area, including Ayot Green and Ayot St Peter.

George Bernard Shaw lived in the village, at Shaw's Corner, from 1906 until his death in 1950. The house is open to the public as a National Trust property.

Another resident of the village was the Shaw's friend, neighbour and bibliographer Stephen Winsten and his wife Claire Winsten.

The village has one pub, the Brocket Arms [1], which is reputed to be haunted.

The old Norman church, in May 2004
The old Norman church, in May 2004

The village has two churches. The old one, in the centre of the village, was partially demolished in 1775, because it was obstructing the view from Sir Lionel Lyde's new home.


The new St-Lawrence church
The new St-Lawrence church

The new St Lawrence church was designed in a neo-classical style by Nicholas Revett and features a Palladian-style frontage with Doric columns.

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