Bricket Wood

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Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood shown within Hertfordshire
Population	4,093
OS grid reference	TL135025
District	St Albans
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ST ALBANS
Postcode district	AL2
Dialling code	01923
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
European Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	St Albans
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Coordinates: 51°42′35″N 0°21′31″W / 51.7097, -0.3586

Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately half a mile from St Albans. It is part of the parish of St Stephen. Its railway station is served by a Silverlink County service that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.

Close to the village stands Hanstead House, built by Sir David Yule in 1925, who is buried in the gounds. It was subsequently bought by Herbert W. Armstrong to serve as his second Ambassador College campus. It is now a training centre for HSBC.

1 Activities
2 Local Pubs
3 References

[edit] Activities

[edit] Morris Dancing

The village is home to the border Morris Dancing team Wicket Brood, one of the best known teams in the area.

[edit] Naturism

The village of Bricket Wood has been host to four naturist clubs: Spielplatz, Fiveacres Country Club, The Sun-Folk Society and Gardenia. Of these, Gardenia has now closed and been built on, but the other clubs are all still open.

The clubs have been there for many years. Spielplatz was founded in 1930, The Sun-Folk Society in 1931 and Fiveacres in the early 1930s.

[edit] Wicca

In 1954 Gerald Gardner published his book "Witchcraft Today" to advance his own practice of Wicca as a modern religion. He established his first coven at Bricket Wood. Gerald Gardner operated his coven from Fiveacre Country Club in Bricket Wood.[1]

[edit] Local Pubs

The Black Boy

A 250-year-old edge of village pub, the part Grade II listed Black Boy was once frequented by livestock owners driving their cattle and sheep to markets along the toll road between Watford and Hatfield. A toll gate was outside this small, traditional inn. Now, it’s the favoured local of countless regulars from Bricket Wood and the immediate area. CAMRA listed, a first choice among sports fans for its dedicated sports-only TV coverage and now the area’s first wi-fi pub – allowing businessmen to use their lap tops while enjoying a drink and a snack – the ‘heart’ of the Black Boy is its varied and inclusive clientele and its robust ‘pub life’. The atmosphere shifts easily between often quiet and peaceful afternoons and evenings to the garrulous ‘happy hour’ - between 12pm and 6pm – and a welcoming communal ‘ village’ get-together at other times. Comfortable, unfussy and welcoming, the Black Boy – how it got its name is explained in a wall-hung pub history – offers modern-day comforts without compromising its lengthy history. See the plaque in the front wall which details how a former publican left to fight in World War I - and paid the ultimate sacrifice. The pub also has a garden for outside drinking and children are welcome up to ? pm or at landlord Peter Dillingham’s discretion. The French writer and traveller Hilaire Belloc once described the traditional English inn as a “fortress of virtue”. We’re not sure the Black Boy can live up to that promise – but it can promise good beer, good company and a good time. Copyright BBC Graham.