Jersey Farm is a residential area a couple of miles north-east of St Albans city centre, and is a suburban enclave with a strong identity in its own right.
Until the 1970s, the residential area that is known today as a Jersey Farm was farmland. It was known as Evans Farm until a well-known tuberculosis researcher called Dr Corner moved to the farm in 1931 and decided to name it after his herd of Jersey cows.
Corner died in 1945, aged 81, and his daughter Hilda continued running the farm and dairy business, eventually selling it to the Royal London Mutual Insurance Company for housing development.
In 1977 permission was granted to build on 118 of the 309 acres of farmland, despite strong opposition from locals. Unfortunately things didn’t go entirely to plan: the Queen Anne farmhouse – now the site of St Brelades Place, which would have been the centrepiece of the estate – was destroyed by a fire in 1979.
One section of the farm was excavated as a gravel quarry, now the Jersey Farm adventure playground. There were further plans to develop the area as a sporting ground, but these were met with opposition. Instead this land became Jersey Farm Woodland Park, a 55-acre area of woods and wildflower meadows.
The Jersey Farm Residents Association was established in 1979. The volunteers in the association run a number of yearly events, including a fireworks display and a Christmas party for children.
Green space
In addition to the vast Woodland Park there is Jersey Farm Open Space, parts of which were once used for landfill. Now it is home to the adventure playground, which also holds a half-pipe skate ramp.
Jersey Lane is popular with walkers and cyclists and forms a path linking Marshalswick to Sandridge - providing a handy shortcut for those navigating residential streets on foot.
Just a short walk from Jersey Farm is the 858-acre Heartwood Forest, which is the largest continuous new native forest in England - featuring more than half a million trees, pockets of ancient woodland and wildflower meadows.
Amenities
The centre of Jersey Farm's community is St Brelades Place, which is home to a wide range of shops including a Tesco Express, a pharmacy and a cycle shop.
Other amenities include The Jersey Farm Community Centre, which provides a base for clubs for residents of all ages. There are also doctors' and dentists' surgeries.
Food and Drink
The Blackberry Jack, in St Brelades Place, is Jersey Farm's only pub. It is a traditional local pub which serves a wide range of food in a family friendly setting, with vegan, vegetarian and kids’ menus also on offer.
The pub was named in a competition, ‘Blackberry Jack’ being the winning entry. It was called this due to stories of a man who lived in ‘camps’ in the blackberry bushes around the local fields, whose name was actually Bill or William. ‘Jack’ came from the name of another man who wore a long white coat and spent most of the time drunkenly wandering between St Albans and Borehamwood.
St Brelades Place is also home to three well-used takeaways: Jersey Farm Chinese Cuisine, Bengal Spice Indian, and Jersey Farm Fish, Chips & Kebab.
Just outside but within walking distance is The Potting Shed Café, which makes a pleasant pitstop on the way to Heartwood Forest.
Schools
The closest secondary school to Jersey Farm is Sandringham, which was rated 'outstanding' at its most recent Ofsted inspection.
Primary schools are located in neighbouring Marshalwsick, and include Skyswood Primary & Nursery School (rated 'outstanding'), St John Fisher Roman Catholic Primary ('good'), Wheatfields Infant and Junior Schools ('outstanding' and 'good' respectively). Sandridge School (rated 'good') is another option, located in the village of the same name.
Property
Although far from cheap, Jersey Farm is one of the more affordable areas of St Albans.
The homes currently on the market locally include a three-bed terraced house on Chiltern Road for £550,000.
The majority of sales in Jersey Farm during the last year were semi-detached properties, selling for an average price of £813,273.
Transport
St Albans and Hatfield train stations are both a short drive away, as are the A1(M) and M25.
Regular buses connect Jersey Farm to St Albans, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City.
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