Brookmans Park has long been considered a desirable place to live. The affluent commuter village is surrounded by countryside, but has the amenities of Hatfield and Potters Bar close at hand. We found out more about it...
Only a century ago Brookmans Park was a quiet, rural area, but it expanded rapidly from the 1920s onwards.
New houses were built to accommodate families seeking a country lifestyle within a quick commute of London - aided by the railway station, which opened in 1926.
With its links to London King's Cross, Brookmans Park continues to offer the best of both worlds, and is viewed as a suburban idyll to many people moving out of the capital.
The village also has excellent road links thanks to its proximity to both the A1(M) and the M25.
Property
One thing Brookmans Park isn't short on is premium property, and - according to Rightmove - the average price of a home in the village over the last year was £813,323.
The majority of sales were of semi-detached properties, with an average price of £644,625.
Homes currently on the market include a four-bed detached house on The Grove for £1.4m and a three-bed semi on Oaklands Avenue for £750,000.
Sport and leisure
Brookmans Park Golf Club is set in mature parkland, and is considered one of Hertfordshire's finest golf courses.
In addition to its challenging 18-hole course, the club also has excellent clubhouse facilities and regularly hosts renowned county golf events.
The Brookmans Park Tennis Club was established in 1925, and is for players of all ages and abilities. The club's features include four all-weather courts, one hard court and a clubhouse.
There are also plenty of outdoor spaces. Walkers can enjoy Gobions Wood nature reserve, which provides beautiful paths through woodland for a peaceful local stroll.
The Folly Arch near Brookmans Park is a notable local landmark, which is estimated to have been built in the 18th century.
Also nearby is North Mymms Park, which has a stunning mansion house and beautiful grounds, and is often hired out for weddings and events and filming.
Schools
Brookmans Park has many popular schools in and around the village.
Brookmans Park Primary School – rated 'good' by Ofsted – opened in 1952, and currently admits 45 pupils per year.
As for secondary schools, there is Chancellor's School (rated 'good') in the village, and the highly over-subscribed and partially selective Dame Alice Owen's in Potters Bar ('outstanding').
Queenswood, a girls' independent and day boarding school, is located on the outskirts of the village.
Food and drink
Brookmans is a contemporary gastropub in the heart of the village, and is an ideal spot for a coffee, drink or pub lunch.
Cock O' the North is also located nearby and offers a stylish British pub experience, with highlights including the Monday quiz and private dining room.
Brookmans Park also hosts a range of popular Indian restaurants including Raj Tandoori, as well as a Chinese and a fish and chip shop.
Amenities
Among the many convenient amenities in Brookmans Park are a butcher, bakery, pharmacy and small Co-operative supermarket.
There is also a library, dentist, barbers, hairdressers and a vet and pet groomer. And Brent Cross shopping centre is only a 20-minute journey away.
Claims to fame
The village has several links to celebrities, many of whom have called Brookmans Park home.
These include former England and Spurs stars Gary Mabbutt and Martin Chivers. The latter was landlord of the Brookmans Park Hotel (now Brookmans) for many years.
Singer and former X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos rented the palatial Edge House on Kentish Lane until 2014, when it sold for £4.2m.
Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl grew up in the village, and said: "It was a lovely place to be a child... but then I became a teenager and suddenly this slice of suburban heaven felt like hell."
She wrote a book, Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia, about growing up there.
According to local legend, Brookmans Park is also where the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet originates – with the subject being the daughter of Dr Thomas Muffet, an entomologist, who lived in the area between 1553 and 1604.
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