Flamstead, Hertfordshire
Flamstead is a small village in north-west Hertfordshire, England, situated on a ridge above the river Ver.
The village of Flamstead, the name thought to be a variation of the original Verulamstead, is an ancient community located on the Bedfordshire border. There was a settlement here from before Roman times, as indicated by Watling Street, following the route of the original Roman Road, but Flamstead does not appear in written records until much later. The documented history of the village goes back over a thousand years to 1006, when the village is mentioned in a Charter granted to the Abbot of St Albans from King Ethelred. Entries in the Domesday Book eighty years later show that Flamstead was held by the de Todeni family for services to William the Conqueror during the Battle of Hastings. This arrangement remained in place for a total of 244 years. In the late 13th century records show that Flamstead was a settlement of some significance, with a weekly market and annual fairs.
Image Gallery of Flamstead
St. Leonard's Parish Church
Seen from a distance, the parish church of St Leonard dominates the village. The church has a pointed spire, the ‘Hertfordshire spike’, typical of the region. The oldest parts of the building date from around 1140, but it is believed that a ninth century Saxon chapel stood on the same site. There are several interesting features, in particular; one of the best mediaeval wall paintings in Hertfordshire, depicting St Christopher, Christ in Glory and the Last Supper and the Saunders Memorial of 1670.
There are a number of other buildings of significance within the parish of Flamstead, the most important of which is the mansion at Beechwood. Today, Beechwood Park is a preparatory school, but it was formerly the site of a Benedictine nunnery, St Giles-in-the-Wood, founded in the 12th century and later dissolved by Henry VIII in 1537.
Other notable buildings in Flamstead include; the Almshouses opposite the Three Blackbirds public house, which date from 1669 and the Three Blackbirds pub itself, with its 16th century western wing.
