St. Albans is an affluent Cathedral City in Hertfordshire just 22 miles north of central London. Its colourful history as a stop-off point for travellers to and from London is still very much in evidence with Roman remains and beautiful medieval architecture.
Popular with young professionals, St. Albans is a desirable place to live and work. Two of the main reasons for its enduring popularity are the great schools, both state and private (physicist Stephen Hawking went to St. Albans School) and a fast train service to London St. Pancras which takes about 20 minutes.
Given its popularity, St. Albans is one of the UK’s more expensive places to call home. The combination of a historic yet cosmopolitan and modern city is beguiling. As you’d expect, the city is culturally sophisticated. There’s a Bach choir, symphony orchestra, chamber choir and a choral society. The Alban Arena is the main entertainment venue for shows, exhibitions, festivals, live music and movies.
Property in St. Albans is varied and includes traditional Victorian terraced housing, modern family houses, flats in converted properties and contemporary purpose-built apartments.
Entertainment
Offering a very high quality of life, St. Albans has a first class shopping centre as well as many smaller independent shops; a wide range of bars, restaurants and eating places; a vibrant city centre; thriving café culture and the opportunity to escape for an hour or two in one of the wonderful parks or open spaces.
In St. Albans, there are two shopping centres, the Maltings and Christopher Place. There is also a twice-weekly market (Wednesday and Saturday), which has been a part of town life for over 1,000 years. The retail park at London Colney is home to Marks and Spencer and a Sainsbury's supermarket.
When it comes to sport, St. Albans is one of the healthiest cities in the UK. Indeed, a survey conducted by Sport England revealed that residents of the city were the 9th most active in England. There are 4 public leisure and sports centres along with a wide selection of private health and fitness clubs. If you’re not interested in joining a gym, Verulamium Park is St. Albans’ answer to New York’s Central Park.
Transport
Rail: There is a good train service into Farringdon or St. Pancras station (approximately 20 - 25 minutes).
Road: St. Albans is midway between the A1(M), M1 and M25.
Property in St. Albans
St. Albans benefits from several attractive residential areas. Marshalswick, an established family-friendly suburb close to Beaumont and Sandringham Schools, is located to the north-east of the city where spacious 1930s semi-detached houses are particularly popular. There are large 1920s - 1930s detached properties on Marshals Drive, just to the south of Marshalswick. The roads around Clarence Park are also sought-after residential locations. These contain a mix of traditional semi-detached houses and four, five, and six-bedroom, brick-built, detached homes dating from the turn of the 20th century.
The centre of St. Albans mainly consists of Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses, which are very popular despite the lack of off-road parking. Much of the town centre is a conservation area. Prices here vary markedly depending upon the particular street; for example, you will pay a premium for a terraced house on St. Michaels Street, which is close to Verulamium Lake. Most of St. Alban’s apartments are concentrated around the centre and were built recently. These luxury modern apartments are very popular and, therefore, expensive.
St. Albans also has housing estates that cater for homebuyers across the spectrum. Jersey Farm is a 1980s estate, to the north-east of Marshalswick. The modern Elm Lawns development, on Avenue Road, is also popular as it is only a short walk from the city centre.
Outside the town, Chiswell Green and How Wood are popular areas. Chiswell Green is broadly similar to Marshalswick. To the south-east, London Colney has some nice areas, but is not as well regarded. There is further modern detached housing at Park Street, to the east of Chiswell Green. The villages around St. Albans, such as Sandridge and Smallford, carry only a small price premium.
Education
Many local schools have an outstanding Ofsted rating.
Leading independent schools include St. Albans School for boys from 11-18 (and girls from 16-18) and the single sex St. Albans High School for Girls from age 4 to 18.
Popular state secondary schools include St. Albans Girls School which also accepts boys in the sixth form, Verulam School (boys only until the sixth form when it becomes mixed), co-ed Beaumont School, and co-ed Sandringham School.
Average Property Prices per month:
1 Bedroom: £895 - £1500
2 Bedroom: £950 - £1910
3 Bedroom: £1350 - £3000
4+ Bedrooms: £2300 - £3700
