How Wood

For the village in Renfrewshire, Scotland, see Howwood.

How Wood
Average housing stock in How Wood
How Wood Location within Hertfordshire
Population	3,542 (2001 census) [1]
OS grid reference	TL141036
Civil parish	St Stephen
District	St Albans
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ST ALBANS
Postcode district	AL2
Dialling code	01727
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	St Albans
List of places UK England Hertfordshire 51°43′10″N0°21′01″W / 51.71956°N 0.35026°W / 51.71956; -0.35026

How Wood is a residential village, south of Park Street village between the centres of Watford and St Albans in St Stephen civil parish, Hertfordshire, England.

The district council (in this instance, mid-tier of local government) is the City and District of St Albans, named after the homonymous historic cathedral city, whose boundaries are contiguous with the village via neighbouring villages and hamlets.

Although the area was once part of Park Street, development took place in most of the agricultural fields around Park Street Lane. Park Street joined the City Council rather than St Stephen civil parish. How Wood has grown to a sizeable residential area: its population in 2001 was 3,542. The area has the physical divide from Park Street of a railway line bridge adjoining two fields and a wood leading down to increasingly riverside woodland in Park Street, which sits on the river Ver in the northwest.

Amenities

There is a row of shops in How Wood, including a co-op, an off-licence, a stationery shop and a bakery that is well known in Hertfordshire (Simmons). Park Street Lane leads under the railway line and then is immediately in the edge of the village centre of Park Street; in the centre are a barber's and two pubs.

There are two schools, one outlying and one on the main street. How Wood has its own primary school, How Wood Primary School and Nursery.

The main street is a by-road to St Albans as it is from Bricket Wood only.The main street has three listed buildings,at Grade II: Park Cottage, The Homestead and Orchard Cottage. ^[2] Burstone Manor Farm has mainly plant nurseries and some fisheries between the village and Chiswell Green - it is at the higher Grade II* and is a much older timber frame building, some of it 12th-century, the remainder of it 15th- and 17th-century, with new casements and a moat. ^[3] Between the housing estates and Burstone Manor Farm are the smaller remains of How Wood and the larger Birch Wood.

Park Street and St Albans offer nearby eateries and bars, several adjoining the rather pure river Ver which is opposite Park Street Village and has the closest watercress beds to London.

Transport

The village is served by How Wood railway station on the Abbey Line, linking it with St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction.

Site of Special Scientific Interest

Moor Mill Quarry, West, a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, is located on the other side of the railway line.

References

1. Key Statistics for HCC Settlements Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
2. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1102863)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 19 August 2012.
   Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1102864)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 19 August 2012.
   Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1175499)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 19 August 2012.
3. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1102862)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 19 August 2012.