Bovingdon is an attractive village situated on the edge of the Chilterns, midway between Hemel Hempstead and Chesham, east of Berkshamsted and west of Croxley Green. There was at one time a thriving cottage industry of straw plaiting for the hat industry. The straw was brought from Luton to ‘The Well’ and people would collect it there and work at home. It was also a thriving farming area – now sadly, there is little work directly in the village, with residents regularly commuting to London and surrounding areas although there are some cottage industries in the area because of modern communications.
The first church was built in 1235 but it did not become a separate parish until 1833. Up to that time Bovingdon and Flaunden were served by Hemel Hempstead Parish. The churchyard is one of the largest in Hertfordshire and contains some very fine avenues of yew trees, which, being poisonous, are supposed to have been planted to stop the vicar grazing his animals – as well as to improve the appearance. More about St Lawrence Church.
There are two pubs in the village centre, The Halfway House and The Bell, there used to be four, the Wheatsheaf and the Bull which are now closed. On the Green was the The Royal Oak.
The airfield, build in 1942, is one of Bovingdon’s main features, for pictures and a little more about the airfield go to Pictorial.
