Graveley, Hertfordshire

Graveley is a village and civil parish about four miles east of Hitchin and two miles north of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England. The population of the parish in the 2011 census was 487.[1][2] A milestone in the village states that it is 33 miles from London.[3]

Graveley
St Mary's Church, Graveley
Graveley is located in Hertfordshire
Graveley
Graveley
Location within Hertfordshire
Population487 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceTL232278
Civil parish
  • Graveley
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHitchin
Postcode districtSG4
Dialling code01438
PoliceHertfordshire
FireHertfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hertfordshire
51°56′08″N 0°12′38″W / 51.93563°N 0.21054°W / 51.93563; -0.21054

History

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Graveley is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was granted by William the Conqueror to Goisbert of Beauvais. The village is built on a Roman road, which developed into a section of the Great North Road.[4] The village was by-passed by the A1 (M) motorway in the 1960s.

Parish boundaries

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St Ethelreda's Church, Chesfield

The parish absorbed the site of a lost settlement, Chesfield (or Chivesfield), about a mile to the east of Graveley; little remains there apart from the ruined walls of its 14th-century church, a farm and a couple of cottages.[4] Graveley and Chesfield had been separate parishes but were united in 1445.[5]

In 1953 the southern part of Graveley parish, including Corey's Mill and the future site of the Lister Hospital, was transferred to become part of Stevenage Urban District.[6]

In 2011 Graveley parish ceded some of its territory to become the new civil parish of Great Ashby.[7]

Architecture

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The medieval church is of flint construction.

 
The chequered brick facade of the George and Dragon

There are a number of attractive cottages and houses, including The George and Dragon pub, which has an 18th-century facade,[8] and The Wagon & Horses.[9] At one time there were four pubs, but two have now closed down.

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Graveley Parish". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  2. ^ The population is reported on the boundary of Graveley parish after the civil parish of Great Ashby was separated from it, despite the census having been taken four days before that change came into effect.
  3. ^ "Milestone opposite number nine".
  4. ^ a b "Graveley village" (PDF).
  5. ^ Chauncy, Henry (1700). The historical antiquities of Hertfordshire, Volume 2. London. p. 124. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. ^ Ministry of Housing and Local Government Order No. 3452. The County of Hertford (Stevenage Urban District and Hertford and Hitchin Rural Districts) Confirmation Order, 1953, effective 1 April 1953
  7. ^ Great Ashby Community Council, Accessed 19 May 2012
  8. ^ "George and Dragon".
  9. ^ "Waggon and Horses Public House, Graveley, Hertfordshire".