Directly south of St Albans are the villages of Bricket Wood and Chiswell Green, part of the contiginous outer belt of the St Albans locale. Both villages are within the St Stephens parish and are characterised by their woodland terrain and pastoral landscapes. Bricket Wood is the significantly more affluent of the two villages, with a rental market boasting mansions and large-scale country homes in excesses of over £1.5 million, whilst the neighbouring Chiswell Green is characterised by detached suburban properties hovering around the £700,000 price point.

For the most part, Bricket Wood’s history was largely agricultural; and the landscape was principally scored by farmland and farmers, until 1861. In 1861 the Bricket Wood rail station was built, and the area began developing as an affluent village on the outskirts of St Albans. Similarly, Chiswell Green was built around industry, particularly metal smithing, and by the 19th century Chiswell Green had its own forge. This has since been turned into the Three Hammers pub, which still stands today!

Chiswell Green has a long history with the natural world; the former headquarters for the Royal National Rose Society was based in Chiswell Green until its closure in 2017, and it is also the headquarters for the The Royal Entomological Society since 2007. Comparatively, Bricket Wood is famously the home of ‘Spielplatz’, a large naturist camp founded in 1929 by Charles and Dorothy Macaskie. The camp is one of the longest running in the UK, and is still settled by naturists, and as of 2021 has over 65 homes!

As village sites on the outskirts of St Albans, development has often been slow in the general region; owing to its ancient heritage with the Roman city of Verulamium. However, a controversial new development has been lit for Chiswell Green, with up to 1,800 new homes and other mixed-use developments to be built south of Chiswell Green!