North of Hemel Hempstead and nestled within the Chiltern Hills Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty (AONB), is the village and civil parish of Great Gaddesden. Neighbouring with other small villages and parishes, such as Nettleden and Frithsden, the entire area has a low population density characterised by rolling meadowland and farmsteads. Currently, Great Gaddesdan Parish Council is preparing their local plan to be presented to Decorum Borough Council, in the hopes to maintain the local character whilst also boosting infrastructure.

Whilst the community of Great Gaddesden has largely been characterised by its rural charm and sparse populations, Great Gaddesden has historic roots. Namely in the convent of St. Margaret’s, a medieval nunnery founded in 1160 by Henry de Blois, although some claim that Saint Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, founded the convent as early as 1129. The convent was known for its obscurity and its immense poverty; with the Bishop of Dalderby in Lincolnshire granting alms to the ‘poor nun’s of St Margaret’s’. Documents maintained from the nunnery even tell us the names of several prioresses of the convent, including the prioress Isolda elected in 1250 and Margaret Hardwick, who was prioress at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s.

The site of the convent changed hands several times, and was almost completely demolished in the mid-19th century. However, the land still has sacred connotations. In 1985, nearby to the original St. Margaret’s convent, the Amaravati Theravada Buddhist Monastery was opened by Galyani Vadhana, the princess of Thailand! The monastery is still in operation today, and has its roots in the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhism.

Whilst in a green belt area, the wider Decorum Borough council have been attempting to regenerate the local area of Great Gaddesden, drafting plans to create thousands of new homes in the wider Hemel Hempstead area. This has been met with fierce opposition by the Great Gaddesden Parish Council, who have refuted nearly every draft, and oppose development on the Chiltern Hills that does not protect the local character. However, development is often found in this area through barn conversion properties and converted equestrian facilities, in prices in excess of £1 million!