Kings Langley is an area of quirky history and idyllic rural character in the commuter belt. This village, nestled in the Hertfordshire valleys, offers a taste of countryside escape, whilst remaining reliably well-connected via the train or the M25. This is a close-knit community where you know your neighbour, and can grab a coffee with them at locals’ favourite Fred & Ginger Coffee or a pint at The Rose and Crown gastropub. The area’s historic architecture combined with its family-oriented community makes Kings Langley quite a special part of greater London.

Kings Langley can offer you a roman village, the ruins of a manor where royals once partied, a hot chocolate factory and even a secret underground radio HQ. Human life seems to have loitered around the village since AD 43, but the community was relatively rural, small and unremarkable until Queen Eleanor built herself a palace on the village grounds in 1276. She established the manor as a royal hub for the Plantagenets. Sadly, the palace fell into disrepair after the dissolution of the monasteries, leaving only a few mounds of stone and earth to ever suggest its existence. This is tempered, however, by the fact that in the 20th century Kings Langley was home to the Ovaltine factory and the headquarters of the Polish underground army.

King Edward gave Queen Eleanor’s Palace to his heir, young Prince Edward, who was fond of exotic animals. This means that Kings Langley was once home to a variety of funky pets, including a lion and a camel.

Kings Langley residents are currently concerned about the levels of traffic that go through the village and nearby on the key roads of the M25 and the A41. Additionally, future property development in the area is raising concerns regarding the protection of the green belt that Kings Langley is situated upon.

Kings Langley is so lovely that it’s no wonder that the secret has gotten out, leading the village to now be undergoing a variety of property developments, but the local councils has been very picky about approvals. Firstly, Dacorum Borough Council approved the development of a brownfield site destroyed by a fire into 55 new homes, 19 of which are said to be affordable. The developer in charge has also submitted an amendment to increase the total number of homes from 55 to 135, with 54 affordable homes instead of 19, though the council’s decision has not yet been announced. In the same vicinity, a service station proposal off of Junction 20 on the M25 was recently rejected by the Three Rivers Council for its potential impacts on the environment and surrounding communities. It also received more than 1,600 objections from locals and other organisations making it the most disliked scheme in Three Rivers District Council’s history.