North of Berkhamsted in the borough of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, sits the village and civil parish of Little Gaddesden, northwest of Great Gaddesden. The civil parish covers several smaller settlements in the area, including Little Gaddesden itself, Ashridge, Hudnall, and Ringshall. Nestled in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a conservation area protected by the National Trust, this area’s picturesque pastoral locale is quaint and historic, with much of the housing stock dedicated to large country manors with significant acerage, at price-points over £2 million!

The history of Little Gaddesden as a settlement is largely focused on the development of Ashridge House, a now National Trust protected country home. Ashridge House is dated to 1283, and was originally The College of Bonhommes monastery founded by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall. In 1539, King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries saw many monasterial buildings fall into disuse or total abandonment. However, Ashridge House was transformed into the personal Royal residence of King Henry VIII, living there for eleven years, and was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the I! It was then transferred to the then Princess Elizabeth who lived there until her arrest by sister Mary in 1554. The house was bought by Sir Thomas Egerton in 1604, and functioned as the home of Earls and Dukes of Bridgewater for over 245 years! Famously in 1804, the home was rennovated in the Victorian neo-Gothic revivialism style by James Wyatt; and since the Victorian era has serviced many functions, including: as a WW1 & WWII hospital, a training centre for the Conservative party, a Ladies Finishing School, and a world-renowned business school!

Nowadays, as a protected National Trust site, the area is open to the public, and is also frequently used as a filming location! Films such as ‘Stardust’, ‘Son of Rambow’, ‘Robin Hood’ and even the ‘Harry Potter’ series have been filmed in and around the Little Gaddesden area!

Due to its status as a protected area and its associated affluence, developments in the Little Gaddesden locale are typically slow and stagnant. However, given the abundance of large-scale country manor homes with acerage in the area, there is potential scope for rennovation and development even within this conservation area!