This neighbourhood, situated just outside central Watford, is quintessentially suburban in character; with its spacious detached and semi-detached houses, fantastic access to central London from nearby Watford Junction and Watford tube station, and relatively affordable prices, it’s no surprise why this area is becoming increasingly popular with those looking to live that bit further out. One of the particular highlights of this neighbourhood is Cassiobury Park, which offers over 190 acres of green space, where one can partake in sporting activities, or engage with local wildlife in the designated nature reserve. Another predominant feature is the Intu Watford shopping centre, which provides locals with a fantastic shopping experience, meeting all their needs with the large number of shops that are available. And if that wasn’t enough, the neighbourhood is also packed full of cultural experiences, whether that is an event at the Watford Colosseum, or play at the Watford Palace Theatre – there really is something for everyone here.

Cassiobury Park was created in 1909, and is situated on land which formed the grounds of Cassiobury House. Cassiobury House was part of a wider estate owned by the Earl of Essex. During its prime, it saw visitors such as Winston Churchill and King Edward VII; however, the building started to deteriorate during the early 20th century, leading to its demolition in 1927. Before this point, a large area of the site was purchased by Watford Borough Council, who decided to use the land for new housing and the formation of a public park. There were particularly restrictive covenants in place, which stipulated that the land was only to be used to build good quality detached and semi-detached housing. Most of the building work took place in the 1930s, and further developments that have occurred beyond this have been the infilling of further housing into vacant garden spaces.

Despite Atria Watford, previously Intu Watford, being a whopping 1.15 million square ft., it is only the 18th largest retail centre in the UK.

Steve Easterbrook, who is the CEO of McDonalds, grew up and attended Watford Grammar School for Boys in this neighbourhood.

Whilst this neighbourhood’s proximity to the Atria Watford shopping centre is an undoubted benefit for those who enjoy shopping, it also poses itself as a disadvantage to others. One of the main downsides is the large amount of traffic the shopping site attracts, which contributes to congestion on the surrounding roads. This is particularly found to be a problem during weekends.

One of the major developments that has been proposed in this neighbourhood is the development of a new railway station, Watford Vicarage Road, whereby the Metropolitan line is extended to Watford Junction. The status of this project, named the Corxley Rail Link is, however, uncertain, due to limitations being imposed by funding. As of yet, support by the council for the project is still strong but TfL has yet to give the green light. Moving to more optimistic news, the restoration of Cassiobury Park, which has been funded nearly £5 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was completed in 2017. The aim was to restore the surviving historic features and rejuvenate some of the existing park elements to make it a more enjoyable space for all. The Park’s facelift has also been accompanied with a continued effort my local authorities and activists to increase the biodiversity of the green spaces of the Park.