Graveley, Hertfordshire


Graveley is a village and civil parish about four miles east of Hitchin and two miles north of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England.
A milestone in the village states that it is 33 miles from London.

History

Graveley is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was granted by William the Conqueror to Goisbert of Beauvais.
The village is built on a Roman road, which developed into a section of the Great North Road. The village was by-passed by the A1 motorway in the 1960s.

Parish boundaries

The parish absorbed the site of a lost settlement, Chesfield, about a mile to the east of Graveley: little remains there apart from the ruined walls of its 14th-century church.
In 2011 part of Graveley parish became part of the new civil parish designated Great Ashby Community Council.

Population

According to statistics by the North Hertfordshire District Council, Graveley had a population of 1,731, which at the time included Great Ashby. The population of the remaining civil parish of Graveley at the 2011 Census was 487. The village is still growing, with several new houses added in recent years.

Architecture

The medieval church is of flint construction.
There are a number of attractive cottages and houses, including The George and Dragon pub, which has an 18th-century facade, and The Wagon & Horses. At one time there were four pubs, but two have now closed down.