Knebworth is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the north of Hertfordshire, England, immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of

Datchworth Datchworth is a village and civil parish between the towns of Hertford, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Sited on the Roman road from St Albans to Puckeridge, the village has examples of Saxon clearings in ...

Woolmer Green Woolmer Green is a small village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The 2011 census figure for the population (from the Office for National Statistics) is 661 people. History Situated between the villages of Welwyn and Knebworth, Wool ...

Codicote Codicote is a large village, and civil parish about south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It has timber-framed and chequered brick houses, of special interest being the 18th-century Pond House and the half-timbered Taverners Place (form ...

, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and

Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...

, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the small village of Old Knebworth and

Knebworth House Knebworth House is an English country house in the parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. Its gardens are also listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. In its surrounding park is t ...

History

There is evidence of people living in the area as far back as the 11th century as it is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

of 1086 where it is referred to as Chenepeworde (the farm belonging to the 5th century Saxon Dane, Cnebba), with a recorded population of 33 households and land belonging to Eskil (of Ware), a

thegn In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there ...

King Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æthe ...

. There is an alternative interpretation, though, that the name could instead have meant 'village on the hill'. The spelling of the name 'Chenepeworde' has since changed to become the modern spelling of 'Knebworth'. The original village, now known as Old Knebworth, developed within the parish of the Church of St Mary and St Thomas. The stone church was built around 1120, and although the Domesday Book makes no mention of the church there is speculation to suggest there may have been a Saxon church of timber on the site before the more substantial one was built. The manor passed into the hands of the Lytton family around 1492, when the manor house was rebuilt to a Late Gothic manor house. The house changed very little until the 19th century when it was re-modelled into the present-day

Tudor Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

building. Knebworth was a largely agricultural community, producing wheat and barley in particular. The proximity to London via the Great North Road (subsequently the A1, and now the B197 since the opening of the A1(M) motorway in 1962) made it possible to transport produce. By the start of the 19th century Knebworth had a population of around 250 people but the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

and the railway coming to Knebworth changed that. Initial development of the newer Knebworth village was centred a mile to the east of Old Knebworth on the area around the new railway station and the Great North Road. The route of the railway – which was originally meant to go through

to the west – was negotiated by Lord Lytton so that it would go through the grounds of Knebworth, and have a station built there. The Great Northern Railway, itself opened in 1850, opened a station at Knebworth in 1884. The station created a brand-new settlement called Knebworth Station – known later as New Knebworth, and later still, just as Knebworth – with the original village becoming known as Old Knebworth. Lord Lytton set up a company, Knebworth Garden Villages, to build homes either side of the railway embankment. Prior to this, only a few farmhouses had stood nearby, including Swangley's farm and Deards End farm. The station site eventually grew to include a signal box and goods yard to the north, approximately where Kerr Close is now. Migrants from London, neighbouring counties, and even more distant areas of the country came to work in the new settlement. At the turn of the century the architect Edwin Lutyens built Homewood, south-east of Old Knebworth, as a

dower house A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the previous owner of an English, Scottish or Welsh estate. The widow, often known as the "dowager", usually moves into the dower house from the larger family ...

for

Edith Bulwer-Lytton Edith Bulwer-Lytton, Countess of Lytton, (née Villiers; 15 September 1841 – 17 September 1936) was a British aristocrat. As the wife of Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, she was vicereine of India. After his death, she was a court-at ...

. Her daughter, the suffragette

Constance Lytton Lady Constance Georgina Bulwer-Lytton (12 February 1869 – 2 May 1923), usually known as Constance Lytton, was an influential British suffragette activist, writer, speaker and campaigner for prison reform, votes for women, and birth control. Sh ...

, also lived there, until just before her death in 1923. Edith's third daughter, Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton, had married

Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

in 1897. Lutyens was responsible for a number of notable buildings in the new village of Knebworth as well, including the Bank, St Martin's church, the Golf Clubhouse and the telephone exchange. Knebworth has, since 1974, been famously associated with numerous major open air rock and pop

concerts at Knebworth House The Knebworth Festival is a recurring open-air rock and pop concert held on the grounds of the Knebworth House in Knebworth, England. The festival first occurred in July 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers and other artist ...

. These include Knebworth Fair in 1976, featuring the Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which had an attendance of almost 250,000 as well as

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's final live performance which took place on 9 August 1986 and drew an attendance estimated at 125,000. On 30 June 1990, Pink Floyd played at Knebworth. Nearly 31 years later, on 30 April 2021, this performance was released as a live album. In 1996, Oasis played there to a quarter of a million people over two nights, for which 2.5 million people (4% of the British population) applied for tickets, a figure that could have led to 20 sold-out nights, and remains the highest recorded demand for a British concert to date. Most recently, for three nights in August 2003

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

performed to the largest crowd ever assembled for a single performer.

Governance

North Hertfordshire District Council

Knebworth is located within the local government district of North Hertfordshire. Knebworth Ward is a Multi Member Ward represented by two Councillors
Cllr Mandi Tandi
(

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

) an
Cllr Lisa Nash
(

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

))

Hertfordshire County Council

Knebworth is located within the

Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. After the 2021 election, it consists of 78 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, ...

Division of Knebworth and Codicote and is represented b
Cllr Richard Thake
(

Parliamentary Representation

The Village is represented in Parliament by

Stephen McPartland Stephen Anthony McPartland (born 9 August 1976) is a British Conservative Party politician and business consultant. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stevenage at the 2010 general election. Early life Born in Liverpool ...

MP (

) who was first elected as the MP for Stevenage in 2010.

Twinning

On 16 June 1990 the village was twinned with the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Châtelaillon-Plage Châtelaillon-Plage (, also ), commonly known as Châtelaillon, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is t ...

in France. In their own words, the Knebworth Twinning Association exists to "encourage friendships between schools, sports clubs and social groups in the two towns". The group organises social events throughout the year. Knebworth is twinned with: *

, France

Facilities

*Knebworth Post Office *Doctors Surgery
Knebworth Village Hall
* Lytton Mausoleum ''Education and leisure'' *Knebworth Primary and Nursery school, Swangleys Lane *Raja Tandoori, restaurant and takeaway, London Road *The Roebuck Inn, its oldest

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

(now in Stevenage), which dates back to 1420 *The Lytton Arms (public house in Old Knebworth), an early Victorian building *The Station, a public house, built in 1883 *Recreation ground, incorporating football pitches, tennis courts, bowling green and children's play equipment ''Places of worship'' * St Martin's,

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, designed by

Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

and consecrated by the

bishop of St Albans The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three ar ...

, Edgar Jacob, in 1915 * St Mary's, Church of England, parts of which date back to 1120, the traditional burial place of the Lytton family *St Thomas More,

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, built in 1962 having replaced a temporary church that had existed since 1935. *Trinity Church, a Methodist Church and

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

local ecumenical partnership In England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership (or project) is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations. The missiolo ...

built in 1996 with roots in the village dating back to 1880

Sport and leisure

Knebworth has a Non-League football club Knebworth F.C. who play at Knebworth Recreation Ground. Knebworth Tennis Club and Knebworth Bowls Club are also based at the Recreation Ground. Knebworth Park Cricket Club play at their ground in Knebworth Park. Green Dragon Bowmen, an archery club, are also based in the Park.

Nature reserve

Knebworth Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Transport

Knebworth has a railway station, which has four platforms, running on the East Coast Main Line. Southbound services run towards London King's Cross while northbound services run towards

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

and

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. The station and its train services are operated by Great Northern.

Statistics

Statistics from UK Census 2011: * All Residents: 5,247 * Number of households: 2,203 * Average household size: 2.30 * Residents in households: 5,136 * Residents in communal living: 111 * Area (hectares): 1,958 * Population density (people per hectare): 2.70 The developed part of Knebworth around the railway station is approximately 120 ha. This gives a density of approximately 17 dwellings per hectare. Recent developments such as New Close, Kerr Close, Peter's Way and Woodstock and (the extension of) Wadnall Way have significantly increased this average density. The population of Knebworth has approximately doubled since 1970.

Notable inhabitants

* A. Duncan Carse, painter, of Deards End 1922–1923Royal Academy Dictionary of Exhibitors: Summer Exhibition catalogue archives * Barbara Follett * David Ensor (politician), British lawyer, actor, author and Labour Party politician * David Lytton-Cobbold, 2nd Baron Cobbold * Earls of Lytton * Edward Bulwer-Lytton * Henry Lytton-Cobbold * James Oswald (1710–1769), 18th Century composer *

Ken Follett Kenneth Martin Follett, (born 5 June 1949) is a British author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works. Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the ...

* Robert Wilson, MBE, founder of

Music for Youth Music for Youth (MFY) is a British charity which provides free access to educational and performance opportunities for groups of young musicians and audiences through a series of festivals and concerts throughout the UK. Two million children hav ...

* Tony Byworth, country music journalist *

Tony Cascarino Anthony Guy Cascarino (born 1 September 1962) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker for various British and French clubs and internationally for the Republic of Ireland national team, with whom he competed in UEFA Euro 19 ...

, retired Irish football player.

Local publications

''The Knebworth Parish News'' is published monthly and delivered to around 800 homes in Knebworth. It is published on paper only. Although it contains secular articles, the cost of production is underwritten by the Parochial Church Council, which has editorial control of the publication. ''The Stevenage Comet'' is delivered to a small number of homes in the village.

References

External links

Knebworth Parish Council
{{authority control Villages in Hertfordshire Civil parishes in Hertfordshire North Hertfordshire District