Lilley is a small 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 ...

situated between Hitchin and

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...

in Hertfordshire, England. Lilley stands on high ground: nearby Telegraph Hill is just over 600 feet above sea level. The church, rebuilt in the 19th century, contains some original features and a fine Elizabethan heraldic memorial. According to tradition, Lilley was once the residence of John Kellerman, an alleged occultist described by

Sir Richard Phillips Sir Richard Phillips (13 December 1767 – 2 April 1840) was an English schoolteacher, author, publisher and vegetarianism activist. Life Phillips was born in London. Following some political difficulties in Leicester where he was a schoolte ...

as the "last of the alchemists." Lilley lies within the parliamentary constituency of Hitchin and Harpenden. Until recently it had two public houses, the Silver Lion and the Lilley Arms. The recent closure and conversion of the Silver Lion leaves the Lilley Arms as the village's only pub. The low-lying land to the south of Lilley is called Lilley Bottom. The

Icknield Way Path Icknield is a parliamentary ward, of the Luton district, in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The ward takes its name from the Icknield Way, a pre-Roman road which passes through Luton. Situated towards the northeast of Luton, the ward is ...

passes the edge of the parish on its 110-mile course from

Ivinghoe Beacon Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire, England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills, close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury. Dunstable, Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby. The Beacon lies within the ...

in Buckinghamshire to

Knettishall Heath Knettishall Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Knettishall in Suffolk. A larger area of 176 hectares is the Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Despite its name, Kn ...

in Suffolk. The village has a football team, although they presently do not play in Lilley due to lack of facilities. The village cricket club is one of the oldest in Hertfordshire, with fixtures dating back to the mid-1890s. The cricket club plays at the Geoff Banks-Smith Memorial Cricket Ground, between St Peter's Church and the village hall and are currently in North Herts League Division 2. The church holds a flower festival every early May Bank Holiday weekend.

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Villages in Hertfordshire Civil parishes in Hertfordshire {{Hertfordshire-geo-stub