Felden
Coordinates: 51°44′N 0°28′W / 51.73°N 00.46°W
Felden is a semi-rural neighbourhood of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, situated to the south west of the town, close to the railway station. At the 2011 Census the population of the neighbourhood was included in the Dacorum Ward of Bovingdon, Flaunden andf Chipperfield.
It is separated from the main urban area by main roads, the rail line and Boxmoor. To be precise, the boundary of Felden extends only from the diverging of the road Felden lane, where the sign to the boys brigade is now situated. The 'Felden' sign was removed recently making it unclear that the Felden Hamlet does not extend below this point. Similarly Felden the Hamlet does not actually extend as far as the road Box lane, which is also often claimed to be part of this band of housing. Felden is uncharacteristic of Hemel Hempstead in that it almost entirely upmarket privately owned housing.
The ancient Box Lane runs uphill from Boxmoor to Bovingdon and passes through the west of Felden. On this lane stands Box Lane Chapel, a non-conformist chapel dating from the early 17th century. The chapel was officially founded in 1668, was re-built in 1690 and then altered in 1856 and again in 1876. Tradition has it that Oliver Cromwell once worshipped here. It is now a private house after being sold in 1969.
Felden is home to the national headquarters of the Boys' Brigade.
Felden Water Tower opened in 1910 is an octagonal brick tower with a fanciful fairytale appearance. It is 80 feet (24 m) tall and contains 50,600 imp gal (230,000 l) of water.[1] This building is now undergoing redevelopment, creating a new modern style house.
References
- Box lane Chapel Extract from A Hertfordshire Valley by Scott Hastie. (1996)
- ↑ Hemel Hempstead Gazette, February 2008, Reprinted in the February 27, 2008 edition.
External links
Media related to Felden at Wikimedia Commons