Oxhey
| Oxhey | |
|---|---|
  Oxhey Location withinHertfordshire | |
| OS grid reference | TQ125955 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Watford |
| Postcode district | WD19 |
| Dialling code | 01923 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
Oxheyis a suburb ofWatford,under the jurisdiction of theWatford Borough Councilof the county ofHertfordshire,England.[1]It is located atgrid referenceTQ125955and is part of the Watford. It is in the Oxhey Ward of Watford Borough Council.
The wider locations which comprise the modern Oxhey area are Oxhey Village (the area aroundBushey stationand between Pinner Road and London Road) and Oxhey Hall (the area along Hampermill Lane towards Moor Park).
History
[edit]Oxhey grew during the mid-19th century with the coming of theLondon and Birmingham RailwayfromLondonEustontoBoxmoorin 1837, the settlement being developed to house railway workers. The line was completed toBirminghamin 1838. It was originally called 'New Bushey', after the well-established village a mile away, but was renamed 'Oxhey' in 1907.
In 1894 the parish ofBusheywas split into "Bushey Rural" and "Bushey Urban",on 1 April 1906 Bushey Rural was renamed" Oxhey ".[2]
In 1931 the parish had a population of 2636.[3]
Oxhey Grange in Oxhey Lane was built in 1876 by architectWilliam Young(1843–1900) in the High Victorian Gothic style. It is a Grade II listed building.
Culture
[edit]Community Groups
[edit]Residents are represented by local community group Oxhey Village Environment Group, colloquially known as OVEG. Founded in 1974, OVEG is a non-political, non-profit residents’ group run by volunteers, which aims to "maintain, protect and enhance the character and environment of Oxhey Village and its surroundings."[4][5]The group takes action on local issues, such as major planning applications,[6]and operates a number of community events including an annual summer fair.[7]
OVEG’s former committee members includeBaroness Thornhill;a formermayor of Watford,and the first female directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.[8]
Sport & Leisure
[edit]Oxhey has anon-League footballteamOxhey Jets F.C.who play at the Boundary Stadium.
Oxhey Park Golf Club is a public pay & play course that used to be an 18-hole course built on land owned by the Blackwell family in 1910, who then sold the estate to London County Council in 1946, who made it a municipal course in 1947 with a par of 78, but it was closed in 1954. It subsequently became a 9-hole course.
Places of worship
[edit]Oxhey's parish church is St Matthew's, a Grade II listed building dating from 1880 inGothic Revivalstyle with some elements of earlyArt Nouveaudecoration. The church also features aKarl Parsonswindow in the Lady Chapel.[9]
Education
[edit]- Bromet Primary School
- Bushey and Oxhey Infant School
The nearest secondary schools areGrange Academy,which sits just outside the ward boundaries, andQueens' SchoolinBushey.
Transport
[edit]Rail
[edit]Bushey stationis aLondon OvergroundandNetwork Railstation inTravelcard Zone 8;it has direct links toLondon Euston stationandWatford Junction station.
The station is served byLondon Northwestern Railwaysemi-fast trains on the West Coast main line, and byLondon Overgroundservices on theWatford DC line,a slow local service along the West Coast route.
It is an oddity that the station, which serves both Oxhey and the town of Bushey a mile away, is situated on the edge of Oxhey Village and yet is called Bushey Station. The original name of the station was 'Bushey', it was renamed 'Bushey & Oxhey' when Oxhey Village was renamed, and was then renamed again in 1974.[10]
Bus
[edit]The area is served byLondon Bus routes142 and 258.
Oxhey Park
[edit]Oxhey Park is a large public space located in Oxhey. Founded in 1924 by recently-established Watford Borough Council, the park comprises approximately 14 hectares of parkland with a wooded dell and rolling grassy slopes.[11]
The site lies between Eastbury Road, Deacons Hill and theWest Coast Main Lineat Bushey Arches.
In 2020, a new Oxhey Activity Park was opened within the site, including a skate park and a cafe.[12]The redeveloped activity park subsequently won the 'Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing' prize at the 2021Landscape InstituteAwards.[13][14]
Oxhey Park - and Oxhey Activity Park - were named amongst ten parks that received the 2022Green FlagPeople's Choice Awards.[15]
References
[edit]- ^Map of Watford Borough Council,Images of England,GeopunkCouncil Districts of UK.
- ^"Watford Registration District".UKBMD.Retrieved29 October2022.
- ^"Population statistics Oxhey CP/Hmlt through time".A Vision of Britain through Time.Retrieved29 October2022.
- ^"Oxhey Village Environment Group".Watford Three Rivers Trust.Retrieved21 February2024.
- ^"Watford and Three Rivers environmental groups".Watford Borough Council.Retrieved21 February2024.
- ^"Neighbours petition against plans to build 'large' development on equestrian site in Bushey".Watford Observer.Retrieved21 February2024.
- ^"Paintings from an Oxhey Village Environment Group summer fayre".Watford Observer.Retrieved21 February2024.
- ^"Dissolution Peerages 2015".Government of the United Kingdom.Retrieved27 August2015.
- ^Church of St Matthew, Eastbury Road, Watford,Images of England,English HeritageNational Monuments Record.
- ^[1],Changing Names at Bushey.
- ^"Oxhey Park".Park Herts.Retrieved9 March2024.
- ^"Redeveloped Oxhey Activity Park opens to public".Watford Observer.Retrieved9 March2024.
- ^"Oxhey Activity Park wins Landscape Institute award".Watford Observer.Retrieved9 March2024.
- ^"Oxhey Activity Park recognised for its health and wellbeing benefits at Landscape Institute Awards".Watford Borough Council.Retrieved9 March2024.
- ^"Winners Announced - Best of the Best & People's Choice Top 10".Green Flag Award.Retrieved9 March2024.
External links
[edit]Oxhey Village Environment Grouphttp://www.oveg.org