Broxbourne Area Guide

Similar to neighbouring town, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne is a historic village that is included in the Domesday Book. The small commuter town offers a wealth of factors that afford its residents a fantastic quality of life. Broxbourne is alive with family-friendly activities and plenty of dog walkers. The town is flanked by the A10 and both the River Lea and New Rivers, respectively. There is plenty of green space on offer in Broxbourne with over 293 hectares of woodland and even more arable land. Broxbourne is widely touted as one of the best commuter towns in the country based on: average fare cost, commuting time, quality of life, and average house price.

Broxbourne Woods

Broxbourne Woods is comprised of just under 600 acres of mixed woodland. Some of the woodlands are run by the Woodland Trust and form the only National Nature Reserve in Hertfordshire. Large Sessile Oaks are interspersed with Hornbeams to create a Special Area of Conservation of European Importance and Protected Site of Scientific Interest, due to it being home to iconic wildlife species such as the Purple Emperor Butterfly, Great Crested Newt, and the famous wading bird, the Woodcock. During the spring, some areas of woodland, are carpeted with densely clustered Bluebells. This means outdoor exploration and activity are never in short supply with dog walking & cycling opportunities and a variety of wildlife on your doorstep - rural living at its finest.

Broxbourne Old Mill and Meadow

This is part of the Lea Valley Regional Park. Meadows are woven with an array of ditches and densely wooded areas. The site is primed for seeing Kingfishers and Grey Wagtails. Silvermede is the best location in the region to see the endangered Water Vole. Small flocks of birds and Sparrowhawks can be seen in Rusheymead, which is an area of scrub woodland with sections of woodland and open grasslands.

Broxbourne Common

Broxbourne Common, also known as the Station Road Playing Fields, is a well-known landmark to all residents of Broxbourne, particularly those looking to commute to and from London due to its placement along Station Road (the principle road down from the residential side of Broxbourne to the train station). Fine & Country has been fortunate enough to sell a number of properties that look on to Broxbourne Common, which is a particularly sought-after location. The Common is largely laid to lawn, with football fixtures being played there by local teams over the weekend. There is a tree-lined path along one flank with a World War One war memorial positioned at one end. The New River bisects a section of the Common and creates a lovely outlook across to the historic St Augustine's Church. The New River can be followed, the footpath and river leading behind Broxbourne Sports Club, up to the other end of Broxbourne High Road. In recent years the Common has become home to a number of local events, such as a dog show.

Train Links and Access to London from Broxbourne

Broxbourne Train Station is a fantastic service for the local population, with many people making the walk to and from the station each day, rain, or shine. Broxbourne Train Station provides a regular service to central London with three trains an hour during off-peak periods and up to six an hour at high traffic intervals. The line feeds into Stratford, London Liverpool Street, Seven Sisters, and Tottenham Hale, as well as passing through tertiary stops such as Cheshunt and Enfield Lock. In the other direction, the line reaches Hertford East, Ware, Harlow Town, Bishop’s Stortford, and even as far out as Cambridge. Stanstead Express Services can be picked up by changing at Harlow Town (alternatively it’s approximately a 35 minute drive directly to the airport from Broxbourne). Fast services from Broxbourne Train Station into London can reach Liverpool Street within 27 minutes with slower trains taking up to 38 minutes. An option, utilized by many Broxbourne residents, is the faster services that only stop at Cheshunt and Tottenham Hale. This service allows passengers to get to Tottenham Hale in 12 minutes, where they change on to the Victoria Line to Kings Cross or Oxford Circus. Broxbourne benefits from being one of the furthest stations outside of London that facilitates the use of Oyster and contactless payment for train fares. Broxbourne is widely touted as one of the best commuter towns in the country based on: average fare cost, commuting time, quality of life, and average house price.

Similar to its fantastic train line connections, Broxbourne benefits from the same level of access to excellent road networks as neighbouring town Hoddesdon. The A10, the dual carriageway that runs from the Thames right the way up to Norfolk, through Cambridge, can be joined from the southern tip of Broxbourne or alternatively, the next junction in either direction can be merged with by a short drive down the High Road, into either Cheshunt or Hoddesdon, respectively.

Broxbourne Sports Club

Broxbourne Sports Club offers a wide range of facilities for a variety of sporting endeavors. The club boasts a substantial car park, bar/clubhouse, and function room, amongst the various courts and pitches. The first sport that is evidently on offer at the sports club, due to the courts' proximity to the car park, is tennis. The tennis facilities include three Tiger Turf all-weather courts, two Australian Open-style acrylic courts, three floodlit hard courts, and three well-maintained grass courts. For smaller members of the family, there are two mini courts as well. In the main building of the sports club, there are five squash courts, inclusive of a show court that is glass-backed and has seating for seventy. Towards the back of the facility are two, excellently maintained cricket squares and a 3G hockey pitch, installed under Sport England grants, again with spectator seating.

Shopping in Broxbourne

Due to Broxbourne being a village, it chiefly benefits from the shopping facilities of surrounding towns. There is a small traditional High Street-style row of shops that has all of the essentials. Broxbourne shops are inclusive of two pharmacies, a baker, a convenience shop, several barbers/hairdressers, a dentist, Costa Coffee, Sainsbury's Local, and several food outlets and restaurants. There is also a butcher, in which you can buy all of the usual stock that one would find in such an establishment, as well as locally produced honey, jams, and sauces. There are a scattering of pubs throughout the village, in addition to two petrol stations, one of which houses a Waitrose convenience. Many of the local residents make the short journey to Hoddesdon to partake in their weekly shop, where there are four major supermarkets, along with a number of small shopping outlets, coffee shops, and a wealth of pubs and restaurants. Another option available to local residents is going into Cheshunt and making use of the shopping at Brookfield Farm Shopping Centre. Brookfield Farm is home to Next, Marks and Spencers, Tesco, Boots, Costa, River Island, New Look, JD Sport, Sports Direct, and has recently welcomed luxury outfitters, Flannels. The introduction of Flannels marks the first steps in the redevelopment of this center. The center will be expanding in the near future to offer a number more shops and facilities, as part of a long-term project to establish the area as an attractive focal point for surrounding towns and villages.

Local Schooling

At the time of writing, Broxbourne Secondary School is undergoing a significant site relocation and redevelopment, to ensure it is a state-of-the-art facility. There are a number of state-run primary schools throughout Broxbourne, including the feeder school for Broxbourne Secondary. In addition to the state-supplied education system, within driving distances are a number of private schools - Haileybury, St Edmund's College, Bishop's Stortford College, Queenswood, St Joseph's in The Park, Duncombe, Heathmount, and St Albans are all within a short drive.

Plans for the Future

The Borough of Broxbourne is due to undergo significant investment within the next decade, with a number of major works and sites primed for significant change. One of the most publicized changes is the building of the 91-acre site to the West of Waltham Cross, which will become Hollywood's Sunset Studios. The leading film studio, whose original Hollywood facility is home to classics such as When Harry Met Sally and La La Land, is pipped to become the central filing center for Netflix in the UK. Just along from Sunset Studios site, which represents almost a billion pounds worth of investment into the area, is another site that is being touted with the same level of investment, Theobalds Business Park. The business park will obviously offer a number of commercial benefits, none more important than its ability to supplement the adjacent Sunset Studios. Further investment in the area comes in the form of the Waltham Cross High Street Regeneration plan, the development of the Brookfield Garden Village, and the expansion of the Brookfield Farm Shopping Centre.