Bed and breakfast availability
Harpenden b&b, guesthouse and hotel accommodation

Visit Harpenden and the surrounding villages and stay in bed & breakfast accommodation:

Harpenden, Hertfordshire, lies on the A1081, between Luton and St Albans and has a population of 30,000.

Harpenden railway station is on a fast rail link to central London via St Albans. Trains run north to Luton and Bedford. The rail link gives direct access to London Luton Airport and London Gatwick Airport. The M1 runs nearby.

Historical bullet points:

• Harpenden grew out of Westminster Abbey's gradual clearing of woodland for farming and settlement within its Wheathampstead manor, granted by Edward the Confessor in 1060
• The church of St Nicholas is the oldest known church in the town, originally built as a Chapel of ease in 1217
• Nearby lies Nomansland Common upon which part of the Second Battle of St Albans were fought during the War of the Roses
• Nomanland Common also hosted the first annually contested steeplechase in England, in 1830
• It was the venue for the last fight of nineteenth century bare-knuckle fighter, Simon Byrne
• It was the haunt of the highwaywoman known as "Wicked Lady"
• Between 1848 and 1914 the common was a regular venue for horse racing
• The arrival of the railway and the sale of farms for residential development after 1880 spurred development

One notable feature of Harpenden is its many parks and commons - Church Green, Leyton Green, the High Street Greens and Harpenden common - which give the town its provincial feel. Additionally it has large green public spaces in Rothamsted park, Batford park, Kinsbourne Green, Lydekker park and the Nicky line which bisects the town. Just to the south of Harpenden is the large expanse of Nomansland common.

Harpenden is twinned with: Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France; Alzey, Germany

Notable residents, past and present:

• Craig Charles (actor)
• Matt Dickinson (mountaineer, author, scriptwriter and director)
• Lee Dixon (footballer)
• Martin Gore (musician)
• Stanley Kubrick (film director)
• Eric Morecambe (comedian)
• John Motson (football commentator)
• Tim Rice (lyricist)

Nearby villages: Wheathampstead, Markyate, Slip End, Sandridge,

Nearby towns: Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Luton, Welwyn Garden City, Dunstable.

Have you decided to visit Harpenden or the surrounding villages? Please look above for somewhere to stay in:

• a Harpenden bed and breakfast (a Harpenden B&B or Harpenden b and b)
• a Harpenden guesthouse
• a Harpenden hotel (or motel)
• a Harpenden self-catering establishment, or
• other Harpenden accommodation