The history of Smallford is rich in heritage and diversity which has evolved over the many centuries since it first appeared on maps – initially not as Smallford at all!
A stream to ford
The topography suggests that, between them, Boggy Mead Spring and Butterwick Brook, both of which are still viable streams, could have been referred to in the name Smallford. The ford was across the lower end of Colney Heath Lane, which, today, has been culverted, and...
Down at the small ford
Small rural hamlets are always vulnerable to population changes, resulting from land-owner needs, epidemic diseases, extreme poverty, the impulse to move on, and shifts in agricultural practices. But there seems to be little doubt that this was the earliest community...
Original Settlement of Smallford
Our understanding is that the original location of this hamlet was around Smallford Farm at the lower end of Colney Heath Lane. The farm homestead lies back from the north-east side of the road, and today is close to the A414 St Albans Bypass (North Orbital). The...