Bricket Wood & Chiswell Green
St Albans 020 · 5 sub-areas · 8,647 residents
St Albans 020 is a settled, predominantly owner-occupied corner of St Albans, home to around 8,600 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for around £1,615 a month — above the national average for a two-bed, and reflecting a neighbourhood where buying is far more common than renting. The rail commute into London takes under 25 minutes, making this one of the better-connected parts of Hertfordshire.
Bricket Wood & Chiswell Green is a commuter neighbourhood within St Albans — train into London runs in around 21 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The population skews older, with a long-settled feel and a high share of retirees; most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.
Overview
What's it like to live in Bricket Wood & Chiswell Green?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents sit firmly in the upper bracket nationally, with a typical home letting at around £1,912 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Bricket Wood & Chiswell Green in St Albans
Living in Bricket Wood & Chiswell Green
This part of St Albans sits firmly at the quieter, more established end of the city's residential spectrum. Around 83% of homes here are owner-occupied — well above what you'd expect in a typical English neighbourhood — which shapes the feel of the place considerably. Streets tend to be calm, turnover is low, and the population skews older than most urban areas of comparable size.
Rents reflect that premium. You'll pay around £1,615 a month for a two-bedroom property and close to £2,000 for a three-bed — noticeably above the national median for equivalent sizes, though not dramatically so given the London commuter premium baked into everything in this part of Hertfordshire. With median house prices around £638,000, buying is a serious undertaking: saving a typical deposit takes roughly seven years on local wages.
The people who live here tend to be established rather than transient. The largest age group is 50–64, and nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over. Families with children make up around a quarter of households, but single-person households are also common at about one in four. Nearly 45% of residents work from home, reflecting a professional, degree-educated population — over 41% hold a degree-level qualification — who mostly commute out to London rather than working locally. Resident median earnings run to around £45,500 a year, well above the median salary for jobs physically based in the area.
Greenspace is reasonably accessible — the nearest open space is around 400 metres away, and roughly 37% of the neighbourhood is within easy walking distance of green areas. With 100% gigabit broadband coverage and essentially no connections below the minimum standard, the infrastructure here is as solid as it gets. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on specific pockets within the neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is St Albans 020 a nice place to live?
- For settled owner-occupiers and professional commuters, yes. It's quiet, low-crime (around 58 incidents per 1,000 residents annually), and has fast rail access to London in under 22 minutes. The trade-off is cost: house prices average around £638,000 and rents take up roughly 61% of typical take-home pay, so it's not an easy entry point.
- What is the rent in St Albans 020?
- A one-bedroom property runs around £1,257 a month, a two-bed around £1,615, and a three-bed roughly £1,996. These are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. Rental stock is limited — only about 12% of homes here are privately rented — so availability can be tight.
- Is St Albans 020 safe?
- Yes, relatively. The crime rate is around 58 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, well below the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. It's also in the top 12% least deprived areas in England, which correlates strongly with lower crime. Most recorded offences are lower-level property crimes rather than serious violence.
- What's the commute from St Albans 020 to London?
- The rail journey to London takes under 22 minutes by public transport — one of the faster commutes from any part of Hertfordshire. The nearest mainline station is about 1,350 metres away, roughly a 17-minute walk. Around 47% of residents drive rather than use public transport, so parking at or near the station is worth factoring in.
- Who lives in St Albans 020?
- Predominantly older, established owner-occupiers. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and the 50–64 age group is the largest single cohort. Around 41% hold a degree-level qualification, and median resident earnings of around £45,500 a year suggest a professional population — most of whom commute to London rather than working locally.
- What schools are near St Albans 020?
- There are 24 schools within typical catchment distance. Around 50% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — below the national share of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 2,300 metres away. Given competition for places in this area, it's worth checking current catchment boundaries directly with St Albans City and District Council.
- How good is broadband in St Albans 020?
- Excellent. Every premises in the area has access to gigabit-capable broadband, and none fall below the universal service obligation minimum. With 45% of residents working from home, that infrastructure quality is genuinely useful rather than just a spec on paper.