Property in Stevenage

Stevenage - breathing space on London's doorstep

Developed after World War II around the original Stevenage (now known as the Old Town) and designated a New Town in 1946, Stevenage in Hertfordshire lies just 30 miles north of London.

In 1959, the Queen officially opened the UK's first purpose-built traffic-free shopping zone here. Today, several large companies, including IBM and British Aerospace, contribute to a strong local economy with high employment.

Property in Stevenage is especially sought-after in the older parts of the town and on the Great Ashby residential development. Houses range from Victorian terraces to properties built in the 1950s and 1960s to a selection of attractive new builds.

With its few traffic lights, some of Britain's tallest street lighting and network of completely separate cycle paths, Stevenage has a distinctive urban landscape.

The place is well served for shops, the main retail area being around Queensway and the Westgate. There are also shops in the Old Town, and a retail park to the south of town, along with indoor and outdoor markets.

In terms of leisure amenities, the town offers golf, bowling, a cinema and a selection of pubs and restaurants, as well as a number of successful sporting clubs.

Green and pleasant town

The leafy avenues, large local woodlands and numerous playing fields give the town a pleasant feel, and the centrally located Fairlands Valley is a large area of parkland with boating lakes.

The A1 (M) between London and Edinburgh on the town's western edge serves Stevenage, taking traffic north and south. The area also has the smaller A602 to take traffic southeast, meeting the A10 at Ware.

Stevenage is also a busy stop on the East Coast Mainline, with regular trains heading north and to London. It takes less than an hour to get to the capital's Kings Cross station.

Good local schools

Stevenage is just as well served for schools, with more than 20 local primaries, and seven secondaries, including specialist ICT, engineering, sports and arts colleges. The nearby villages of Aston, Benington, Walkern and Datchworth offer alternatives for primary schooling.

Many of the town's schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate the influx of Londoners to the area.

Stevenage offers a pleasant base in the heart of Hertfordshire with good local facilities and transport links a short hop from the UK's capital.