Cuffley
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2018) |
| Cuffley | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Andrew, Cuffley | |
  Cuffley Location within Hertfordshire | |
| Population | 4,295 [1] |
| OS grid reference | TL305035 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | POTTERS BAR |
| Postcode district | EN6 |
| Dialling code | 01707 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Cuffley is a village in the civil parish of Northaw and Cuffley, in the Welwyn Hatfield district of south-east Hertfordshire located between Cheshunt and Potters Bar. It has a population of just over 4,000 people.[1] It is part of Hertsmere parliamentary constituency since the boundary review in 2023.[2] It used to be a part of Broxbourne parliamentary constituency.
History
[edit]The railway had an important impact on the development of the village. Cuffley was reached by the Great Northern Railway in 1910, as part of the plan to create the Hertford Loop Line, as a strategic alternative to the main line out of King's Cross to the north, by extending the line from Enfield Chase.[3]
The early history of Cuffley is recounted by one of its residents, Molly Hughes, in her autobiographical book A London Family Between the Wars.
On 3 September 1916 the German airship SL 11 was shot down and crashed in Cuffley during an aerial bombardment intended for London.[4] This incident is commemorated by a memorial on East Ridgeway to Lieutenant W. Leefe Robinson, the pilot who shot the airship down; he was awarded the Victoria Cross.[5] There is also a model of the airship in the village hall. Contrary to many reports of the incident, the SL 11 airship was not a Zeppelin but an army Schütte-Lanz airship.[4] Regardless, the local football team is still nicknamed 'The Zeps' after this event.
In 1939, the Scout Association purchased part of the Tolmers Park Estate that lies within the Parish of Cuffley. Tolmers Scout Camp was opened on Whit Saturday 1940 by Lord Wigram.[6] Today, Tolmers hosts thousands of young people annually from all over the UK and across Europe; not only Scouts and Guides but schools and youth groups as well.
Transport
[edit]Cuffley is near the M25 motorway and is part of the London commuter belt. Cuffley railway station provides a commuter service to Moorgate, Finsbury Park and King's Cross, services operated by Great Northern.
Facilities
[edit]Schools
[edit]Cuffley Primary School has occupied its present building since 1938 when it replaced the original Victorian school room.[citation needed]
Preschool education for children aged 2 to 5 years old is available at the youth centre (Cuffley Community Centre Pre-School).
Churches
[edit]St Andrew's Church of England parish church was built in 1965 on the site of the old school room facing the top of Station Road, replacing the "tin church" built in 1911 on Plough Hill opposite the village green. The present church was designed by Clifford Culpin and Partners and has a steep roof supported on A-shaped concrete beams. Inside there is a metal sculpture by Angela Connor and coloured glass by Alfred Fisher.[7]
Cuffley Free Church was built in 1965-67 to the design of Cyril J. Greening.[7] In May 2011 it changed its name to The Life Church and is affiliated to the Central Baptist Association.[8]
A Roman Catholic church dedicated to St Martin de Porres was built in 1963 in Church Close, and is a simple wooden building designed by Westmore and Partners.[9]
Notable people
[edit]Its most notable recent resident is Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco, although this did not prevent locals from objecting vehemently to plans to build an "Express" store in the village replacing one of only two remaining village pubs.[10] Other famous residents include Premier League footballers Ledley King, Jermain Defoe, Niko Kranjcar, David Bentley, Kyle Walker and Armand Traoré; and also former Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan[citation needed] and Myleene Klass.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b United Kingdom Census 2001 Archived 26 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change?" commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain (Vol. 5 The Eastern Counties), D I Gordon, David & Charles Ltd. 1977. ISBN 0-7153-4321-1 (Pages 123-4)
- ^ a b First German Airship Shot Down BBC - WW1 At Home, Nov 2014. Retrieved: 24/04/18
- ^ Rimell, Ray (1989). The Airship VC: the life of Captain William Leefe Robinson. Bourne End: Aston. ISBN 0946627533.
- ^ The Scout Magazine: June 1940 issue p.162
- ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (1977). The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire. New Haven CT: Yale University Press. pp. 136–137. ISBN 0 30009611 0. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ^ "Life Church". www.centralba.org.uk. High Wycombe: Central Baptist Association. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Cuffley – St Martin de Porres". taking-stock.org.uk. London: Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Daily Telegraph on-line 23 July 2007
- ^ Chris Lennon (29 June 2012). "Spurs star on the move?". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
External links
[edit]- Cuffley Online — Village Website Archived 24 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
Media related to Cuffley at Wikimedia Commons