Knebworth

There is evidence of people living in the area as far back as Neolithic times and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it is referred to as Chenepeworde (the farm belonging to the Dane, Cnebba) with a population of 150. The original village, now known as Old Knebworth, developed around Knebworth House. Development of the newer Knebworth village started in the late 19th century centred a mile to the east of Old Knebworth on the new railway station and the Great North Road (subsequently the A1, and now the B197 since the opening of the A1(M) motorway in 1962).

At the turn of the century the architect Edwin Lutyens built Homewood, southeast of Old Knebworth, as a dower house for Edith Bulwer-Lytton.[2] Her daughter, the suffragette Constance Lytton also lived there, until just before her death in 1923.[3]

Knebworth has, since 1974, been famously associated with numerous major open air rock and pop concerts at Knebworth House, including Queen's final live performance which took place on 9 August 1986 and drew an attendance estimated at 125,000, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Oasis playing to a quarter of a million people for 2 nights in 1996 and more recently Robbie Williams, who for three nights in August 2003 performed to the largest crowds ever assembled for a single performer.

On 16 June 1990 the village was twinned with the commune of Châtelaillon-Plage in France.

• Knebworth Post Office
• Doctors Surgery
• Knebworth Village Hall

Education and leisure

• Knebworth Primary and Nursery school, Swangleys Lane
• Raja Tandoori, restaurant and takeaway, London Road
• The Roebuck Inn, its oldest public house (now in Stevenage), which dates back to 1420
• The Lytton Arms (public house in Old Knebworth), an early Victorian building
• The Station, a public house, built in 1883
• Recreation ground, incorporating football pitches, tennis courts, bowling green and children's play equipment

Places of worship

• St Martin's, Church of England, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and consecrated by the bishop of St Albans, Edgar Jacob, in 1915
• St Mary's, Church of England, parts of which date back to 1120
• St Thomas More, Roman Catholic Church, built in 1936
• Trinity Church, a Methodist Church and United Reformed Church local ecumenical partnership built in 1996 with roots in the village dating back to 1880

Knebworth has a Non-League football club Knebworth F.C. who play at Knebworth Recreation Ground. Knebworth Tennis Club and Knebworth Bowls Club are also based at the Recreation Ground.

Knebworth Park Cricket Club play at their ground in Knebworth Park. Green Dragon Bowmen, an archery club, are also based in the Park.

Knebworth Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Knebworth railway station

Knebworth has a railway station, which has four platforms, running on the East Coast Main Line. Southbound services run towards London King's Cross while northbound services run towards Cambridge and Peterborough. The station and its train services are operated by Great Northern.

Many of Knebworth's residents are retired, commute to London or work in the surrounding towns and villages but there is employment in the village:

• A D Bly
• Corehard Limited

Statistics from UK Census:[4]

• All Residents: 5,247
• Number of households: 2,203
• Average household size: 2.30
• Residents in households: 5,136
• Residents in communal living: 111
• Area (hectares): 1,958
• Population density (people per hectare): 2.70

The developed part of Knebworth around the railway station is approximately 120 ha. This gives a density of approximately 17 dwellings per hectare.[5] Recent developments such as New Close, Kerr Close, Peter's Way and Woodstock and (the extension of) Wadnall Way have significantly increased this average density. The population of Knebworth has approximately doubled since 1970.[6]

• A. Duncan Carse, painter, of Deards End 1922-1923[7]
• Barbara Follett
• David Lytton-Cobbold, 2nd Baron Cobbold
• Earls of Lytton
• Edward Bulwer-Lytton
• Henry Lytton-Cobbold
• James Oswald (1710-1769), 18th Century composer
• Ken Follett
• Robert Wilson, MBE, founder of Music for Youth
• Tony Byworth, notable country music journalist
• Tony Cascarino, retired Irish football player

Knebworth is twinned with:

• Châtelaillon-Plage, France[8]

The Knebworth Parish News is published monthly and delivered to around 800 homes in Knebworth. It is published on paper only. Although it contains secular articles, the cost of production is underwritten by the Parochial Church Council, which has editorial control of the publication.

The Stevenage Comet is delivered to a small number of homes in the village.

There is an active Facebook Group for Knebworth residents and friends: We are from Knebworth.

• Concerts at Knebworth House

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knebworth.

• Knebworth Parish Council