Our Area

All 7,000 residents in the Sopwell Ward are automatically a member of Sopwell Residents Association, which means you are welcome to attend our meetings and take part in any of our events.

Sopwell’s streets

These streets that are either entirely or partially located in Sopwell ward:

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Sopwell’s Green Spaces

1. St Stephen’s Field: The Green area behind St Stephen’s church contains a number of ancient trees, including a Lebanon Cedar rumoured to be where Henry VIII proposed to Anne Boleyn.
2. Berner’s Drive Green Space: Sited by the Abbey railway line level crossing, this site houses the former Sopwell Youth Club.
3. Pocket Park: Tucked behind the Sub Aqua Club on Cottonmill Lane next to the River Ver.
4. Sopwell Nunnery: The Tudor ruin site has its own blog and also a page on the St Albans Museums website.
5. Sopwell Mill Open Space: Whilst no longer housing a mill, there is a large green space and playground accessible off Cottonmill Lane or the Alban Way.
6. Watercress Wildlife Association: A nature reserve on former watercress beds accessible off Riverside Rd.
7. Marlborough Pavilion Open Space: Currently a Sports Pavilion and netball court in a large green space accessible from Old Oak, off Cottonmill Lane. The space is bordered by the greenery of grazing land and Verulam Golf Course, and has access to the River Ver. Cottonmill and Sopwell Hub are campaigning for a community centre to be returned to the site.
8. Holyrood Crescent Green Space: Field and play area backed by Green Belt farmland.
9. Cottonmill and Nunnery allotments: Owned by St Albans District Council and supported by the Cottonmill and Sopwell Nunnery Association (CNAA). There are annual open days where the allotments can be toured.
10. The Alban Way: A 6.5 mile walking and cycling route along a former railway line, part of the longer Green Ring that circles St Albans. Accessible off Cottonmill Lane near the Level Crossing.
11. The River Ver: A globally rare chalk stream that runs through the Ward. Protected and promoted by the Ver Valley Society.

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Transport

Sopwell Ward is serviced by the Abbey Line, running from St Albans Abbey to Watford train stations. More information, including timetables, can be got from the Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership.

Bus routes S4 and S5 run between Sopwell Ward and St Albans Town Centre. Other routes that include or have stops near to Sopwell are the 321, which travels along Holywell Hill and Watling Street, and the 602 route from Hatfield to Watford stops just to the North of the Ward on the Alban Way.

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Schools

Sopwell has three mainstream Primary schools and one maintained special school:

Mandeville Primary School, Mandeville Drive, AL1 2LE
St Adrians RC Primary School and Nursery, Watling View, AL1 2PB
St Peters School, Cottonmill Lane, AL1 1HL
Watling View School, Watling View, AL1 2NU

The nearest secondary school, Marlborough Science Academy, is just outside the area on the other side of Watling Street.

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Places of Worship

Masjid Ar Rahman, Abbots Avenue (formerly St Albans Christadelphians)
St Bartholemew RC Church, Vesta Avenue
St Stephen with St Julian C of E Churches, Watling Street and Abbots Avenue

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Shops

Sopwell has two parades of local shops on Vesta Avenue and Abbots Avenue West. There is also the retail park on Griffiths Way with Abbey View Retail Park, a Sainsburys, the Range and an Aldi built on the site of the former Gasworks.

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