Little Bushey
About Little Bushey
Little Bushey was a settlement in its own right until interwar development blurred the lines
between it, Bushey and the Heath.
What became Little Bushey Lane was the thoroughfare
from Aldenham to Bushey Heath. It stretched from Elstree Road to Aldenham Road and across farm land to Aldenham and
until the thirties had more farms than residences: From Little Bushey Farm where Woodfield
Rise is now, right down to Bushey Grove Farm opposite the cemetery. And until the late 19th
century it was part of Aldenham parish rather than Bushey.
You would be forgiven for not realising all this, as the only remaining acknowledgment are the destination boards on buses - a tradition carried on by Sullivan Buses on the 306.
But the real daily reminder of our heritage is Harts Farm and fields that stretch from Little Bushey Lane to the A41 and M1. The footpaths that criss cross the fields linked us to Aldenham until the A41 and M1 severed them. Many residents remember cows grazing the fields before Harts Farm became a stables, and fished in ponds and streams. It forms part of a green corridor for wildlife untouched for centuries.
It is this part - almost the last part - of Little Bushey that Hertsmere wish to strip from the Green Belt so that developers can build 310 houses and a primary school. It is an aspiration we must all challenge.