Visit Flamstead & St Leonard’s

EXPLORE, reflect, enjoy, …

Use this page to plan a trip to VISIT St Leonard’s church or Flamstead village.

St Leonard’s is a mediaeval church building dating from c. 1200 with many subsequent additions and much rebuilding. It was spared a Victorian makeover, although this did leave the 20th and 21st centuries with a lot of restoration work. There is a range of TREASURES with regionally important WALL PAINTINGS and mediaeval GRAFFITI along with an 2.8 acre CHURCHYARD in the centre of the picturesque VILLAGE.


OR for further information about St Leonard’s, start with the GUIDE (coming soon) or FIND OUT page on this website.

Church Opening Hours

St Leonard’s is open for visitors every day (7 days per week) from about 10:00 am to about 5:00 pm (or dusk in winter).

For times of services visit the church website. Regular concerts and other events are also held in the church.

Church Facilities

There is an accessible WC in the church for those visiting or attending services.

There is step free access and a hearing loop

On Your Visit

In the church and churchyard there is wide-ranging information to help you find your way around and make the most of your visit. There are display boards, panels, banners, literature to take away, and an interactive touch screen (guide).This provides a welcome and introduction to all the things to see and can also be accessed here (coming soon).

In particular, there are two trails to guide your around church and village: Heritage Timeline (external) and Heritage Interior. There are two other leaflets and displays about our locally & nationally important features: Wall Paintings and Graffiti. There is a 72 page church & village guidebook you can buy. If you are bringing the children there is an activity booklet for them.

All these materials can be viewed and downloaded from the Find Out (more) page, before or after your visit, or on-site using QR codes.

Local Amenities

Flamstead Village Store (facebook page) is open seven days a week. There is a Post Office in the shop.

The Three Blackbirds is a 16th century pub in the centre of the village. See its website or facebook page.

The Rose and Crown is a traditional pub in Trowley Bottom, about half a mile from the centre of Flamstead.

The Spotted Dog (facebook page) re-opened in Autumn 2024 It is next to the main entrance to the churchyard..

There are two further restaurants in Flamstead on the A5183 about half a mile from the village centre: a Harvester and Saffron (Indian Cuisine).There are several hotels nearby including a Premier Inn (branded as Luton South, but actually on the A5183 in Flamstead).

Finding us – Travel to Flamstead

See the map of the village centre at the end of the page or the Google map (with an adjustable scale).

The village centre is under one mile from Junction 9 of the M1, where it joins the A5183/A5 to Dunstable (North) and St Albans (South).

There are several entrances to the churchyard. The entrance from the High Street leads directly to St Leonard’s main entrance through the North Porch.

Address and Sat Nav

St Leonard’s Church
High Street
Flamstead
Hertfordshire
AL3 8BS

By Bus

numbers: 34, 46 or 807

By Train

Nearest railway station is Harpenden (St Pancras to Bedford). Nearby are Luton Parkway and Hemel Hempstead.

By Road

From M1 J9, head north west up the A5183 for a few hundred yards and turn first left. Go up Chequers Hill, continue along Singlets Lane until you see the Village Stores and the Spotted Dog pub in the High Street. The churchyard entrance is on the left.

Parking

There is no dedicated parking available at St Leonard’s, but there are three small, free car parks nearby; see the map below. In addition, parking is usually available in the streets.

Please be careful where you park. Some roads in Flamstead are narrow and/or are bus routes. It is easy to park blocking buses or preventing access by residents. Parking at the Village Hall may be restricted. During festivals or other major events, there are normally special arrangements in place.

For further information

Visit the church website for further details about the church and for contact information, e.g. should you wish to hire the venue. Visit the Parish Council website for more about the village.

Completing your visit

We hope you enjoyed your visit. If you have valued it, please consider:

  • sending us some feedback about your visit
  • making an entry in the visitors’ book in the church
  • posting something on social media about your visit.
  • contributing to the upkeep of the church; it costs £150 a day to run.
St Leonard's tower
St Leonard's tower

Map of Flamstead Village Centre

map of Flamstead Village Centre