Within the heart of Chipperfield, is Chipperfield Common. At 47.5 ha (117 acres) it is the most significant feature of the village, and mostly comprises of secondary woodland that has established on what was once heath land grazed by local people up until the 1930’s.

The Common contains a number of significant historical landscape features including five ponds, two early Bronze Age burial mounds and eight Veteran Sweet Chestnuts, estimated to date back to the 1600’s. All the village’s facilities, including the cricket ground and pavilion, the War Memorial, St Paul’s Church and Blackwells cafe are easily accessible from the Common. Car parking is available on The Common (road) and Windmill Hill. A network of public and permissive footpaths and bridleways run through the Common. These include a one mile Easy Access Route, which is accessed from the Cricket Ground Car Park on The Common (road), and takes in some of the Common’s main features.

Chipperfield Common was gifted by the Blackwell family, who lived in Chipperfield, to the Hemel Hempstead Rural District Council in 1936 on the understanding that they should “take great care to consult local feeling so far as the management of The Common is concerned in the future”. The Common is now maintained by Dacorum Borough Council in cooperation with Chipperfield Parish Council for the benefit of the people of Chipperfield and the wider community.

Chipperfield Common Management Plan 2011

The following Chipperfield Common Management Plan was produced in response to the Green Flag Award Scheme, the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. The plan is a working document and is reviewed annually as part of the Green Flag process. This ensures that the management of the Common is up to date and relevant for the preservation of the Common. The Common successfully achieved the award in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Chipperfield Common Management plan (pdf 6.7mb)

Chipperfield Common has an active Friends group who are the eyes and ears of the Common and help out in practical tasks such as pond maintenance, glade clearing and surveying the Sweet Chestnut trees. For more information on the Friends, contact the Parish Clerk Online or call 01923 263310.