See

The Manor House

Manor House not open to public but the Lane is open all year all day. The Manor House is on a quiet lane which is an enclave of the Chells Manor housing estate. The secluded lane has a lovely duck pond, several nice houses, a few old cottages and the manor house itself. Chells Lane is a reminder that not that long ago Chells Manor was only a tiny hamlet in the middle of the countryside, not a housing estate that is home to 5-10,000 people. If you are visiting Chells Lane, Box Wood (about a 15-minute walk away) is also worth a look. The Manor House is a private residence, as are all the other houses.

Address: Chells Lane
Getting there: Chells Lane is off the White Way where buses run to every few minutes
Price: Free

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Stevenage, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Box Wood
Gresley Way. Daily, year round. Box Wood is a beautiful 27-acre wood which has a spectacular show of bluebells in springtime, lots of wildflowers and an array of wildlife (such as muntjac deer, rabbits, jays and woodpeckers- even some very rare waxwings were sighted last winter). There are several benches in the wood (although some have suffered vandalism), a gravelled path (as well as many other paths) and a few parking spaces dotted around its edge. There are some guided walks and tours of the wood throughout the year, organised by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Box Wood is also called Pryors Wood, but Box Wood is historically its proper name. For the link, click on Nature Reserves and then 'Pryor's Wood' (which is under 'North Herts'). Free.
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St Mary's Church
St Mary's is the ancient parish church of Shephall, which was once a hamlet separate from Stevenage, until it was swamped by the large Shephall housing estate. But Shephall Green remains a little enclave with a 'villagey feel'. The church is at least nine hundred years old and has many interesting features such as the rare Saxon stone relic inscribed with indecipherable runic letters. The church and its churchyard are beautiful.
Often locked due to theft and vandalism, sometimes openFree but optional small donation.
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Whomerley Wood
The remains of a medieval moated homestead in Whomerley Wood is an 80-square-yard trench almost 5 feet wide in parts. It was probably the home of Ralph de Homle, and both Roman and later pottery has been found there.
See
Rooks Nest House
Weston Road, Stevenage & Forster Country. Forster Country is a relatively small area of countryside around Rooks Nest House, and it is the last remaining bit of green belt land in Stevenage Borough. Rooks Nest was the inspiration for the famous writer E.M. Forster's famous novel Howard's End. Forster lived at Rooks Nest during his childhood years, in the late 19th century. The farmhouse is a beautiful old building on a quiet lane situated on the edge of the Old Town of Stevenage. Forster Country starts at a modern sculpture inscribed 'Only Connect' (this can be reached via a path in the St Nicholas Church churchyard) and includes the fields near that (it has no clear border). Rooks Nest House is a private residence and not open to the public.