The village of Graveley lies to the north of Stevenage and consists of several attractive cottages and the eighteenth century chequer-bricked George and Dragon public house. The village appears in the Domesday Book as Gravelai. The name derives from the Old English words graefe or grafa and leah meaning ‘coppice wood or clearing’.

Just across the fields from Graveley lie the earthworks of a former village, Chesfield, where will be found the ruined walls of a fourteenth century church.

Jack's Hill

On the B197 just north of Graveley lies Jacks Hill and it is here in 1982 that Daphne McCarthy had a strange encounter as she drove along the road. It was in the evening, when it was beginning to turn dark, that she came across a soldier who was standing motionless in a gap in the bushes beside the road. He was wearing a helmet with a visor and was looking down, in his hands he seemed to be carrying a pikestaff.

To view a map of the area click on the button below

_____________________________________________________________________
Local Cottage

In 1838 an article appeared in the ‘County Press’ newspaper regarding a cottage in Graveley. It appears that the old lady who lived there had been hearing knocking coming from her front door but there was never anybody there. The whole village was in a furore as no natural cause could be found for the knocking and many villagers had visited the cottage to experience the knocking for themselves.

To view a map of the area click on the button below