The village with a bewitching past that most residents don’t know about

Once famous for its fairground which was visited by thousands of people every season, this historic UK village would now be described by estate agents as a commuter’s dream.

Several ugly new-build homes have sprung up in recent years on the site of the old sports centre. But lots more attractive properties are available to buy scattered throughout the village.

Located in Hertfordshire, Bricket Wood had several brickworks over the centuries and also has a massive wood – which is officially called Bricket Wood Common – so it’s not just a clever name.

And also steeped in the past of the area is something that many of the villagers probably don’t even know about.

Back in 1946 a man called Gerald Gardner founded a witches’ coven at one of the village’s nudist colonies.

He is considered to be the father of modern Wicca and is responsible for spreading the beliefs and teachings of modern witchcraft throughout the world.

Having set up the Bricket Wood Coven, Dr Gardner attracted people who were either members of the Five Acres naturist club or were already witches.

He then built a “witches’ cottage” on a plot of land which he owned in the grounds of the club.

This was where he, as the high priest of the coven, and the other witches gathered to perform their rituals which he described in his Book of Shadows.

The group stopped using the cottage exclusively in 1972 and moved a lot of the meetings to a home in Crouch End, North London.

They stopped using Bricket Wood completely in 1975. But the coven is still going strong.

A message on the group’s website states: “The Bricket Wood Coven is still very much alive and working today, presided over by the current High Priestess and High Priest.

“In recent years the coven has changed with new members joining.

“What hasn’t changed is the powerful Group Mind of the coven, which binds all members together in a common bond of love and light and creates a unique feeling of empathy and connectivity between all coven members.

“The coven continues to grow and flourish, keeping alive the spirit of Gardner’s work and traditions, while also adapting to the times, opinions and strengths of its members. We honour and recognise the incredibly important legacy of our own Witchfather, Gerald Brosseau Gardner.”