Stevenage Tourist Information

Stevenage was the very first of the constructed New Towns of Britain, primarily built to house post-war Londoners who had either lost their houses, or needed a boost in morale and a cleaner, safer alternative to London.

The Town Centre in Stevenage was revolutionary, with the very first pedestrianized shopping centre in the country. It drew in visitors from several of the surrounding towns to do their shopping in style.

Areas of housing are seperated into sub-zones of which there are nearly twenty with the newest expansions of Great Ashby, Chells Manor, Bragbury Manor, Poplars, and the upcoming area 'Stevenage West'. Each of the separate areas contain a local community shopping centre, church, and community centre as well as many other unexpected facilities such as the Shephalbury Sports Academy in the area of Shephall (the original village area that existed before the town was built).

Today, Stevenage is thriving with its culture and amazing leisure facilities. The Stevenage Leisure Park is a prime example of this. Just a 5 minute walk from the town centre, and right next to local bus and rail services (some of the best you'll find in any new town) it boasts more than 6 restaurants, 4 night clubs, a bowling centre with arcade and bar, and a massive 16 screen cinema. You'll find several different kinds of food from Indian and Chinese, to All-American and fast food.

Another great attraction in Stevenage is the award-winning Fairlands Valley Park; a vast, picturesque space with sailing facilities, a cafe, five large lakes with loads of local wildlife, and of course, three huge playgrounds complete with paddling pools which are open in the summer and are fully supervised by a trained lifeguard.

A trip to Stevenage would not be complete without seeing a show at the Gordon Craig Theatre which boasts some of the best talent outside London's West-End. It would also be worth visiting a few of Stevenage's hidden gems, especially if you have children, which include a laser tag centre and a children's indoor play centre at the Roaring Meg Retail Park, as well as several of Stevenage's other parks which offer a wide range of activities from mini golf to tennis and badminton.

If you are a golf lover, there is a huge world class golf and conference centre on the edge of the town which includes access to a driving range, and available rental of golf clubs and accessories.

All in all, Stevenage is a haven for local tourists who want to discover a pretty unknown town in Britain, both for its wide range of fun things to do, and for its extensive and interesting history. Stevenage has something for everyone.

Description by Gary Blackburn