Cottered Village and civil parish is in East Hertfordshire and situated to the west of Buntingford. Throcking is a village and a former civil parish that was, on the 1st April 1955, merged into Cottered.

Through the centre of Cottered are very attractive wide village greens that enhance the many thatched and period properties that adjoin them. In 1931 much of this land was gifted to the parish under the Recreation Ground Act 1859 and is under the jurisdiction of the Recreation Ground Trust (known as the Parish Trust) with the serving Parish Council being the trustee of the Parish Trust. Some of the land falls outside of this Deed of Gift and is registered separately as Village Green or Common Land with the Parish Council having the responsibility for its protection and maintenance.

The Village Hall opened in 2001 replacing the previous facility built in 1957. The new hall, a much superior building, was financed through a Millennium Fund and village donations. The hall which is adjacent to the large Cottered Recreation Ground, is the hub of social activity in the Parish being used by many local groups as well as for social functions and is the venue for Parish Council Meetings and the Annual Parish Meeting.

The Bull public house and restaurant sits in the very heart of Cottered and like the Village Hall is very much a focus for the village.

Cottered holds an Annual Village Day Festival each year with the Recreation Ground, Village Greens and Village Hall hosting a wide variety of stalls, activities and refreshments.

Cottered is home to a Grade II listed Japanese garden designed in the early 20th century by Herbert Goode, a wealthy glass and china merchant. Following his visits to Japan he created the garden featuring hills, a mountain, waterfalls and lakes, together with numerous items sent from Japan, including stone lanterns, garden ornaments and a tea house. The garden is still in private ownership.

In the centre of Cottered sits the church of St John the Baptist and the Holy Trinity church in Throcking, with its distinctive brick tower top dating from 1660, sits high on a ridge between Cottered and Buntingford.

Cottered has seen some changes over the years; the old school is now the Girl Guiding Headquarters for Hertfordshire, The Bell public house is now a private dwelling and the local General Stores and Post Office have closed.

Despite the changes Cottered and Throcking remains a strong community with a host of clubs and societies; the Horticultural Society began during the 1940s and is still thriving today.

A team of residents administer and put together The Cottered and Throcking News, a bi-monthly publication of 40 pages. This is delivered to residents in Cottered and Throcking for a small subscription fee. The publication lists the contacts for the many activities taking place as well as reporting on local issues and providing information on local services and is an essential communication tool for the whole community. The editors can be contacted via

Thank you to Andrew Thomson, a Cottered resident and regular contributor to The Cottered and Throcking News, for the photographs on this website.