St Paul's Walden is a village about five miles south of Hitchin

Hitchin

Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...

 in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 of St Paul's Walden also includes the village of Whitwell

Whitwell, Hertfordshire

Whitwell is a village in the parish of St Paul's Walden about six miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. Situated on a tableland, a spur of the Chilterns, Whitwell is about 400 feet above sea level. The soil is mostly clay with flints....

. St Paul's Walden has two fine 18th-century mansions, both standing in parks of great beauty: Stagenhoe

Stagenhoe

Stagenhoe is a Grade II listed stately home and surrounding gardens located in the village of St Paul's Walden in Hertfordshire. Stagenhoe was rebuilt in the 18th century, after a fire in about 1737. It is now used as a Sue Ryder Care nursing home....

(once owned by the Earls of Caithness) and St Paul's Walden Bury

St Paul's Walden Bury

St. Paul's Walden Bury is a stately home and surrounding gardens located in the village of St Paul's Walden in Hertfordshire. A home of the Bowes-Lyon family, it is best known for its connection to the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother...

(owned by the Bowes-Lyon

Bowes-Lyon

Bowes-Lyon is a Scottish family; see the following articles for more information, including information on individual members:*Baron Bowes*Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne*Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne*Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon*Gibside...

 family), which some say was the birthplace of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...

.