The Wick Location

Where is The Wick?

You can get into The Wick in one of two main ways: The equivalent of the Tradesman's Entrance that's found on Sandpit Lane, right next to 93 Sandpit Lane. There's no parking on Sandpit Lane. DO NOT PARK ON SANDPIT LANE. You will just be a massive nusiance. 

You're driving are you? Head up to Marshal's Drive then. The Wick's Marshal's Drive entrance is the equivalent of Speedy Boarding, if not business class travel, compared to the Sandpit Lane entrance. Maybe it even matches the British Airways Galleries Lounge at Heathrow, Terminal Five. 

Anyway, you can park your heart out on Marshal's Drive and - as you do - marvel at how many of the houses are having work done on them and, consequently, have several tradesmen's vans parked outside. It's about 50% of the houses at any one time. 

Behold the bold splendour of the Marshal's Drive entrance to The Wick. You'll be surrounded by the palace-like oppoulence of the towering detached residences of Marshal's Drive, rumoured to be homes to sportmen, entertainers and business folk who have excelled in their chosen careers. And also people who are generally just wealthy through that usual combination of timing and / or good luck. 

Anyway, just turn a blind eye to the way many of the houses, while huge, are rather too close together. For heaven's sake definitely don't mention how one or two of the new builds look more like the sort of local council buildings where you'd go to pay a parking ticket, rather than a house*. You'll just sound bitter and jealous.

*Looking at you there, big new build on the corner of Marshal's Drive and Homewood Road.

Speaking of parking tickets, can I park on Marshal's Drive?

Yes you can currently, as we speak, in March 2023. Probably not for too much longer though, not without some restrictions being put in place.

Not in my front-of-house bit of road that's not actually mine, it's just in front of my house

The good folk of St Albans do worry about folk parking 'on their road' and going to the station. There are about 470 comments / responses from the good locals about the various resident's parking changes of recent years right here if you're really stuck for something to read. 

Twenty Nine Vans

Yes, we count them some mornings. Twenty Nine commercial / tradesmen's vans is the most we've counted on Marshal's Drive alone, thanks to work being done on multiple properties at the same time. Note: That's NOT including the St Albans Boxing Club minibus, which often finds its way on to Marshal's Drive. We're talking tradesmen's vans only.  Also note: St Albans Boxing Club can park its minibus where it likes. I'm certainly not telling them to move it. 

One Rule to Ring Them All 

Now I'm not saying it's 'one rule for us if we want to expand our massive house so it's even bigger and more valuable than it is already and one rule for any poor soul who is so stuck they need to park 1.5 miles from the station', but it appears on the face of it that it's one rule one rule for locals when they want to expand their massive house so it's even bigger and more valuable than it already is and one rule for any poor sod who is so stuck they need to park a 25 minute walk from the station. Here's the St Albans City & District Council's phone number if you want to report anyone for the heinous crime of parking on your road near your house: 01727 866100 How very dare they.

Does that answer your question about if you can park on Marshal's Drive or not? Good. We thought it might.

Now, assuming you've read The Rules of The Wick (and not before) help yourself to the publically published Reviews of The Wick and remember, should you be leaving a review yourself post-visit:

We like FIVE STAR REVIEWS here at The Wick. Four stars? That upsets us. We have to regroup (in The Lower Red Lion) and work out what the Cliff Richard we've done wrong and try and make things right to win back that missing fifth star.

Anyone who leaves three stars or less is banned. 

It's All About The Dog

Got a dog? If not, why not? Dogs are potentially going to become compulsory at The Wick. Add your own dog to our exciting DOGS OF THE WICK page right now. Go on, please. PLEASE.