Early history
The earliest traces of human activity date from Stone and Iron ages. It is thought that the Roman Akeman Street may have run close to what is now the A411 Chalk Hill and London Road.
The first mentions of Oxhey by name are in the eighth century when King Offa gave Oxangehæge to the Benedictine Abbey of St Albans.
The pattern of early settlement in the area would have been partly influenced by its geographical position, given proximity to the road north from London, and its contacts with St Albans Abbey.
Industrial Revolution
Oxhey grew during the mid-19th century with the coming of the London and Birmingham Railway from London Euston to Boxmoor in 1837, the settlement being developed to house railway workers. The line was completed to Birmingham in 1838. The fast-developing town of Watford, which later absorbed Oxhey, would in due course, would also become a dominant factor in the area's growth.
Oxhey was initially called 'New Bushey', after the well-established village a mile away. However, the Local Government Act 1894 saw built-up areas become ‘'Urban Districts' while less built-up portions became
‘Rural Districts.’
This led to Bushey parish being split into Bushey Urban – then within Watford Urban – and Bushey Rural for the remainder. This created an oddity that New Bushey was in Watford as so the legislation created the need to rename the area. As such, Bushey Urban was renamed ‘Oxhey’ on 1st April 1906.
On 1 April 1935 Oxhey was abolished and merged with Watford.
In 1931 the parish had a population of 2,636.
Oxhey Grange in Oxhey Lane was built in 1876 by architect William Young (1843–1900) in the High Victorian Gothic style. It is a Grade II listed building.
