Great Kingshill
Encyclopedia
Great Kingshill and Little Kingshill are small villages in the parishes of Hughenden
and Little Missenden
respectively in Buckinghamshire
, England
. They are located in the Chiltern Hills
, about five miles west of Amersham
and two and a half miles south of Great Missenden
.
The village name 'Kingshill' is fairly self explanatory, meaning a hill in possession of the king
. Local folklore
suggests it was King John
who provided the name. The affixes 'Great' and 'Little' were added later to differentiate between the two hamlets although there is some evidence that Little Kingshill was once known as Pirenore.
Little Kingshill has one pub: the Full Moon. The main road, called Windsor Lane, is home to the playing fields, the Baptist church and the village school. This Chiltern
village is surrounded by Metropolitan Green Belt
countryside.
Great Kingshill also has a small local shop which is a member of the "Spar
" franchise.
Opposite the shop is the local common, forming the heart of the hamlet. It contains a children's playground and football goals. During the summer, the common is used by Great Kingshill Cricket Club.
Both villages have their own primary schools. Little Kingshill School
has a nursery and primary school and caters for children from 3-11 years. It is controlled by Buckinghamshire County Council
. Many of the village children attend Great Kingshill school, as do children from a wide surrounding area. The school's most recent Ofsted
report judged the school to be "Good" overall and "Outstanding" in some areas.
Great Kingshill school is geographically located in the neighbouring hamlet of Cryers Hill
. Great Kingshill is also home to Pipers Corner School
, an all girl independent school
.
According to the 2001 census by the Hughenden Parish Council (a parish of the Wycombe District Council), Great Kingshill had a population of 1,170 in an area of 35 hectares.
Hughenden Valley
Hughenden Valley is an extensive village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England, just to the north of High Wycombe...
and Little Missenden
Little Missenden
Little Missenden is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about three miles south east of Great Missenden, three miles west of Amersham.The toponym "Missenden" is derived from the Old English for "valley where marsh plants grow"...
respectively in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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...
. They are located in the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
, about five miles west of Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
and two and a half miles south of Great Missenden
Great Missenden
Great Missenden is a large village in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover. It closely adjoins the villages of Little Missenden and Prestwood. The narrow High Street is bypassed by the main A413 London to...
.
The village name 'Kingshill' is fairly self explanatory, meaning a hill in possession of the king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
. Local folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
suggests it was King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
who provided the name. The affixes 'Great' and 'Little' were added later to differentiate between the two hamlets although there is some evidence that Little Kingshill was once known as Pirenore.
Little Kingshill has one pub: the Full Moon. The main road, called Windsor Lane, is home to the playing fields, the Baptist church and the village school. This Chiltern
Chiltern
Chiltern can refer to the following places:In England:* Chiltern Hills, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, known locally as "the Chilterns"** Chiltern , a local government district in Buckinghamshire named after the hills...
village is surrounded by Metropolitan Green Belt
Metropolitan Green Belt
The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It includes designated parts of Greater London and the surrounding counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey in the South East and East of England regions.-History:The...
countryside.
Great Kingshill also has a small local shop which is a member of the "Spar
SPAR
Spar , trades from approximately 12400 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world's largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by retailer Adriaan Van Well and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European...
" franchise.
Opposite the shop is the local common, forming the heart of the hamlet. It contains a children's playground and football goals. During the summer, the common is used by Great Kingshill Cricket Club.
Both villages have their own primary schools. Little Kingshill School
Little Kingshill School
Little Kingshill Combined School is a co-educational primary combined school located on Windsor Lane in the village of Little Kingshill, Buckinghamshire, England. It was established in 1887 as a village nursery school, but expanded to its current combined status from the 1960s onwards...
has a nursery and primary school and caters for children from 3-11 years. It is controlled by Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
. Many of the village children attend Great Kingshill school, as do children from a wide surrounding area. The school's most recent Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report judged the school to be "Good" overall and "Outstanding" in some areas.
Great Kingshill school is geographically located in the neighbouring hamlet of Cryers Hill
Cryers Hill
Cryers Hill is a hamlet in the parish of Hughenden and in Buckinghamshire, England. It was formerly known as Ravensmere ....
. Great Kingshill is also home to Pipers Corner School
Pipers Corner School
Pipers Corner School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Great Kingshill, Buckinghamshire, England.There are 580 pupils aged from 3 to 18 years...
, an all girl independent school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
.
According to the 2001 census by the Hughenden Parish Council (a parish of the Wycombe District Council), Great Kingshill had a population of 1,170 in an area of 35 hectares.