Greatworth
Encyclopedia
Greatworth is a village about 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Brackley
, Northamptonshire
, England.
of Saint Peter
was built in the 13th century and the bell tower
was added in about 1300. The architect H.R. Gough rebuilt the chancel
arch in 1882. In 2005 a new ring
of six bells was hung in the tower. St. Peter's parish is now part of the Chenderit benefice.
Greatworth Manor House
burned down in 1793, and only its ornate gatepiers remain.
In the 19th century a branch of the Stratford on Avon and Midland Junction Railway was built past Greatworth, joining the Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line
at Cockley Brake Junction 0.5 miles (804.7 m) south of the village. British Rail
ways closed the branch line in the middle of the 20th century.
to create RAF Greatworth, which was an RAF
Radio Communications station from early in the 1950s until 1988.
In 1973 the station had a selection of HF radio transmitters, including the Marconi HS31 (6 kw), HS51 (30 kw), HS71 (12 kw) and the Marconi MST (Marconi Self Tuner) 1200 (30kw). There was also a selection of Racal Speedrace transmitters, one of which offered remote control of frequency and aerial parameters from Systems Control. The aerial farm hosted steerable Yagi antennae, dipoles, rhombics and bicones - all types of HF antenna. A 24 hour watch system, each consisting of an RAF Sergeant, a Junior Technician (JT), a Senior Aircraftman (SAC) and a civilian Radio Technician was maintained which carried out preventive and corrective maintenance and also re-tuned the transmitters and their drive units as directed by Systems Control at RAF Stanbridge.
After closure the site was leased to the USAF
until it was handed back to the Ministry of Defence
in February 1992. The site is now Greatworth Park trading estate, for which the original RAF buildings have been retained and extended
It has been established by Bletchley Park, that RAF Greatworth was in service from 1939 and operated through WW2 as transmitters for Bletchley Park.
, a social club and a primary school.
Greatworth has one public house
, The Inn, that belongs to the Hook Norton Brewery
.
Brackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England.
History
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
was built in the 13th century and the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was added in about 1300. The architect H.R. Gough rebuilt the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch in 1882. In 2005 a new ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells was hung in the tower. St. Peter's parish is now part of the Chenderit benefice.
Greatworth Manor House
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
burned down in 1793, and only its ornate gatepiers remain.
In the 19th century a branch of the Stratford on Avon and Midland Junction Railway was built past Greatworth, joining the Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line
Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line
The Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line was a railway branch line constructed by the Buckinghamshire Railway which connected the Oxfordshire market town of Banbury with the Buckinghamshire town of Bletchley via the historic county town of Buckingham and the Northamptonshire town of Brackley, a...
at Cockley Brake Junction 0.5 miles (804.7 m) south of the village. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the branch line in the middle of the 20th century.
RAF Greatworth
In 1949 the Air Ministry bought land from Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
to create RAF Greatworth, which was an RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Radio Communications station from early in the 1950s until 1988.
In 1973 the station had a selection of HF radio transmitters, including the Marconi HS31 (6 kw), HS51 (30 kw), HS71 (12 kw) and the Marconi MST (Marconi Self Tuner) 1200 (30kw). There was also a selection of Racal Speedrace transmitters, one of which offered remote control of frequency and aerial parameters from Systems Control. The aerial farm hosted steerable Yagi antennae, dipoles, rhombics and bicones - all types of HF antenna. A 24 hour watch system, each consisting of an RAF Sergeant, a Junior Technician (JT), a Senior Aircraftman (SAC) and a civilian Radio Technician was maintained which carried out preventive and corrective maintenance and also re-tuned the transmitters and their drive units as directed by Systems Control at RAF Stanbridge.
After closure the site was leased to the USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
until it was handed back to the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in February 1992. The site is now Greatworth Park trading estate, for which the original RAF buildings have been retained and extended
It has been established by Bletchley Park, that RAF Greatworth was in service from 1939 and operated through WW2 as transmitters for Bletchley Park.
Amenities
Greatworth has a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a social club and a primary school.
Greatworth has one public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, The Inn, that belongs to the Hook Norton Brewery
Hook Norton Brewery
Hook Norton Brewery is a regional brewery in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England, founded in 1849. The brewing plant is a traditional Victorian "tower" brewery in which all the stages of the brewing process flow logically from floor to floor; mashing at the top, boiling in the middle, fermentation...
.