Hockliffe
Encyclopedia
Hockliffe is a village
and civil parish in Bedfordshire
on the crossroads of the A5 road which lies upon the course of the roman road known as Watling Street
and the A4012 road
.
It is about four miles east of Leighton Buzzard
. Nearby places are Heath and Reach
, Eggington
, Stanbridge
, Battlesden
, Toddington
, Tebworth
, and Tilsworth
.
Hockliffe is in Heath and Reach
ward which sends a councillor to Central Bedfordshire Council. The ward includes the villages of Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Eggington, Stanbridge, Tilsworth, Tebworth, and Wingrave. The ward was created in 2011 and has since been represented by Councillor Mark Versallion
.
) is still known by locals as the Old Ride, due to the original crossing of the brook of the original Woburn Road the later road being constructed in the 19th century through to the second Battlesden
road turning near to the village of Milton Bryan
. The new Woburn Road is about a hundred yards to the west, from the said crossing and is now used by farm vehicles over a newer bridge. The secondfield was known as Horseshoe Corner as the brook was shaped like a horseshoe before it was straightened out by a farmer after World War II
.
Recently there have been regular sitings of The invasive signal crayfish
, Pacifastacus leniusculus, within the Brook. it was noted in the local newspaper, The Leighton Buzzard Observer, that one was found inside a toy lobster during a clear out of a section of the Brook near Leighton Buzzard
in 2009.
a Czechoslovak
military intelligence wireless transmission station was situated just outside Hockliffe. The station was constructed by the Special Operations Executive
in 1942 exclusively for Czech intelligence services. The station was used to contact Czech embassies in such countries as Portugal
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, and Turkey
. Eleven men operated the station until June 1945, when they were able to return to their country.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
on the crossroads of the A5 road which lies upon the course of the roman road known as Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
and the A4012 road
A4012 road
The A4012 is a road in the United Kingdom. It starts in the village of Husborne Crawley to the south east of Milton Keynes and heads southwest to the village of Woburn. Here it meets the A5130 and changes direction, heading southeast past Milton Bryan before crossing the A5 at right angles in the...
.
It is about four miles east of Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
. Nearby places are Heath and Reach
Heath and Reach
Heath and Reach is a village, civil parish, and political ward near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire. It is about two miles north of Leighton Buzzard and three miles south of Woburn and adjoins the county boundary with Buckinghamshire....
, Eggington
Eggington
Egginton – or Eggington as it is now known – is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, about three miles east of Leighton Buzzard. Apart from the village itself, the parish also includes the hamlet of Briggington on the road to Leighton Buzzard,...
, Stanbridge
Stanbridge
Stanbridge may refer to:*Stanbridge, Bedfordshire*Stanbridge, Dorset*Stanbridge, Quebec*Stanbridge, New South Wales...
, Battlesden
Battlesden
Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38...
, Toddington
Toddington, Bedfordshire
Toddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England which is situated 5 miles NNW of Luton, north of Dunstable, south west of Woburn and 35 miles NNW of London on the A5120 and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway and lends its...
, Tebworth
Tebworth
Tebworth is a hamlet located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement is close to Wingfield and Hockliffe, with the nearest town being Houghton Regis. Amenities in Tebworth include "The Queens Head" pub....
, and Tilsworth
Tilsworth
Tilsworth is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire. It lies to the north west of Dunstable, and the Roman Watling Street forms the north east boundary of the parish of 1200 acres . The village lies on the gault clay, where springs well up just south of a gentle gravelly ridge...
.
Hockliffe is in Heath and Reach
Heath and Reach
Heath and Reach is a village, civil parish, and political ward near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire. It is about two miles north of Leighton Buzzard and three miles south of Woburn and adjoins the county boundary with Buckinghamshire....
ward which sends a councillor to Central Bedfordshire Council. The ward includes the villages of Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Eggington, Stanbridge, Tilsworth, Tebworth, and Wingrave. The ward was created in 2011 and has since been represented by Councillor Mark Versallion
Mark Versallion
Cllr Mark Anthony Gaius Versallion is a British politician, businessman, and officer in the Royal Naval Reserve. He was Prospective Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston from 2007-09 and from 2009-11 was Chairman of the of the Conservative Party....
.
Clipstone Brook
There was a term applied from the 18th century which was "as straight as Hockley Brook" because of the meandering bends of the said brook. The correct name of the brook is the Clipstone Brook. The first field (though in the parish of ChalgraveChalgrave
thumb|left|Signpost for Chalgrave ParishChalgrave is a civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The hamlets of Tebworth and Wingfield are in the west of the parish, with the church and manor in the east. Nearby places are Toddington , Chalton , Houghton Regis ,...
) is still known by locals as the Old Ride, due to the original crossing of the brook of the original Woburn Road the later road being constructed in the 19th century through to the second Battlesden
Battlesden
Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38...
road turning near to the village of Milton Bryan
Milton Bryan
Milton Bryan is a village and civil parish located in Central Bedfordshire. It lies just off the A4012 road, near to its junction with the A5 at Hockliffe. The nearest large town to Milton Bryan is Leighton Buzzard, very closely followed by Dunstable...
. The new Woburn Road is about a hundred yards to the west, from the said crossing and is now used by farm vehicles over a newer bridge. The secondfield was known as Horseshoe Corner as the brook was shaped like a horseshoe before it was straightened out by a farmer after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Recently there have been regular sitings of The invasive signal crayfish
Signal crayfish
The signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, is a North American species of crayfish. It was introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the Scandinavian Astacus astacus fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague, but the imports turned out to be a carrier of that disease...
, Pacifastacus leniusculus, within the Brook. it was noted in the local newspaper, The Leighton Buzzard Observer, that one was found inside a toy lobster during a clear out of a section of the Brook near Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
in 2009.
Hockliffe Radio Station
During the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a Czechoslovak
History of Czechoslovakia
With the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy at the end of World War I, the independent country of Czechoslovakia was formed, encouraged by, among others, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson...
military intelligence wireless transmission station was situated just outside Hockliffe. The station was constructed by the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
in 1942 exclusively for Czech intelligence services. The station was used to contact Czech embassies in such countries as Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Eleven men operated the station until June 1945, when they were able to return to their country.
Further reading
- S. Coleman, Hockliffe, Bedfordshire County Council (Bedfordshire Parish Surveys, Historic Landscape and Archaeology, 1), 1983, ISBN 0-907041-08-6.