Ivinghoe
Encyclopedia
Ivinghoe is a village
and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
district in Buckinghamshire
, England
, close to the border with Hertfordshire
and Bedfordshire
. It is four miles north of Tring
and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard
, close to the village of Pitstone
.
The village name is Anglo-Saxon
in origin, and means 'Ifa's hill-spur'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 it was recorded as Evinghehou. Ivinghoe is also an important point on the Icknield Way
, joining the Upper Icknield and Lower Icknield together. The Icknield way is claimed to be the oldest road in Britain, and dates back centuries.
The large church dates from 1220 but was set on fire in 1234 in an act of spite against the local Bishop
. The church was rebuilt in 1241.
For a village Ivinghoe has an unusual feature: a town hall, rather than a village hall. The village has some fine examples of Tudor architecture
, particularly around the village green
.
Ivinghoe Beacon
, near the village, is an ancient beacon
, or signal point, which was used in times of crisis to send messages across the country and is now popular with walkers who just want to get exercise and see the view. It used to be used as a site for flying model aeroplanes but has been forbidden due to accidents. The hill is the site of an early Iron age
hillfort which during excavations in the 1960s was identified from bronzework finds to date back to the Bronze-Iron transition period between 800-700 BC. Like many other similar hillforts in the Chilterns it is thought to have been occupied for only a short period, possibly less than one generation.
Nearby is Pitstone Windmill
, owned by the National Trust
.
Scenes for feature films, such as Quatermass 2
, Batman Begins and The Dirty Dozen
have been shot at Ivinghoe Beacon. Ivinghoe village, meanwhile, once served as a set for the children's TV series Chucklevision
.
within the parish
of Ivinghoe. Its name refers to a farm to the east of the main village. The hamlet has four farms and some houses. There is also a public house
, The Village Swan, which was bought by some of the residents in 1997. Ivinghoe Aston has close connections with the Vale of Aylesbury Hunt, and the South Hertfordshire
Beagle pack. Both packs meet there and hunt nearby.
A small stream called Whistle Brook flows down through the hamlet, from the Chilterns above, to join the River Ouzel
at nearby Slapton
.
Another hamlet in Ivinghoe is Greatgap.
primary school in Ivinghoe. It takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The school has 280 pupils.
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 within Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district 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...
, close to the border with Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and 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....
. It is four miles north of Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
and six miles south 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...
, close to the village of Pitstone
Pitstone
Pitstone is a village and civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, about seven miles east of Aylesbury and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard...
.
The village name is Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
in origin, and means 'Ifa's hill-spur'. In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 it was recorded as Evinghehou. Ivinghoe is also an important point on the Icknield Way
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.-Background:...
, joining the Upper Icknield and Lower Icknield together. The Icknield way is claimed to be the oldest road in Britain, and dates back centuries.
The large church dates from 1220 but was set on fire in 1234 in an act of spite against the local Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. The church was rebuilt in 1241.
For a village Ivinghoe has an unusual feature: a town hall, rather than a village hall. The village has some fine examples of Tudor architecture
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
, particularly around the village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
.
Ivinghoe Beacon
Ivinghoe Beacon
Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in the Chiltern Hills, standing 233 m above sea level. It is situated close to the villages of Ivinghoe, Aldbury in Buckinghamshire, the Ashridge Estate, and the village of Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire, and is managed and owned by the...
, near the village, is an ancient beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
, or signal point, which was used in times of crisis to send messages across the country and is now popular with walkers who just want to get exercise and see the view. It used to be used as a site for flying model aeroplanes but has been forbidden due to accidents. The hill is the site of an early Iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillfort which during excavations in the 1960s was identified from bronzework finds to date back to the Bronze-Iron transition period between 800-700 BC. Like many other similar hillforts in the Chilterns it is thought to have been occupied for only a short period, possibly less than one generation.
Nearby is Pitstone Windmill
Pitstone Windmill
Pitstone Windmill stands in the north east corner of a large field near the parish boundary of Ivinghoe and Pitstone in Buckinghamshire. It is thought to have been first built circa 1627 as this date is carved on part of the framework. This is the earliest date to be found on any windmill in the...
, owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
Scenes for feature films, such as Quatermass 2
Quatermass 2
Quatermass 2 is a 1957 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it is a sequel to an earlier Hammer film The Quatermass Xperiment. Like its predecessor, it is based on a BBC Television serial – Quatermass II – written by Nigel Kneale...
, Batman Begins and The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
have been shot at Ivinghoe Beacon. Ivinghoe village, meanwhile, once served as a set for the children's TV series Chucklevision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
.
Hamlets
Ivinghoe Aston is a hamletHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
within the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Ivinghoe. Its name refers to a farm to the east of the main village. The hamlet has four farms and some houses. There is also a 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 Village Swan, which was bought by some of the residents in 1997. Ivinghoe Aston has close connections with the Vale of Aylesbury Hunt, and the South Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
Beagle pack. Both packs meet there and hunt nearby.
A small stream called Whistle Brook flows down through the hamlet, from the Chilterns above, to join the River Ouzel
River Ouzel
The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a river in England, and a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows 20 miles north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell....
at nearby Slapton
Slapton, Buckinghamshire
Slapton is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located between the Grand Union Canal and the border with Bedfordshire, about three miles south of Leighton Buzzard, three miles west of Edlesborough.The village name is Anglo Saxon in...
.
Another hamlet in Ivinghoe is Greatgap.
Schools
Brookmead School is a mixed, foundationFoundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
primary school in Ivinghoe. It takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The school has 280 pupils.