Little Marlow
Encyclopedia
Little Marlow is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire
, England
.
It is on the north bank of the River Thames
, about a mile east of Marlow
. The toponym
"Marlow" is derived from the Old English for "land remaining after the draining of a pool". In 1015 it was recorded as Merelafan.
Hamlets
in the parish of Little Marlow include Coldmoorholme, Fern
, Handy Cross
, Sheepridge
, and Winchbottom
.
The village cottages are set around a large space, surrounded by lime trees, that is used as a cricket ground and village green where an annual fête
is held.
The Church of England parish church
of Saint John the Baptist
lies at the heart of the village, not far from the river and next to the manor house. The original construction of the church is Norman
, dating from the final years of the 12th century. Most of the building was built during the 14th and 15th centuries.
Little Marlow was once the site of a Benedictine
convent
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The convent belonged to Bisham Abbey
. It was seized by the Crown
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1547 and was eventually demolished in 1740. Today the village is in a scenic location on the River Thames, although home to a large sewage works and gravel extraction plant.
Melanie Brown
of the Spice Girls
pop group lived in Little Marlow for a while. The village became the focus of a national news story in 1998 when she and dancer Jimmy Gulzar were married in the parish church and invited many celebrity guests to their wedding reception.
There are two public house
s in the village: the Kings Head and the Queens Head.
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...
.
It is on the north bank of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, about a mile east of Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
. The toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
"Marlow" is derived from the Old English for "land remaining after the draining of a pool". In 1015 it was recorded as Merelafan.
Hamlets
Hamlet (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...
in the parish of Little Marlow include Coldmoorholme, Fern
Fern, Buckinghamshire
Fern is a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England.Historically this was a wasteland area of the parish, off the Marlow to Bourne End road. A workhouse was built here in 1781, which was a productive needlework and embroidery manufactory during the Victorian times...
, Handy Cross
Handy Cross
Handy Cross is the name of a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire. It is located on Marlow Hill, on the old road between Marlow and High Wycombe...
, Sheepridge
Sheepridge
Sheepridge is a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England.The hamlet is located in a small indentation of an outlying part of the Chiltern Hills. It can be found on Sheepridge Lane, which connects Flackwell Heath to Well End and Bourne End.There are a few houses and one...
, and Winchbottom
Winchbottom
Winchbottom is a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England....
.
The village cottages are set around a large space, surrounded by lime trees, that is used as a cricket ground and village green where an annual fête
Fête
Fête is a French word meaning festival, celebration or party, which has passed into English as a label that may be given to certain events.-Description:It is widely used in England and Australia in the context of a village fête,...
is held.
The Church of England parish church
Church 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 John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
lies at the heart of the village, not far from the river and next to the manor house. The original construction of the church is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
, dating from the final years of the 12th century. Most of the building was built during the 14th and 15th centuries.
Little Marlow was once the site of a Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The convent belonged to Bisham Abbey
Bisham Abbey
Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed manor house at Bisham in the English county of Berkshire. The name is taken from the now lost monastery which once stood alongside. Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the traditional resting place of many Earls of Salisbury...
. It was seized by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1547 and was eventually demolished in 1740. Today the village is in a scenic location on the River Thames, although home to a large sewage works and gravel extraction plant.
Melanie Brown
Melanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...
of the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
pop group lived in Little Marlow for a while. The village became the focus of a national news story in 1998 when she and dancer Jimmy Gulzar were married in the parish church and invited many celebrity guests to their wedding reception.
There are two 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...
s in the village: the Kings Head and the Queens Head.