Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Whitchurch is a village
and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
district in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is located about four miles south of Winslow
, four miles north of Aylesbury
and has approximately 850 residents.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
in origin (wit chert) which means white earth. Whitchurch is a common place name in England
.
Whitchurch includes many fine old buildings, and is considered by many to be quite picturesque. There was once a market
in the village, granted in 1245, and the old market hill still remains. The granting of the charter for the market is celebrated with a May feast every year.
The church was built in the 13th century with additional building work in the 15th century.
Bolbec castle was burned down by parliamentary forces during the English Civil War
, the mound still remains as does the spring, called Fair Alice, which was the fresh water supply for the castle.
Whitchurch Combined School is a mixed, community
, primary school, which takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The school has approximately 200 pupils. The school's catchment area includes the villages of Whitchurch, Oving
, Pitchcott
, Hardwick
and Weedon
. It also includes part of Watermead
and the Berryfields and Weedon Hill Major Development Areas (MDAs) in Aylesbury
, although new schools are planned for the MDAs.
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 also a 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...
. It is located about four miles south of Winslow
Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Winslow is a small market town and also a civil parish designated as a town council within Aylesbury Vale district in north Buckinghamshire. It has a population of about 4500....
, four miles north of Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
and has approximately 850 residents.
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 (wit chert) which means white earth. Whitchurch is a common place name in 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...
.
Whitchurch includes many fine old buildings, and is considered by many to be quite picturesque. There was once a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
in the village, granted in 1245, and the old market hill still remains. The granting of the charter for the market is celebrated with a May feast every year.
The church was built in the 13th century with additional building work in the 15th century.
Bolbec castle was burned down by parliamentary forces during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the mound still remains as does the spring, called Fair Alice, which was the fresh water supply for the castle.
Whitchurch Combined School is a mixed, community
Community school
The term "community school" refers to types of publicly funded school in England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to a school that serves as both an educational institution and a centre of community life. A community school is both a place and a...
, primary school, which takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The school has approximately 200 pupils. The school's catchment area includes the villages of Whitchurch, Oving
Oving, Buckinghamshire
Oving is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about three and a half miles north east of Waddesdon, four miles south of Winslow....
, Pitchcott
Pitchcott
Pitchcott is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about two and a half miles north east of Waddesdon, and four miles south of Winslow....
, Hardwick
Hardwick, Buckinghamshire
Hardwick is both a village and a civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Aylesbury Vale, about four miles north of Aylesbury....
and Weedon
Weedon, Buckinghamshire
Weedon is a village and civil parish north of Aylesbury and south of Hardwick in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England.The toponym is derived from the Old English for "hill with a heathen temple". In records dated 1066 the village was recorded as Weodune.Weedon has a Methodist...
. It also includes part of Watermead
Watermead, Buckinghamshire
Watermead is a housing estate, situated less than half a mile north of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, however, the spine road entrance is situated within Aylesbury. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district. It is a very popular place to live for young couples and city...
and the Berryfields and Weedon Hill Major Development Areas (MDAs) in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, although new schools are planned for the MDAs.
Notable residents
- Jan StrutherJan StrutherJan Struther was the pen name of Joyce Anstruther, later Joyce Maxtone Graham and finally Joyce Placzek , an English writer remembered for her character Mrs...
- Novelist notable for Mrs Miniver lived in a house called The Priory.