Widmer End
Encyclopedia
Widmer End is a hamlet
in the parish
of Hughenden
, in Buckinghamshire
, England
.
The Village of Widmer End is situated about three miles north of High Wycombe town centre. In the last half century it has grown from a rural hamlet into a commuter suburb while still retaining much of its attractiveness.
It boasts a population of about 2000, a church, a pub, a school, some shops, and a village hall and recreation ground. The latter two are owned by the village itself and are the centre for many sports and social activities.
Widmer End has expanded significantly over the years, particularly inside the "George's Hill triangle" which adjoins Hazlemere
. The centre of the old village is around a road junction overlooked by the Royal Standard public house. Surrounded by sprawling farmland of outstanding natural beauty, the commuter and country bumpkin alike make this a 21st century melting pot, that embraces the new and is held together by the old. Horses often trek lazily through the village on summer days and many aspects of the village, such as fetes and community groups, often make it feel like a bastion of tranquility. The concrete tide of High Wycombe continually threatens to consume the Village of Widmer End. Local residents have for many years arranged, masterfully, a grass-roots level resistance to stop plans to develop the farmland that surrounds the village and keeps their way of life intact. The success of these action groups continues to this day, but the threat never dwindles.
A short distance to the south-west of Widmer End is the hamlet of Four Ashes, and Cryers Hill
is to the west.
Author and former local girl Kitty Aldridge
captures the 1960s expansion of Widmer End in her 2007 novel Cryers Hill.
The Widmer End newsletter is run by local residents to inform, entertain and promote community cohesion. Local businesses and schools are promoted and residents have the opportunity to write in, submit articles, poetry, opinion and inform other residents of local history.
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
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 Hughenden
Hughenden
Hughenden may refer to:*Hughenden, Queensland, a town in Australia*Hughenden, Alberta, a village in central Alberta, Canada*Hughenden Valley, a village in Buckinghamshire, England*Hughenden Manor, a mansion in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England...
, 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...
.
The Village of Widmer End is situated about three miles north of High Wycombe town centre. In the last half century it has grown from a rural hamlet into a commuter suburb while still retaining much of its attractiveness.
It boasts a population of about 2000, a church, a pub, a school, some shops, and a village hall and recreation ground. The latter two are owned by the village itself and are the centre for many sports and social activities.
Widmer End has expanded significantly over the years, particularly inside the "George's Hill triangle" which adjoins Hazlemere
Hazlemere
Hazlemere is a suburb of High Wycombe and a civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the north east of the town along the A404 in the direction of Amersham....
. The centre of the old village is around a road junction overlooked by the Royal Standard public house. Surrounded by sprawling farmland of outstanding natural beauty, the commuter and country bumpkin alike make this a 21st century melting pot, that embraces the new and is held together by the old. Horses often trek lazily through the village on summer days and many aspects of the village, such as fetes and community groups, often make it feel like a bastion of tranquility. The concrete tide of High Wycombe continually threatens to consume the Village of Widmer End. Local residents have for many years arranged, masterfully, a grass-roots level resistance to stop plans to develop the farmland that surrounds the village and keeps their way of life intact. The success of these action groups continues to this day, but the threat never dwindles.
A short distance to the south-west of Widmer End is the hamlet of Four Ashes, and Cryers Hill
Cryers Hill
Cryers Hill is a hamlet in the parish of Hughenden and in Buckinghamshire, England. It was formerly known as Ravensmere ....
is to the west.
Author and former local girl Kitty Aldridge
Kitty Aldridge
Kitty Aldridge is a British actress and writer.-Biography:After training as an actress at the Drama Centre London, Aldridge worked in film, theatre and television as an actress. She released her first novel Pop in 2001, and her second Cryers Hill was published on 1 March 2007. Aldridge is married...
captures the 1960s expansion of Widmer End in her 2007 novel Cryers Hill.
The Widmer End newsletter is run by local residents to inform, entertain and promote community cohesion. Local businesses and schools are promoted and residents have the opportunity to write in, submit articles, poetry, opinion and inform other residents of local history.