Nettlebed
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- For the New Zealand cave network, see Nettlebed Cave
Nettlebed is a village in Oxfordshire, England. It has a population of around 700. It is located approximately four miles north-west of Henley-on-Thames , four miles south-east of Wallingford on the A4130, in the Chiltern Hills.
[edit] History
Despite not being mentioned in the Domesday book, archaeological finds prove the area around Nettlebed has been inhabited since palaeolithic times.[1]
The site was frequently travelled through since ancient times, being a pass through the Chiltern hills along which the Oxford to Henley road passes.
Nettlebed's nearby clay pits helped establish a tradition of pottery making, which is documented since the 9th Century. It became an important site for brick making in the 14th Century, brick making continued until the 1930's. Today one remaining pottery kiln is preserved in the village.
The sand used in the manufacture of the first flint glass was sourced from Nettlebed by George Ravencroft in 1674.