Chalgrove
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chalgrove is a village and civil parish comprising some 1115 hectares. It is situated in the English county of Oxfordshire, about ten miles south-east of Oxford.
In addition to Chalgrove itself, the parish embraces the small settlement of Rofford and the former parish of Warpsgrove with which it merged in 1932.
Chalgrove is the site of a civil war skirmish - Battle of Chalgrove Field. A skirmish that saw John Hampden wounded, he died of the wounds several days later.
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[edit] Toponymy
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village is called 'Celgrave' which is believed to mean 'at the chalk or limestone pit'.
[edit] History
Chalgrove originated as a linear village surrounded by open fields and occupying a site which avoided the most flood-prone areas on the right bank of a stream. The form of the village reflects the history of its growth. Initially, houses were built along the original road to Oxford, reflecting the situation of Chalgrove. After a long period of stagnation, the population grew very rapidly from under 1000 people in 1961 to just over 3000 by 1996. In response, infilling in the form of large new housing estates has taken place in the area between the village core and the more recent bypass, the B480.
[edit] Expanding Population Structure
The village has expanded because of new in-migration which, because of the age profile, is providing further natural increase.
[edit] Consequences of Expansion
- Pressure on key services such as school and health
- Creation of several new 'small' housing estates, often executive houses local people cannot afford (rural sprawl)
- Little impact on village services, as newcomers rarely use village shops or garages - but they often use the pubs
- Increased traffic conjection, especially at peak times - many new families have two or even three cars
- Many new villagers do contribute to aspects of village life such as parish councils, Women's Institute and the church, but most do not
- Villages are often dormitory villages with little traffic during the daytime
- Conflicts can occur between traditional villagers and newcomers - traditional villagers feel their values are not respected
The main problem is trying to maintain the rural community and a rural quality in the face of increasing urbanisation.
