Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bourne End | |
  Bourne End shown within Buckinghamshire |
|
| Population | 5320 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Wooburn |
| District | Wycombe |
| Shire county | Buckinghamshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BOURNE END |
| Postcode district | SL8 |
| Dialling code | 01628 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Beaconsfield |
| List of places: UK • England • Buckinghamshire | |
Bourne End is a village predominantly in the parish of Wooburn and Bourne End, but also in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire, near where the River Wye meets the River Thames. Bourne End has just under five and a half thousand inhabitants.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
Bourne End's original location is somewhat different from today's established village centre, a half a mile downstream on the River Thames. The name refers to the end of the river (bourne being an Old English term for 'river'), and it would be the mouth of the River Wye that this is derived from. The then hamlet appears on Morden's 1722 map of Buckinghamshire as "Born end"[2]. It was noted in the nineteenth century however, that the name had been corrupted to "Bone End" through local mispronunciation, and thence on official maps and documents; in 1858, the vicar of Wooburn successfully reversed this, and the corrected name remains in use today.[3]
The entire length of the River Wye was the provider of water power for many mills in the valley for hundreds of years, and Bourne End was no exception. There were four on the final stretch of the river; Princes Mill, Jacksons (or Gunpowder) Mill, Hedsor Mill and Lower Mill. These mills were the predominant employers of the area, along with the local farms and two wharfs on the Thames.
In the early nineteenth century, the settlement known as Bourne End was a hamlet of Wooburn parish, along with others such as Spring Gardens, Eghams Green, Cores End, Heavens Lea and Upper Bourne End. This changed with the emergence of the Wycombe Railway Company in 1846. By 1854, Isambard Kingdom Brunel had designed and constructed a railway linking Maidenhead to High Wycombe. The station was originally known as Marlow Road station, until 1874, a year after the branch line to Marlow was built, and from then on Bourne End station.[4] The railway created more opportunities for locals and greatly benefited the mills, and thus Bourne End expanded, on a greater scale than other surrounding settlements. See Marlow Branch Line and Marlow Donkey for more information.
The hamlets soon became a part of Bourne End, as did Well End and Coldmoorholm in the neighbouring parish of Little Marlow. Both a church and school were built at the turn of the century to accommodate the residents. The Parade became established as the focal point of the village for shops and services.
In the 1920s Bourne End became home for two distinguished literary figures; Enid Blyton, a perennial children's writer, moved into Old Thatch on Coldmoorholm Lane, and Edgar Wallace, a popular author and dramatist, bought Chalklands off Blind Lane. The Royalty Cinema opened in The Parade in 1934. The late 1940s saw extensive development in Bourne End, of Chalklands and the Council Estate north of The Parade. The 1960s saw the building of Community Centre and Library in Wakeman Road after some years of local campaigning.
The Beeching Axe hit the village in 1969, when it was announced the line between Bourne End and High Wycombe would be shut. The track bed was lifted soon after closure in 1970. Some land was developed on as an office park, but much remains as a de facto footpath between the village and Wooburn.
[edit] Today
[edit] Locale
Bourne End conveniently lies between the M4 and M40 motorways, and retains its railway station on the Maidenhead to Marlow branch line. Because of its close proximity to London, it has become a popular place for commuters to live. Being a desirable place to live in South East England, it consequently suffers from high house prices.
All of the mills along the Wye Valley have now been shut down and demolished, Jacksons Mill in Furlong Road being the last (in Bourne End) in the late 1980s. These have been replaced by houses, office parks or industrial estates, which has led to the continuation of the village as an employment centre.
Bourne End remains a distinct village, although the continued house-building over the past century means it is threatened by the evident ribbon development, through to High Wycombe. In 1997, when the Local Plan was in preparation, the Residents Associations of Bourne End and Wooburn successfully lobbied to stop Slate Meadow (the field which separates the two settlements) being designated for housing for the time being. Other undeveloped land around the village looks likely to remain so, as it has been specified as Green Belt, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or a combination of the three. In parts, Bourne End is surrounded by farmland. Somewhat further away, Cliveden and Hedsor overlook the village from higher ground to the south east.
[edit] Community
Bourne End prides itself on its community spirit and village atmosphere. There is a Community Centre in the centre of the village, with a large hall and a bar, which is open for member's use. It is, for many, considered the focal point of village activity.
In the early 2000s, a Twinning Association was established, and subsequently Octeville-sur-Mer, a town on the north coast of France, was chosen to be its twin town. Frequent events are held by members of the association to foster and enhance the relationship between the two settlements.
Lately a campaign has been started to rename the village to Bourne End-on-Thames, to reflect its riverside location and to avoid confusion between other similarly named settlements in the region.[5] The campaigners are now waiting for a decision to be made regarding the legitimacy and practicality of the name-change, pending further consultation.
[edit] Administration and Services
The local government of the village is made up of three tiers. Wooburn and Bourne End Parish Council (formerly Wooburn Parish Council, until 2005), based in Wooburn; Wycombe District Council, based in High Wycombe; and Buckinghamshire County Council, based in Aylesbury. The local police force is Thames Valley Police, who have an office in Boston Drive from which the local constable operates. Local GP services are provided by Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust (PCT), from The Hawthornden Surgery in Wharf Lane, and The Orchard Surgery in Station Road. There is also a dentist, Bourne End Dental Practice, but this now no longer offers NHS treatment to its patients.
[edit] Leisure
The village has two recreation grounds (Furlong Road and Blind Lane), riverside open space at the newly redeveloped marina and Spade Oak Reach, a Junior Sports Club and fitness centre and the long-established Upper Thames Sailing Club. A week-long regatta is hosted every year in June.
Bourne End also benefits from a selection of restaurants, particularly those specialising in Indian cuisine. There are also a number of pubs to choose from: The Black Lion, The Bounty, The Firefly, The Garibaldi, Spade Oak and The Walnut Tree.
While not strictly in Bourne End, a beauty spot of note is Cock Marsh, a nature reserve owned by the National Trust. It is accessible via a footbridge (attached to the Railway bridge) over the River Thames.
[edit] Education
Bourne End has two primary schools; Westfield School, which was a first school until 1995, and is now a special school; and Claytons County Combined School, formerly a middle school, which merged with Westfield. It also has one secondary school, Wye Valley School, which was one of the first establishments to receive specialist Sports College status. The family run Wise Owl Montessori Nursery School, (2-5 years) was established in 1993 in the old Victorian schoolroom at Cores End.
[edit] Religion
The village currently has three active churches. The Anglican parish church, in Station Road, is dedicated to St. Mark. In the centre of the village, the Roman Catholic church of St. Dunstan is situated. The most well established is the United Reformed Church in Cores End, which was founded as a Congregational Chapel in 1773.
Bourne End used to have a Methodist Church in Furlong Road, which closed down in 2002. Well End also once had a Congregational mission hall, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this is now a residential house, called The Chapel.
[edit] Shopping
Bourne End continues to support a bustling array of shops, chiefly in The Parade, although it has struggled in recent times. Community events focused on the village centre, such as 'Fun Night' in December, have attempted to turn residents' attention to sustaining local trade and businesses.
[edit] References
- ^ "Wooburn and Bourne End parish fact file, December 2005". Retrieved on 2006-06-21.
- ^ "Buckinghamshire 1722, Robert Morden in Camden's Britannia". Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ Wheals, Brian Brenchley (1983). Theirs Were But Human Hearts. H. S. Publishing. ISBN 0-9509053-0-5.
- ^ "Maidenhead and Marlow Passengers Association". Retrieved on 2005-02-03.
- ^ ""New name for Bourne End?"", "Maidenhead Advertiser", 2006-05-26.
