Greensted-juxta-Ongar is a village in Essex, England, strung out along the Greensted Road approximately one mile to the west of Chipping Ongar.
Contents |
Greensted's full name is Greensted-juxta-Ongar (Greensted adjoining Ongar) but this title is considered archaic now, and the settlement is known locally by its primary title. Greensted literally means green place, 'sted' being, in the Saxon tongue, the old word for place (and is still used in modern English words e.g. 'instead'). Greensted is also both a current English and Danish surname, but is spelled Grønstad in Denmark. The area of England where Greensted is located is at the edge of the area once known as Danelaw, which was ruled by the King of Denmark.
The name is not a mere pretty title however; Greensted is situated in a large natural clearing, and would have been a logical place to build a settlement in the dense surrounding Epping Forest especially as it was near an existing route. This is the Ongar road, later part of the Canterbury pilgrimage mentioned in The Canterbury Tales.
While very small, Greensted does have one particular feature of note, being St Andrew's Church, commonly known as Greensted Church, the oldest wooden church in the world. It was featured on a British postage stamp issued in April 1972.[1]
Historically Greensted is important because of its longevity: the parish has existed since Saxon times, and little has changed. It is also a place that has strong ties with St Edmund, once King of East Anglia.
Greensted, near Ongar, is sometimes confused with Greenstead, in Colchester. Both places are located in the county of Essex, but they are over 30 miles apart. Use, where appropriate, of British postcodes can minimise the risk of confusion. Postcodes for addresses in Greensted, near Ongar, commence with the letters 'CM'. Postcodes for Greenstead, near Colchester, commence with 'CO'.