Grendon Underwood

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Coordinates: 51°53′00″N 1°01′02″W / 51.8832°N 1.0173°W

Grendon Underwood
St. Leonard's parish church
Grendon Underwood Grendon Underwood shown within Buckinghamshire
Population	1,625 ^[1]
OS grid reference	SP685205
District	Aylesbury Vale
Shire county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Aylesbury
Postcode district	HP18
Dialling code	01296
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Buckingham
Website	Grendon Underwood, Buckinghamshire
List of places UK England Buckinghamshire

Grendon Underwood is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the west of the county, close to the boundary with Oxfordshire and near the Roman road Akeman Street now known as the A41. The village sits between Woodham and Edgcott and has a population of approximately 1500 (in 2012).

History

The toponym is derived from the Old English for 'green hill near a wood', though the 'Underwood' part of the name was only added in the medieval period to differentiate the village from nearby Long Crendon and to signify the village's position close to the Bernwood Forest. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the village as Grennedone. The manor of Grendon anciently belonged to the St Amand family. Almeric de St Amand of this family was one of the godfathers of King Edward I, who was baptised in 1239.^[2]

In 1642, Grendon Underwood lay on the forest tracks used by gypsies and strolling players (travelling performers) and was visited more than once by William Shakespeare,^[3] who stayed at the house, formerly an inn, now known as Shakespeare House, currently (2012) a five star guest house and Grade II listed, part Elizabethan former coaching inn ^[4] What Around 1809, Underwood Junction was the point at Greatmoor, just east of Grendon Underwood village, at which the Alternative Route of the London Extension of the Great Central Railway left the original main line. This was a little north of the point where the main line joined the previous Metropolitan Railway's line from Verney Junction to Aylesbury, and thence to London. The latter junction no longer exists, as the line to Verney Junction has been closed and dismantled as part of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s.

During the Second World War Grendon Hall was Station 53a of the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Current Village

The Church of England parish church of Saint Leonard dates from the 12th or early 13th century. The village has a public house, The Swan.^[5] Grendon Underwood Combined School^[6] is a community school with about 280 pupils. The village has a single village shop and The Grendon Garage.

Grendon Underwood once bordered Bernwood Forest, the nearest remnants of which are now Grendon Wood and Dodderhall Wood, which are detached from the village itself by approx 500 metres. Both woods are now silvicultural and classified as ancient forest and are sites of special scientific interest (SSSI's). This offers protected status to some of the endangered species of animals residing therein such as Bechstein's bats, and nightingales. There are also 35 species of butterflies such as Purple Emperor, Brown Hairstreak, Black Hairstreak, Wood White, the Silver Washed Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Pearl-Bordered Fritillary and Small Pearly-Bordered Fritillary.^[7]

Grendon Prisons

Grendon Underwood has two prisons, both are remotely located one mile away from the church and main village. The B-Category prison HMP Grendon is the UK's only therapeutic community for the treatment of serious offenders. HMP Grendon opened in 1962 as an experimental prison for inmates with psychiatric anti-social personality disorders. The facility holds approx 238 cat B male prisoners (April 2012).^[8] HMP Spring Hill is a D-Category open prison with an operational capacity of 335(April 2013) Indeterminate Sentenced Prisoners (ISP's). The prison building, Springhill House was a former MI6 Secret Service base during the Second World War.^[9]

The Grendon Festival (GrendON)

This a Biennial event (every 2 years), with live music, comedians and a CAMRA supported real ale festival. The Grendon festival has a series of live tribute bands such as Kazabian,^[10] Noasis,^[11] Killerz, and Kings of Lyon,^[12] national and local bands such as Stoke Mandville Band, 48Krash.^[13] The festival, which takes place every other year, started out in 2006 ^[14] with 300 people attending. In 2010 it attracted 2,000 and in 2012 organisers expected 4,000 attendees. However the event was postponed in May 2012 due to severe flooding ^[15] and was successfully rescheduled to September 2012.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grendon Underwood.

v t e Aylesbury Vale District

Buckinghamshire County Council elections District Council elections Aylesbury Constituency Buckingham Constituency

Towns (component areas and hamlets)	Aylesbury Bedgrove Broughton California Elm Farm Elmhurst Haydon Hill New Zealand Prebendal Farm Quarrendon Queens Park Southcourt Turnfurlong Walton Walton Court Buckingham Bourton Buffler's Holt Castle Fields Mount Pleasant Page Hill Wendover Cobblers Hill Concord Dean Hazeldean Kings Ash Little London Lower Bacombe Scrubwood Smalldean The Hale Upper Bacombe Wendover Dean Wendover Marsh World's End Winslow Shipton Shipton Brook

Other civil parishes (component villages and hamlets)	Addington Adstock Akeley Akeley Stockholt Ashendon Ashendon Lower Pollicott Upper Pollicott Aston Clinton Aston Clinton Chivery Vaches Aston Abbotts Aston Sandford Barton Hartshorn Beachampton Biddlesden Bierton with Broughton Bierton Broughton Broughton Crossing Burcott Boarstall Boarstall Honeyburge Brill Brill Little London Buckingham Park Berryfields Weedon Hill Buckland Buckland Buckland Wharf Calvert Green Calvert Charndon Chearsley Cheddington Cheddington Cooks Wharf Chetwode Chilton Chilton Easington Coldharbour Fairford Leys Creslow Cublington Cuddington Dinton-with-Ford and Upton Aston Mullins Dinton Ford Gibraltar Upton Waldridge Westlington Dorton Drayton Beauchamp Drayton Parslow Dunton East Claydon Botolph Claydon East Claydon Edgcott Edlesborough Northall and Dagnall Dagnall Edlesborough Northall Ringshall Fleet Marston Foscott Gawcott with Lenborough Gawcott Lenborough Granborough Granborough Green End Great Brickhill Great Horwood Great Horwood Singleborough Grendon Underwood Haddenham Haddenham South End Halton Hardwick Hillesden Hoggeston Hogshaw Fulbrook Hogshaw Hulcott Ickford Ivinghoe Greatgap Horton Ivinghoe Ivinghoe Aston Ringshall Kingsey Kingswood Kingswood Tetchwick Leckhampstead Lillingstone Dayrell with Luffield Abbey Lillingstone Dayrell Luffield Abbey Lillingstone Lovell Little Horwood Long Crendon Ludgershall Maids Moreton Marsh Gibbon Marsh Gibbon Little Marsh Summerstown Marsworth Marsworth Startop's End Mentmore Crafton Ledburn Mentmore Middle Claydon Middle Claydon Verney Junction Mursley Nash Nether Winchendon Newton Longville North Marston Oakley Addingrove Little London Oakley Oving Padbury Pitchcott Pitstone Barley End Pitstone Pitstone Green Pitstone Hill Poundon Preston Bissett Quainton Quainton Shipton Lee Quarrendon Berryfields Radclive-cum-Chackmore Radclive Chackmore Shabbington Shalstone Slapton Grove Horton Wharf Slapton Soulbury Bragenham Chelmscote Hollingdon Soulbury Stockgrove Steeple Claydon Stewkley North End Stewkley Stewkley Dean Stoke Hammond Stoke Mandeville Stone with Bishopstone and Hartwell Bishopstone Hartwell Lower Hartwell Sedrup Stone Stowe Boycott Dadford Lamport Stowe Swanbourne Nearton End Swanbourne Thornborough Thornton Tingewick Turweston Twyford Upper Winchendon Waddesdon Eythrope Waddesdon Wormstone Water Stratford Watermead Weedon East End Weedon Westbury Westcott Weston Turville Bye Green Weston Turville Whaddon Whitchurch Wing Ascott Burcott Littleworth Wing Wingrave Burston Nup End Rowsham Wingrave Woodham Worminghall Wotton Underwood

Former districts and boroughs	Municipal Borough of Aylesbury Municipal Borough of Buckingham Buckingham Rural District Long Crendon Rural District Wing Rural District

Former constituencies	Buckinghamshire County Constituency Wendover Constituency

List of Parliamentary constituencies in Buckinghamshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of civil parishes in Buckinghamshire

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