Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire

Whitchurch
Church Lane, with the tower of St John the Evangelist's parish church
Whitchurch  Whitchurch shown within Buckinghamshire
Population	932 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SP8020
Civil parish	Whitchurch
District	Aylesbury Vale
Shire county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Aylesbury
Postcode district	HP22
Dialling code	01296
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Aylesbury
List of places UK England Buckinghamshire

Whitchurch is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is on the A413 road about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Aylesbury and 4.5 miles (7 km) south of Winslow. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 932.^[1]

Toponym

The toponym "Whitchurch" is common in England. It derived from the Old English wit chert, meaning white earth.^{[citation needed]}

Castle

Bolbec Castle was built in the Anarchy in the early 12th century.^[2] It was burned down by Parliamentary forces in the English Civil War.^{[citation needed]} Its remains are a scheduled monument.^[2]

Parish church

The oldest parts of the Church of England parish church of Saint John the Evangelist are 13th-century.^[3][4] They include the chancel and the Early English west doorway.^[3] The nave has aisles with four-bay arcades.^[3] The south aisle was added first, late in the 13th century.^[3] The north aisle was added slightly later, and the south door is early 14th century.^[3] Also 14th century are the sedilia and piscina in the chancel.^[4] The west tower was added in the middle of the 14th century, with its eastern buttresses intruding into the north and south aisles.^[5] In the 15th century a Perpendicular Gothic porch was added to the south doorway. Also Perpendicular Gothic are the nave's clerestory and roof,^[6] which are late 15th or early 16th century.^[4] The church is a Grade II* listed building.^[4]

The west tower has a ring of six bells. The oldest are the third and fourth bells, which were cast by an unknown bellfounder in 1619.^[7] Henry I Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire^[8] cast the treble bell in 1680.^[7] The other two bells were cast in 1797,^[7] but by two different founders. John Briant of Hertford^[8] cast the second bell, but Thomas I Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the tenor.^[7] The church has also a Sanctus bell, which was cast in 1708 by one of the Chandler^[7] family of bellfounders of Drayton Parslow.^[8]

The Priory Hotel (15th and 16th century)

Economic and social history

The Old House (15th, 17th and 20th centuries)

There village used to have a market, which was chartered in 1245. A street of the village is still called Market Hill, and the village still celebrates the granting of its market charter with a May feast each year.^{[citation needed]}

Many of the village's cottages and houses are historic. None is a Grade I listed building but two are Grade II* Listed.^[9][10] The Priory in the High Street and The Old House in Church Headland Lane are 15th-century timber-framed houses, each with first-floor jettying.^[9][10] The Priory was altered in the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries, has brick nogging and is now an hotel.^[9] The Old House was altered in the 17th century and the front was remodelled around 1940.^[6][10]

Nikolaus Pevsner also noted two houses in Oving Road:^[6] School House, which is 16th-century, timber-framed and has a jettied first floor;^[11] and Whitchurch House, which is early 17th-century and has an early 18th-century façade.^[12]

Amenities

As well as the Priory Hotel (see above) the village has two public houses: the White Swan^[13] and the White Horse.

Whitchurch Combined School is a community primary school for boys and girls in the 4–11 age range.^[14] The school has about 200 pupils. Its catchment area includes the parishes of Whitchurch, Hardwick, Oving, Pitchcott and Weedon. It also includes part of Watermead and the Berryfields and Weedon Hill Major Development Areas (MDAs) in Aylesbury, although new schools are planned for the MDAs.

Notable residents

• Steve Rothery, a musician with Marillion, lives in Whitchurch.^{[citation needed]}
• Jan Struther, the novelist notable for Mrs Miniver, lived at The Priory.^{[citation needed]}

References

Sources and further reading

• Page, W.H., ed. (1925). "Whitchurch". A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 3. Victoria County History. pp. 442–449. 
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 292–293. ISBN 0-14-071019-1. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire.

• Whitchurch School Association

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