Sarratt
| Sarratt | |
|---|---|
 Church of the Holy Cross, Sarratt | |
  Sarratt | |
| Sarratt shown within Hertfordshire | |
| Population |
924 (2001 census)[1] 1,849 (2011 Census) [2] |
| OS grid reference | TQ045994 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Rickmansworth |
| Postcode district | WD3 |
| Dialling code | 01923 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Sarratt is a village and civil parish in Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire. It is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Rickmansworth on high ground near the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. The chalk stream, the River Chess, rising just north of Chesham in the Chiltern Hills, passes through Sarratt Bottom in the valley to the west of the village to join the River Colne in Rickmansworth. The conditions offered by the river are perfect for the cultivation of Cress. Sarratt has the last commercially operating cress farm in Hertfordshire.[3] The valley to the east of Sarratt is dry.
Church and chapel
The flint and brick-built Church of the Holy Cross was founded c 1190, reputedly reusing Roman tile in its construction.[4] It is the parish church of Sarratt.[5] From the 17th century a large linear village developed nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) away. Nowadays this area is referred to as Sarratt Green and the area around the church is known as Church End.
The village also included a Baptist Chapel and an independent Providence Mission Hall—both having closed in recent years and converted into private residences.
Motorway
When the M25 London orbital motorway – widened in 2011 to eight lanes (four each way) – was opened, the rural atmosphere of Sarratt changed. Where it passes Sarratt, it is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) distant at its nearest point, the bridge carrying Sarratt Road.
Junction 18 (M25) is on the Chorleywood Road (the A404) only 2 miles (3.2 km) by road from the village, affording Sarratt close access to the motorway network and Heathrow airport.
Schools
Sarratt's Church of England school, situated near the junction of Church Lane and The Green, is the village's primary school with 160 – 170 pupils. In December 2015 Ofsted inspected the school and judged it to be good across the board,[6] having been rated inadequate since December 2014.[7]
Sarratt Ducklings, an independent pre-school for children aged from 2 to 4, located in the grounds of Sarratt Primary School, is a registered charity. It was judged outstanding by Ofsted in 2015.[8][9]
Fiction and filming
In some of the early novels of John le Carré, Sarratt was the fictional location of an agent training school and interrogation centre for the British foreign intelligence service.[10] Le Carré and Mikhail Lyubimov, the former KGB Colonel, contributed to a book published by Village Books in 1999 as a fund-raiser for village charities titled, Sarratt and the Draper of Watford.[11]
Sarratt has been used as a location in television and film productions, including:[12]
- Murder Most Foul—(1964 film)—starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.
- Four Weddings and a Funeral—(1994 film)—in which the church was used as a filmset.
- The Demon Headmaster—(BBC TV)—second series of a children's drama series.
- Just William—(BBC TV)—a production of a children's drama series.
Notable people
- Sydney Valentine, actor, lived at Pear Tree Cottage, Sarratt.[13]
References
- ↑ "All people in Settlements in Hertfordshire" (PDF). 2001 Census, Key Statistics for HCC Settlements. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ↑ "Civil Parish 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ "Village farmer only one still growing the salad leaf with health benefits". www.hemeltoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ "Victoria County History". British History Online. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
- ↑ "The Foundation of Holy Cross". www.holycrosssarratt.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
- ↑ http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/117404
- ↑ http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/14201106.Headteacher_of_Sarratt_Church_of_England_School_says_the_future_is__very_exciting__after_the_school_was_taken_out_of_special_measures
- ↑ http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/130613
- ↑ http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/14129454.Pre_school_rated_as__outstanding__by_education_watchdog/?ref=mr&lp=11
- ↑ Clark, Jessica. "Starry-eyed Sarratt". Hertfordshire Life. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ↑ "Sarratt And The Draper Of Watford and Other Unlikely Stories About Sarratt". Nigel Williams Rare Books. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ↑ "Titles with location 'Sarratt, Hertfordshire'". The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2012-04-14.
- ↑ Sydney Paxton, "An Appreciation", quoted in Edward Rollinson, Sydney Valentine 1865-1919: An Actor's Actor (Sarratt, 1996), ISBN 9780952389705, at pp. 1-5
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sarratt. |
- 'Parishes: Sarratt', A History of the County of Hertford Date accessed: 29 December 2006.
- Holy Cross Church Website