Coordinates: 51°′″N 0°′″W / 51.768034,
-0.746321
Wendover is a picturesque market town that sits at the foot of the
Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire,
England. The mainly arable parish is 5,832 acres (24 km²) in size and boasts many
hamlets that nestle in amongst the lush forest on the
surrounding hills.
History
The town name is of Brythonic origin and means "white waters", pertaining to the
stream that rises in the adjacent hills and flows through the middle of the town, bringing chalk
deposits on its way. The parish church of St Mary sits outside the town to the
east on the hillside: a feature that is very common among towns with strong Celtic origins.
The town has had a Royal charter to hold a weekly market since 1464 meaning that officially it is a town rather than a
village, although today many residents of Wendover like to refer to it as the latter. It is part
of a civil parish, and the parish uses the term "Parish Council" rather than "Town
Council", as it would be entitled to.
Part of the town was once the property of Anne Boleyn whose father held the
manor of Aylesbury among his many estates. There is still
a row of houses in the town today, known as Anne Boleyn's Cottages. The town is the birthplace of Gordon Onslow Ford, British surrealist artist, and it is believed to be the birthplace of the medieval
chronicler Roger of Wendover. The town is also the birth-place of Cecilia Payne, who discovered that the Sun is mainly composed of
hydrogen.
The town is at the terminus of the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal, which
joins Tring summit level of the Grand Union main line beside Marsworth top lock. Disused for over a century, the arm is in course of being restored by the Wendover Arm Trust. Remote and rural for almost all
its length, the canal attracts much local wildlife.
Facilities
Today the town is very popular with commuters working in London. The popularity is due partly to the town's easy access to London by road, partly to the
railway station in the town served by Chiltern Railways from London Marylebone via Amersham, and partly because it is so
picturesque. Property values have risen dramatically in recent years since the completion of the Wendover Bypass removed through traffic on the A413 from the town's narrow
streets.
There are four schools in the town; The John Hampden School (Age 4-7),
Wendover Church of England Junior School (Age 7-11), The
John Colet School (Age 11-18) and Wendover
House School (Special educational needs).
The many hamlets in Wendover parish include:
- Cobblers Hill
- Concord
- Dean
- The Hale
- Hazeldean
- Kings Ash
- Little London
- Scrubwood
- Smalldean
- Wendover Dean
- Wendover Marsh
Famous residents
The town was home to actor David Jason, who now lives two miles away in Butlers Cross. It is also a popular stopping off point for the Prime Minister due to its proximity to Chequers.
Twin town
Liffré, Brittany, France.
External links
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