Bledlow

Bledlow
Bledlow
	Holy Trinity parish church
	Bledlow Location within Buckinghamshire
OS grid reference	SP778021
Civil parish	Bledlow-cum-Saunderton;
Unitary authority	Buckinghamshire;
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire;
Region	South East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Princes Risborough
Postcode district	HP27
Dialling code	01844
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Aylesbury;
Website	Bledlow-cum-Saunderton Parish Council
	List of places UK England Buckinghamshire 51°42′44″N 0°52′31″W / 51.7123°N 0.8754°W

Bledlow is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bledlow-cum-Saunderton, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) WSW of Princes Risborough, and is on the county boundary with Oxfordshire. In 1931 the parish had a population of 925.^[1] On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished to form "Bledlow cum Saunderton".^[2]

The toponym "Bledlow" is derived from Old English and means "Bledda's burial mound". A 10th century document records it as Bleddanhloew; the Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Bledelai. A more common derivation is from "Bled-Hlaw" meaning Bloody Hill which commemorates an undated battle between Saxons and Danes.

Geography

The village is on the ancient Icknield Way and is where several springs form a small pool called the Lyde. The water from the springs is said to wear away the chalk on which the village stands, giving rise to the simple local medieval nursery rhyme:^[3]

They who live and do abide

Shall see Bledlow Church fall into the Lyde

The brook running from the pool into the nearby valley (called the Lyde Brook) provided water power for two watermills for many years.^[3] Bledlow's watermill is a tourist attraction.

Above the village, carved into the chalk of Wain Hill is a large cross, similar to that found at Whiteleaf.^[3] There is also a round barrow on the hill. It is thought that this is the barrow or burial mound referred to in the village name.

Within the parish of Bledlow-cum-Saunderton are several hamlets. The main one is Bledlow Ridge. The others are Forty Green (not to be confused with Forty Green near Beaconsfield), Pitch Green, Rout's Green, Skittle Green and Holly Green.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity overlooks the Vale of Aylesbury. It has two aisles and the nave arcades include capitals made in about 1200. Other features of interest are the font, some fragments of wall paintings, and the 13th- or 14th-century south doorway and porch.^[4] It is a Grade I listed building.^[5]

Notable people

Actress Samantha Eggar lived in Bledlow as a child, and was a neighbour of Oliver Reed while there.

Transport

Bledlow railway station was an intermediate station on the Wycombe Railway that served the village from 1862 to 1963. It was the first of two stations to serve the village, the second being Bledlow Bridge Halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway. It was 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) to the south and closer to the village. It was opened in 1906 and closed in 1957. The potential for reopening the Wycombe Railway through Bledlow, which is now part of a long-distance footpath, was evaluated and dismissed by Chiltern Railways, the franchise holder for the Chiltern Main Line that runs through Princes Risborough.

References

^ "Population statistics Bledlow AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
^ "Relationships and changes Bledlow AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Page 1908, pp. 247–253
^ Betjeman 1968, p. 125.
^ Historic England. "Church of the Holy Trinity (Grade I) (1125801)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 April 2015.

Sources and further reading

Betjeman, John, ed. (1968). Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches. Vol. The South. London: Collins. p. 125.
Page, W.H., ed. (1908). A History of the County of Buckingham. Victoria County History. Vol. 2. London: Archibald Constable & Co. pp. 247–253.
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-14-071019-1.
RCHME, ed. (1912). An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire. Vol. 1, South. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 51–57.

External links

[1] "Population statistics Bledlow AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

[2] "Relationships and changes Bledlow AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

[vch-3] Page 1908, pp. 247–253

[FOOTNOTEBetjeman1968125-4] Betjeman 1968, p. 125.

[5] Historic England. "Church of the Holy Trinity (Grade I) (1125801)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 April 2015.

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v t e Wycombe (former district)
Buckinghamshire Unitary Council elections County Council elections District Council elections Aylesbury Constituency Beaconsfield Constituency Buckingham Constituency Wycombe Constituency
Towns (component areas and hamlets)	High Wycombe Cressex Micklefield Sands Terriers Totteridge Wycombe Marsh Marlow Forty Green Princes Risborough Alscot Askett Cadsden Flowers Bottom Loosley Row Lower North Dean Monks Risborough North Dean Redland End Speen Upper North Dean Whiteleaf
Other civil parishes (component villages and hamlets)	Bledlow-cum-Saunderton Bledlow Bledlow Ridge Crownfield Forty Green Holly Green Pitch Green Rout's Green Saunderton Saunderton Lee Skittle Green Bradenham Bradenham Walters Ash Chepping Wycombe Flackwell Heath Loudwater Tylers Green Downley Ellesborough Butlers Cross Chalkshire Coombe Dunsmore Ellesborough Nash Lee North Lee Terrick Fawley Fawley Fawley Bottom Great and Little Hampden Great Hampden Green Hailey Hampden Row Little Hampden Great and Little Kimble cum Marsh Great Kimble Kimble Wick Little Kimble Marsh Smoky Row Great Marlow Bovingdon Green Burroughs Grove Chisbridge Cross Danesfield Marlow Common Hambleden Colstrope Fingest Frieth Hambleden Mill End Parmoor Pheasant's Hill Skirmett Hazlemere Hedsor Hedsor Widmoor Hughenden Cryers Hill Four Ashes Great Kingshill Hughenden Valley Hunt's Hill Naphill Naphill Common Widmer End Ibstone Lacey Green Lacey Green Parslow's Hillock Wardrobes Lane End Cadmore Ditchfield Lane End Moor Common Moor End Little Marlow Coldmoorholme Fern Handy Cross Little Marlow Sheepridge Well End Winchbottom Longwick-cum-Ilmer Horsenden Ilmer Little Meadle Longwick Meadle Owlswick Marlow Bottom Medmenham Bockmer End Lower Woodend Medmenham Rockwell End Piddington and Wheeler End Piddington Wheeler End Radnage Bennett End Radnage The City Stokenchurch Beacon's Bottom Bolter End Horsleys Green Stokenchurch Studley Green Waterend Turville Northend Southend Turville Turville Heath West Wycombe Booker West Wycombe Wooburn Berghers Hill Bourne End Cores End Hawks Hill Widmoor Wooburn Wooburn Green Wooburn Moor
Former districts and boroughs	Marlow Urban District Wycombe Rural District
Former constituencies	Buckinghamshire County Constituency Great Marlow Constituency
Parliamentary constituencies in Buckinghamshire Places in Buckinghamshire Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire

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