Whipsnade
| Whipsnade | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Mary Magdelen | |
  Whipsnade Location within Bedfordshire | |
| Population | 457 (2001 census) 420 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TL010179 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUNSTABLE |
| Postcode district | LU6 |
| Dialling code | 01582 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Whipsnade is a small village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, about 2.5 miles south-south-west of Dunstable on the top of the Dunstable Downs which drop away steeply to the south of the village.[2]
Etymology
Whipsnade is a compound of the Anglo-Saxon personal name, Wibba, with the word “snæd” an area of woodland, so the name means “Wibba’s wood”.[2]
History
The village is first mentioned in a coroners roll of 1274 when Whipsnade Wood as described as being within the parish of Houghton Regis.[2] The Old Hunters Lodge at the Crossroads in the village is a Grade II Listed Building and was built in the early 17th Century. It is now a hotel and is the only licensed premises in the village outside of the ZSL grounds.[3]
Edward John Eyre, explorer of Australia, was born in Whipsnade in 1815.[4]
In the census of 2011 the population of Whipsnade was 420, a decline from 458 in 2001.[2]
Landmarks
Whipsnade is home to Whipsnade Tree Cathedral and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. A chalk image of a lion can be found on Bison Hill and is owned by the zoo. During the Second World War, the lion was covered with a black sheet in order not to attract attention from the German bomber planes.[5] Whipsnade Park Golf Club is also in the vicnity, though it is actually in neighbouring Dagnall.[6]
The local Wildlife Trust manages a small nature reserve north of the village called Sallowsprings (51°51′21″N 0°32′21″W / 51.8559°N 0.5391°W).[7]
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d "The Parish of Whipsnade in General". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Old Hunters Lodge Hotel: The Cross Roads, Whipsnade". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Eyre, Edward John (1815–1901)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Iconic chalk lion restored at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo". Zoological Society of London. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Whipsande Park Golf Club". Whipsnade Park Golf Club. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Sallowsprings". Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
External links
Media related to Whipsnade at Wikimedia Commons