Hilton, Cambridgeshire
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2009) |
| Hilton | |
|---|---|
 Hilton Turf Maze | |
| OS grid reference | TL289661 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HUNTINGDON |
| Postcode district | PE28 |
| Police | Cambridgeshire |
| Fire | Cambridgeshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
Hilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England.[1] Hilton lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) north-west of Cambridge. Hilton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. The parish adjoins the parishes of Elsworth, Fenstanton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey, Papworth Everard and Papworth St Agnes. The parish church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene and has a peal of six bells. Historically the village was in Huntingdonshire for over a thousand years until 1974.
A fragment of a wall painting on plaster, made for Captain Sparrow (1601–1651), at Park Farm, Hilton, probably around the time of his marriage in 1633, is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. The fragment depicts two figures representing the senses of Taste and Sight and was donated by David Garnett and his wife Angelica Bell of Hilton Hall, who were members of the Bloomsbury Group.
On the village green is a turf maze that was cut by William Sparrow in 1660.
Government
As a civil parish, Hilton has a parish council. The parish council is elected by the residents of the parish who have registered on the electoral roll; the parish council is the lowest tier of government in England. A parish council is responsible for providing and maintaining a variety of local services including allotments and a cemetery; grass cutting and tree planting within public open spaces such as a village green or playing fields. The parish council reviews all planning applications that might affect the parish and makes recommendations to Huntingdonshire District Council, which is the local planning authority for the parish. The parish council also represents the views of the parish on issues such as local transport, policing and the environment. The parish council raises its own tax to pay for these services, known as the parish precept, which is collected as part of the Council Tax.
Hilton was in the historic and administrative county of Huntingdonshire until 1965. From 1965, the village was part of the new administrative county of Huntingdon and Peterborough. Then in 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, Hilton became a part of the county of Cambridgeshire. Hilton is a part of the district ward of The Hemingfords for Huntingdonshire District Council[2] and is represented on the district council by two councillors.[3] For Cambridgeshire County Council Hilton is part of the electoral division of The Hemingfords and Fen Stanton [2] and is represented on the county council by one councillor.[4]
At Westminster, Hilton is in the parliamentary constituency of Huntingdon,[2] and is represented in the House of Commons by Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative). Jonathan Djanogly has represented the constituency since 2001. The previous member of parliament was John Major (Conservative) who represented the constituency between 1983 and 2001. For the European Parliament Hilton is in the East of England (European Parliament constituency).
Landmarks
On the village green is a turf maze (or labyrinth) some 55 ft (16.5 m) in diameter, and one of only eight remaining in England. A stone pillar at its centre records that the maze was cut by William Sparrow (1641–1729) in 1660. The Latin inscriptions, above and below a coat of arms (presumably Sparrow's), reads:[5]
- "Sic transit gloria mundi" ("Thus the glory of the world passes away") "Gvlielmvs Sparrow, Gen., natvs ano. 1641. Aetatis svi 88 qvamdo obiit, hos gyros fornavit anno 1660" ("William Sparrow, Gentleman, born in the year 1641. Aged 88 when he died, he formed these circles in the year 1660").
The English inscription reads "William Sparrow departed this life the 25th August, Anno Domini 1729, aged 88 years".
The design of the maze is similar to the famous pavement labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, laid in 1235. An illustration by W.H. Matthews in his "Mazes and Labyrinths" (1922) shows several paths leading to the central circle: the erection of the pillar at its centre, some 69 years after it had been cut, could have confused the design, or the paths may simply have become overgrown. Recent maintenance has made the maze conform to the standard medieval pattern.
It has been suggested that the young Sparrow might have recut the maze on the site of an earlier one which had become indistinct from lack of maintenance. There is no evidence to support this theory, but the dating of turf mazes is notoriously difficult. There was a turf maze of a similar design in the nearby village of Comberton; that maze was called "the Mazles" but it no longer exists.
References
- ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 153 Bedford & Huntingdon (St Neots & Biggleswade) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2013. ISBN 9780319231722.
- ^ a b c "Ordnance Survey Election Maps". www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Huntingdonshire District Council: Councillors". www.huntsdc.gov.uk. Huntingdonshire District Council. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Cambridgeshire County Council: Councillors" (pdf). www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Cambridgeshire County Council. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ Information board, village green, Hilton. Archaeological Field Unit, Cambridgeshire
External links
- Hilton Official Village Web Site
- The Hilton wall painting of Taste and Sight (if this link fails, try [1] and search for "Hilton wall painting")
- W.H. Matthews, "Mazes and Labyrinths" (1922) online version of this classic book
- Labyrinthos Jeff Saward's website
- Labyrinth Society