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| Slapton | |
|---|---|
 Holy Cross Church, Slapton | |
  Slapton Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 528 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP934207 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEIGHTON BUZZARD |
| Postcode district | LU7 |
| Dialling code | 01525 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Slapton is a village andcivil parish inBuckinghamshire, England. It is located between theGrand Union Canal and the boundary withBedfordshire, about 3 mi (5 km) south ofLeighton Buzzard and 3 mi (5 km) west ofEdlesborough.
Towards the edge of the parish nearHorton inIvinghoe is the hamlet of Horton Wharf. The village ofGrove is also within the boundary of Slapton parish.
The village name isAnglo Saxon in origin, and means "farm by a slippery place".[2] This village was recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086 asSlapetone.[3]
Themanor of Slapton once belonged to aconvent inBarking,Essex, though it was seized bythe Crown in theDissolution of the Monasteries in 1547. The manor was for some time after that the property of theEarl of Bridgwater.
The village hall was built and given to the village by the Griffin family of Bury Farm in memory of Elizabeth Griffin in the 1950s. Until recently, the Griffin family continued to own Bury Farm, and had the unusual distinction of farmingbuffalo in the village. Slapton once had a splendid 18th centuryrectory of classical design. This was demolished in the 1960s and a development of four-bedroomterraced andsemi-detached houses in the style of that era was built on its site.
There was a farm (Church Farm) immediately next to the church until the mid-1970s; this property had been in the ownership of one family since 1086, having originally been given to the de Tournais byWilliam the Conqueror. The family survived in Slapton, spelling their name in various ways, until the death ofWilliam Turney around 1975. He was childless, so the farm was sold for the first time in 900 years. The new owners demolished the farmhouse and buildings, and on the site built a development of houses and flats known as Tournay Court.
Today Slapton contains few old buildings of any architectural merit. The church, dedicated to theHoly Cross, is of plain design with tower,nave andchancel. The chancel is probably the oldest part of the building. The churchyard contains many memorials to the Turney and Buckmaster families.
TheGreat Train Robbery took place atBridego Railway Bridge (No. 127) on 8 August 1963, which is situated one mile (as the crow flies) from Slapton, heading towardsLedburn.
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