| Stokenchurch | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Stokenchurch, with theM40 motorway at left, and theStokenchurch BT Tower visible to the upper right | |
  Stokenchurch Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 4,801 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU763962 |
| • London | 35 miles (56 km)ESE |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HIGH WYCOMBE |
| Postcode district | HP14 |
| Dialling code | 01494 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
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Stokenchurch is a village andcivil parish in south-westBuckinghamshire, England. It is located in theChiltern Hills, about 3 miles (5 km) south ofChinnor inOxfordshire and 6 miles (10 km) west ofHigh Wycombe. Stokenchurch is acommuter village, served by junction 5 of theM40 motorway toLondon,Oxford andBirmingham. TheStokenchurch BT Tower, to the west of the village, is a highly visiblelandmark on the edge of the Chilterns and pinpoints the village's location for miles ahead.
The village name isOld English in origin, although there is a difference of opinion among scholars as to its original meaning.Patrick Hanks points out that 13th-centurymanorial records describe the village asStockenechurch, which would logically come from OEstoccen +cirice, literally "logs church". This therefore means, he argues, that the village's name originated from a description of a church made from logs.[3] However Starey and Viccars, in their study of the village point to the geography of the local area and the fact that in 1086 Stokenchurch was a woodland in the chapelry ofAston Rowant inOxfordshire.[4] They present the Hanks opinion as a credible origin however argue that due to the geography the name is more likely to come from the alternative meaning for the Anglo Saxon wordstocc, which is an outlying farm or secondary settlement.[4]
The guide to the parish church, on sale in the church in the late 1970s (but no publishing information); mentions a battle fought between the locals andDanes on nearby Beacon Hill in the year 914 AD. It is said that where juniper grows blood has been spilt – there is certainly much juniper on Beacon Hill.
The site of the village (being on the mainLondon toOxford road) proved a good resting and changing place for horses. For this reason in theCivil War it was commonly used as a resting place for bothRoyalist andParliamentarian troops.[5] Being between Royalist Oxford and Parliamentarian London the village is mentioned no less than twelve times in the journal of Scoutmaster General SirSamuel Luke between 1643 and 1644,[5] and on two occasions (on 5 December 1642 and 17 June 1643) skirmishes broke out when both sides arrived at the village together.[6]
The original road is now a bridleway, called Colliers Lane (in original local dialect Coiyers Lane); the current road having been constructed in 1824. It was the use of the village as a stopping point that led to many of the pubs and inns being established.
By the early 13th century Stokenchurch was a chapelry in the parish of Aston Rowant. It was made a separate parish in 1844 and wastransferred to Buckinghamshire from Oxfordshire in 1896.[7] It was once a centre for chair making with much of the wood used being felled locally. By the 1930s there were seven or eight firms making chairs for sale to major furniture makers. Despite this, the village was not overly rich, being largely based on a farming community.
In 1989, "the centre of the wider village, which is characterised by large areas ofcommon to both sides of the main road" was designated aconservation area.[8]
Since 2011,Garsington Opera, an annual open air summeropera festival is held just across the M40 atWormsley Park.
TheChurch of England parish church ofSt Peter and St Paul has aNorman west tower and numerous late-13th and early-14th century features. The outer walls are covered in modernpebbledash. The northaisle andbelltower were added in 1893.[9]
Stokenchurch'sMethodist chapel, built 1893–96, possibly by T. Colbourne ofSwindon, is one of the most elaborate in Buckinghamshire.[10] The chapel was closed in 2019 due to a declining conregation, and was put up for sale the following year.[11]
Stokenchurch's main landmark is theKing's Hotel (formerly the King's Arms Hotel), whereKing Charles II is reputed to have stayed with his mistress in the 17th century. The front of the hotel is 20th century.[9] The building sustained serious damage in a fire on the night of 8 October 2021.[12][13]
Most other pubs and inns from the horse changing heyday have now closed, the latest being theFour Horseshoes, turned into private dwellings in 2012.[14]This leaves only the smallRoyal Oak (now operating as a Nepalese restaurant, Gurkha Hut)[15] near the church and the larger and more prominently locatedFleur de Lis facing theKing's Hotel across the village common and A40. Parts of theFleur de Lis date back to the 16th century.[16] It also hosted a very popular music festival on the common calledFleur Fest for about ten years until 2014.[17]
Stokenchurch has a primary school, alibrary and afire station.There are also a few shops and a petrol station.
2002 saw the completion of the first phase of the Stokenchurch Business Park next to the motorway junction which is home to a few medium-sized businesses.[18]
Stokenchurch is one of the places in the United Kingdom where one can frequently see thered kite, a formerlyendangered species whose numbers are now recovering well, though still in isolated pockets such as the Chilterns andWest Wales. They were reintroduced to the area by theRSPB andEnglish Nature with assistance fromPaul Getty, theAmericanmillionaire andphilanthropist, who allowed use of the Wormsley estate.[19] In clear weather more than 20 may be seen at one time, in Stokenchurch particularly[dubious –discuss] as many residents put food out for them. Red kites can be viewed in the nature reserve atAston Rowant, just west of Stokenchurch off theA40.
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