| Whitchurch | |
|---|---|
 Church Lane, with the tower of St John the Evangelist's parish church | |
  Whitchurch Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 932 (2011 Census including Creslow)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP8020 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Aylesbury |
| Postcode district | HP22 |
| Dialling code | 01296 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Whitchurch is a village andcivil parish in theunitary authority area ofBuckinghamshire, England. The village is on theA413 road about 4 miles (6.4 km) north ofAylesbury and 4.5 miles (7 km) south ofWinslow. The2011 Census recorded a parish population of 932.[1]
Thetoponym "Whitchurch" is common in England. It derived from theOld Englishwit chert, meaningwhite earth.[citation needed]
Bolbec Castle was built inthe Anarchy in the early 12th century.[3] It was burned down byParliamentary forces in theEnglish Civil War.[citation needed] Its remains are ascheduled monument.[3]
The oldest parts of theChurch of England parish church of SaintJohn the Evangelist are 13th-century.[4][5] They include thechancel and theEarly English west doorway.[4] The nave has aisles with four-bayarcades.[4] The south aisle was added first, late in the 13th century.[4] The north aisle was added slightly later, and the south door is early 14th-century.[4] Also 14th-century are thesedilia andpiscina in the chancel.[5] The west tower was added in the middle of the 14th century, with its easternbuttresses intruding into the north and south aisles.[6] In the 15th century aPerpendicular Gothic porch was added to the south doorway. Also Perpendicular Gothic are thenave'sclerestory and roof,[7] which are late 15th- or early 16th-century.[5] The church is aGrade II* listed building.[5]
The west tower has aring of six bells. The oldest are the third and fourth bells, which were cast by an unknownbellfounder in 1619.[8] Henry I Bagley ofChacombe, Northamptonshire[9] cast the treble bell in 1680.[8] The other two bells were cast in 1797,[8] but by two different founders. John Briant ofHertford[9] cast the second bell, but Thomas I Mears of theWhitechapel Bell Foundry cast the tenor.[8] The church has also aSanctus bell, which was cast in 1708 by one of the Chandler[8] family of bellfounders ofDrayton Parslow.[9]Sir Edward Smythe (1602–1682), a retired judge who bought the manor of Whitchurch in about 1669, is buried in the church.[10]
The village used to have amarket, which was chartered in 1245. A street of the village is still called Market Hill, and the village still celebrates the granting of its market charter with a May feast each year.[citation needed]
Many of the village's cottages and houses are historic. None is aGrade I listed building but two are Grade II* Listed.[11][12] The Priory in the High Street and The Old House in Church Headland Lane are 15th-century timber-framed houses, each with first-floorjettying.[11][12] The Priory was altered in the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries, hasbrick nogging, was a hotel (and restaurant "La Boiserie") and is now a private house.[11] The Old House was altered in the 17th century and the front was remodelled around 1940.[7][12]
Nikolaus Pevsner also noted two houses in Oving Road:[7] School House, which is 16th-century, timber-framed and has a jettied first floor;[13] and Whitchurch House, which is early 17th-century and has an early 18th-century façade.[14]
Rex Whistler's paintingThe Vale of Aylesbury was created in Whitchurch, where a house is now named after him.[15]
The Firs was used as a facility for developing weapons during theSecond World War.[16]
Creslow Transmission Station, now known asCreslow Park located within the parish was a radio transmission station operated by Section VII (Communications) of theSecret Intelligence Service from approximately 1944 to 1990.[17]
As well as the Priory Hotel (see above) the village now has onepublic house: The White Swan, at the end of the high street nearest Aylesbury.
Whitchurch Combined School is acommunity primary school for boys and girls aged 4–11.[18] The school has about 200 pupils. Its catchment area includes the parishes of Whitchurch,Hardwick,Oving,Pitchcott andWeedon. It also includes part ofWatermead and the Berryfields and Weedon Hill Major Development Areas (MDAs) in Aylesbury, although new schools are planned for the MDAs.
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