:''See also,

Elmdon, West Midlands Elmdon () is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the county of West Midlands, England. The population of this Solihull Ward at the 2011 census was 12,067. The name Elmdon means hill of the elms. It is primarily ...

.'' Elmdon is a village in the

Uttlesford Uttlesford is a local government district in Essex, England. Its council is based in the market town of Saffron Walden. At the 2011 Census, the population of the district was 79,443. Other notable settlements include Great Dunmow, Elmdon, Stebbi ...

district of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England, near the boundary with

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

and

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. The hilly topography of the area differentiates it from countryside to the north, which is predominantly

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

land and flat.

History

The castle motte at Elmdon, known as 'castle hill', still exists. It was the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

fortification of Robert de Lucy, brother to

Richard de Lucy Richard de Luci (or Lucy; 1089 – 14 July 1179) was first noted as High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief Justiciar of England. Biography His mother was Aveline, the niece and heiress of William Goth. In the charter for Sées Cat ...

, Justiciar to King Stephen and Henry II. The church at Elmdon was granted by Robert de Lucy to Lesnes Abbey (founded by Richard de Lucy), around 1180. One mile to the west, at the highest point in

, Eustace de Boulogne (d.1125), father of Matilda of Boulogne (c.1103-1152), the future wife of King Stephen, built and occupied his moated house named 'Flanders' at

Chrishall Chrishall (pronounced ''Chris hall'') is a small village in the English county of Essex. It is located south of Cambridge and lies equidistant [] between the two medieval market towns of Saffron Walden and Royston, Hertfordshire, Royston. Altho ...

. Elmdon has two Grade II* listed buildings: the church, which was, apart from the 15th Century tower, rebuilt in 1852 and 1879, likely on old foundations; and Pigots, an early 1500s moated manor house, which was home to the Mead family from 1554 to 1770. The name ''Elmdon'' means 'hill of elms'. Elmdon includes a village hall, a church, and a recreation ground used for cricket and football.

Transport

Elmdon has an infrequent bus service with links to

Bishop's Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, just west of the M11 motorway on the county boundary with Essex, north-east of central London, and by rail from Liverpool Street station. Stortford had an estimated po ...

. There are three roads out of Elmdon; two are minor roads leading to other villages, and the third provides access indirectly to the nearest station,

Audley End Audley End House is a largely early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex, England. It is a prodigy house, known as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of its original size, but is sti ...

on the West Anglia Main Line.

Utilities

Elmdon is not served by mains gas; houses rely on individually supplied heating oil systems. The village is connected to British Telecom's backbone network through the Chrishall exchange which is

ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...

-enabled. As of January 2007, speeds of up to 2mb ADSL and 3mb ADSL-MAX were available through broadband over copper phone cable. No cable television providers service the village.

Leisure

Elmdon has sporting teams participating in local leagues. The village is a starting point for cross country running with trails of between 3 km and 30 km, some avoiding major roads. Tracks are passable on foot and bicycle between March and November, becoming waterlogged outside this range (passable but not to run on). The Icknield Way Path passes through the village on its journey from

Ivinghoe Beacon Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire, England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills, close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury. Dunstable, Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby. The Beacon lies within the ...

in Buckinghamshire to

Knettishall Heath Knettishall Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Knettishall in Suffolk. A larger area of 176 hectares is the Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Despite its name, Knett ...

in Suffolk. The multi-user route is open for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists.

References

* *

External links

Elmdon village history
Picture taken by Ian Rose in 1999
The Icknield Way Parish
(includes Elmdon)
Elmdon Village Website
{{authority control Villages in Essex Uttlesford