Haddenham is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in west

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, England. It is about south-west of

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

and north-east of

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

in neighbouring

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. At the 2011 Census, the population of the civil parish was 4,502.

History

The

place-name Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

"Haddenham" is derived from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''Hǣdanhām'', "Hǣda's Homestead" or, perhaps ''Hǣdingahām'', "the home of the Hadding tribe". It is possible that the first villagers were members of the Hadding tribe from Haddenham in Cambridgeshire. It may be that the first Anglo-Saxons to settle in the Vale of Aylesbury were followers of Cuthwulf, from Cottenham in Cambridgeshire, who, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, marched southwest to the Thames after routing the British at the

Battle of Bedcanford The Battle of ''Bedcanford'' is a battle portrayed in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' as taking place in 571 between Celtic Britons, Britons and someone called Cuthwulf (normally assumed to be a Wessex, West Saxon). Portrayal in the ''Chronicle'' ...

in 571. The

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 records the manor as ''Hedreham''. In 1142 it was recorded as ''Hedenham''. From the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

until the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Convent of St Andrew in

Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about from London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rainham, Strood and Gillin ...

held the manor.

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

held the manor for the remainder of the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Thereafter it passed to his daughter

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. The village had a

Royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

between 1294 and 1301. The market was short-lived because the influential manor of Thame objected to losing trade to Haddenham. Haddenham is one of only three "

wychert Wychert or witchert (with a number of variant spellings existing and meaning "white earth") is a natural blend of white chalk and clay which is mixed with straw to make walls and buildings, usually then thatched or topped with red clay tiles. ...

(or

whitchet Wychert or witchert (with a number of variant spellings existing and meaning "white earth") is a natural blend of white chalk and clay which is mixed with straw to make walls and buildings, usually then thatched or topped with red clay tiles. ...

) villages" in England. Wychert is a method of building with a white clay mixed with straw to make walls and buildings, which are then thatched or topped with red clay tiles. Haddenham was long a stronghold of radicalism and in particular of the Buckinghamshire Farm Labourers Union established in 1872 by Edward Richardson of Dinton. Haddenham used to have several more

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s than today. The Anchor and the Eight Bells at Church End are now private houses. The Waggon and Horses in High Street was converted into the Peking Rendezvous Chinese restaurant, but closed in 2013. The Red Lion in Church End also closed in 2013. A developer applied for planning permission to demolish the Red Lion and replace it with housing, but in 2014 Aylesbury Vale District Council rejected the application. The Green Dragon on Churchway, more recently converted into restaurant Twist at the Green Dragon, was officially closed when planning permission was granted to make it a private residence. The Rose and Thistle also permanently closed in 2019. In 1906 the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

opened the railway through the parish, with Haddenham railway station to serve the village. In 1963

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

ways closed the station but kept the line open. In 1987 BR opened station at a new site, a few hundred yards west of the old one. The railway is part of what is now the

Chiltern Main Line The Chiltern Main Line is a railway line which links London () and Birmingham ( Moor Street and Snow Hill), the United Kingdom's two largest cities, by a route via High Wycombe, Bicester, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Solihull. It is one of tw ...

. Haddenham War Memorial, situated near the village pond at Church End, is a Grade II Listed Building.

Churches

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

of St Mary the Virgin is of 12th-century

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 ...

origin but parts of may still remain from its first building, which was Saxon. William II granted the parish to the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey of

. There is also a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church, and

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

chapels. The Haddenham Methodist Church is built of

. One of the walls of the church collapsed on July 4, 2001, but was rebuilt, amid a call from the vicar to demolish the existing church and rebuild it with new materials, as wychert buildings are expensive to maintain.

Haddenham Museum Haddenham Museum is based in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England. The museum, which is run by volunteers, first opened in 1998, and is housed in the Old Schoolroom of the Methodist chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and wors ...

, which opened in 1998, is in the Methodist Chapel schoolroom.

Economy and amenities

Haddenham is known for its ponds which were used to breed

Aylesbury duck The Aylesbury duck is a breed of domesticated duck, bred mainly for its meat and appearance. It is a large duck with pure white plumage, a pink bill, orange legs and feet, an unusually large keel, and a horizontal stance with its body parallel ...

s. Breeding has been revived recently on the pond in front of the parish church. Haddenham has two

s: the Kings Head and the Rising Sun. One former pub, House of Spice (Indian, formerly The Crown), is now a restaurant. There are three cafés: Little Italy at the station, Norsk at Fort End and Tickety Brew on the Parade. Haddenham has a baker, a greengrocer, a barber shop, three hairdresser's and some smaller retailers. Haddenham has also a garden centre and a farm shop, further hosting amenities such as a florist, pet shops, a charity shop, and a tattoo parlour. Haddenham has two gyms: FitLife and The Garage, also at Bradmoor. Haddenham has an industrial estate next to the small grass-strip airfield, a commercial district, and

Haddenham and Thame Parkway railway station Haddenham & Thame Parkway railway station is a station in Buckinghamshire serving the village of Haddenham and town of Thame in the neighbouring county of Oxfordshire, England. The station is on the western edge of Haddenham, about north ea ...

on the Chiltern Main Line that links , Oxford railway station and

London Marylebone Marylebone station ( ) is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network it is also known as London Marylebone an ...

. Haddenham has a community Infant School, Haddenham Junior School and the

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation (charity), foundation or Charitable trust, trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influ ...

Haddenham St Mary's Church of England School. Haddenham is in the catchment area for Prince Risborough upper school and grammar schools: Aylesbury Grammar School,

Aylesbury High School Aylesbury High School (AHS) was founded in 1959, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, when the previously co-educational Aylesbury Grammar School (founded 1598) split to become two single-sex grammar schools. The two institutions remain on adjacent si ...

and

Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School (SHFGS) is an 11–18 mixed, grammar school and sixth form with academy status in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. It is named after Sir Henry Floyd, a former Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire. As a sele ...

. Also in Haddenham is

Tiggywinkles Tiggywinkles is a British animal welfare charity and wildlife hospital, also known as St Tiggywinkles and The Wildlife Hospital Trust. Tiggywinkles, which specialises in the rescue and treatment of wild animals, was founded in 1983 as the Wild ...

, the animal welfare charity and veterinary hospital, and the village hosts a biennial beer festival.

Haddenham NAG

Haddenham is policed by the Haddenham and District Neighbourhood Policing team based at the police station in Waddesdon. They work with the community via the Haddenham

Neighbourhood action group A Neighbourhood Action Group, or NAG, is a UK initiative, set up to deal with key issues identified by a community's first public consultation. The group is coordinated by the police. This may happen in the form of a public meeting, through surveys ...

. Representatives from the various villages in the area meet every six weeks to discuss neighbourhood priorities and to put forward plans to reduce crime.

Haddenham in transition

The village has a transition group, part of the

Transition network Transition or transitional may refer to: Mathematics, science, and technology Biology * Transition (genetics), a point mutation that changes a purine nucleotide to another purine (A ↔ G) or a pyrimidine nucleotide to another pyrimidine (C ↔ ...

that organises activities to improve the community's resilience and awareness of the changes to living standards, energy and resource security. The group was founded as Transition Thame and District but in autumn 2010 refocussed on Haddenham and in February 2011 became officially recognised as a transition initiative.

Notable people

Haddenham is the birthplace of British composer

Doreen Carwithen Doreen Mary Carwithen (15 November 19225 January 2003) was a British composer of classical and film music. She was also known as Mary Alwyn following her marriage to William Alwyn. Biography Doreen Carwithen was born at 8, High Street, Haddenham, ...

(1922–2003). The astronomer William Rutter Dawes (1799–1868) had his home and private observatory in the village from 1857 to 1868. The architect Peter Aldington (1933–present) and his wife Margaret have thei
home in Haddenham
He is one of a very select group of architects branded by English Heritage as the "living listed" and together with John Craig founded his own practice in the village in 1970. Peter Parrott, an RAF pilot who fought in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, was born in Haddenham.

Media

Haddenham has been the setting for a number of television programmes including '' Jeeves and Wooster'', ''

Rosemary & Thyme ''Rosemary & Thyme'' is a British television cosy mystery thriller series starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003. The third series ended in August 2007. T ...

'' and eight episodes of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

''. The village appears in the second Muppet film, '' The Great Muppet Caper''. Having been forced to fly in an aeroplane's baggage hold, Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and

Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...

are thrown out of the plane and land in Haddenham's Church End pond. The duck pond has recently been used as a backdrop for a Halifax advert featuring the Thunderbirds. The duck pond area in Haddenham was recently used to film episodes of Pennyworth which tells the story of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's Butler from DC's Batman Universe.

References

External links

Haddenham Parish CouncilHaddenham.net
*Turn End Trus

{{authority control Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire Villages in Buckinghamshire