Whiteleaf is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
in the civil parish of
Princes Risborough and the ecclesiastical parish of
Monks Risborough in
Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 7 miles south of the county town of
Aylesbury and 8 miles north of
High Wycombe
High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
. It lies halfway up the northern scarp of the Chilterns, about half a mile from the parish church of
Monks Risborough.
The hamlet's name is first found in the form White Cliff in the eighteenth century, referring to the white chalk cliff above the road to the east of the hamlet,
[Mawer, A. and Stenton, F.M: The Place Names of Buckinghamshire (Cambridge, 1925)] which has the
Whiteleaf Cross
Whiteleaf Cross from below
Whiteleaf Cross is a cross-shaped chalk hill carving, with a triangular base, on Whiteleaf Hill in Whiteleaf near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire.
It sits above the road to the east of the hamlet, whose name i ...
cut into the chalk on the side of
Whiteleaf Hill
Whiteleaf Hill is an Local Nature Reserve near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. It is owned by Buckinghamshire County Council and managed by the Chiltern Society. it is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it has f ...
above it, making an important landmark for miles around. In addition to the cross, there is a
neolithic barrow on Whiteleaf Hill.
Whiteleaf is home to Monks Risborough Cricket Club and the 9-hole Whiteleaf Golf Club, both of which lie slightly south-east of the main road through the village, which follows the path of the Upper
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.
Background
It is generally said to be, wi ...
. The cricket ground has a significant slope and was tried by the BBC to see if it would be suitable for filming the cricket scene in the production of
A. G. Macdonnell's ''
England, Their England
''England, Their England'' (1933) is an affectionately satirical comic novel of 1920s English urban and rural society by the Scottish writer A. G. Macdonell. It is particularly famed for its portrayal of village cricket.
Social satire
One of a ...
''. However, it was not found to be sloping enough. The cricket club celebrated its centenary in 1993 and a book covering its history was published. The cricket club pavilion was largely destroyed by fire in 2010.
The village also has a public house, the Red Lion.
Children's writer
Kevin Crossley-Holland
Kevin John William Crossley-Holland (born 7 February 1941) is an English translator, children's author and poet. His best known work is probably the Arthur trilogy (2000–2003), for which he won the Guardian Prize and other recognition.
Cros ...
grew up in Crosskeys, Westfields (a cottage now called Woodside). His father was the composer
Peter Crossley-Holland
Peter Crossley-Holland (born 28 January 1916, London; died 27 April 2001, London) was a composer and ethnomusicologist. He wrote several books on the music of Tibetan Buddhism and composed music in ethnic styles including Celtic.
Early life an ...
.
References
{{Wycombe
Hamlets in Buckinghamshire
Chiltern Hills