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Green Belt Way 
London
Green Belt Way
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Stage 6 - Old Amersham
to Chipperfield
(8.1 miles)
Start: Grid Reference SU 95821
97316 Post Code HP7 0DF
StreetMap
A tough walk
through the rolling Chiltern Hills Starts in Old Amersham, near St Mary's
Church. Big climb, near start, up past Martyr's
Memorial. Passes through Chiltern Forest, Latimer, Flaunden and Chipperfield
Green to finish just north of Chipperfield War Memorial. There are a few steep
climbs and descents. Can be muddy in places.
Start
in Old Amersham, just north of roundabout at junction of
Market
Square and Broadway.
Go
north through a wide opening /
seating area and
straight on along a footpath
through churchyard, soon past St Mary's
Church to your LHS.
After
100 yards, at a T-junction, with a wall in front and the river just
over the wall, turn right
and follow the lane,
soon over a
brick
bridge.
The
River Misbourne at
this point is walled,
looks neat and is very narrow. The building on the opposite side is Badminton
Court, once property of the
Weller Brewery and now offices. Look back along the river and you can see it
actually flows under the
building.
Immediately over
bridge turn right, signed
"Chiltern Heritage
Trail".
The river is now on the
right and the wall of the cemetery is to the left. Follow the path to the end of
the wall, where it starts to climb and comes out into a field. Turn left along a
path, signed Martyr's Memorial, climbing steeply upwards and part diagonally
right across the field.
The
Chiltern Heritage Trail
is a 52 mile circular walk through the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire. It was
created by Chiltern District Council in 2000 as part of their Millennium
celebrations. It passes through all 14 parishes in the District. The trail was
taken over by the Chiltern Society who made a few changes and published a new
guidebook
in 2016. We only follow it for about 180 yards, but briefly rejoin it at
Latimer. You can read more about this trail at
Pete's
Walks.
The
Parish Church of St Mary
dates from around 1140, but it has expanded and changed much over the years. The
nave and transepts are from the 13th Century. The tower was added in
the 15th Century. The Drake family chapel,
with its
memorials to family members,
was added in the 18th Century. The
vestry and south chapel were built in the 19th Century and were the
final additions.
Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, is buried in the cemetery. She was executed on 13th July 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. At the time of her death she was 28 years old. She was buried in an unmarked grave within the walls of Holloway Prison. However, because of rebuilding at the prison in the early 1970s, her remains were exhumed and reburied in the cemetery at St Marys. Her headstone at Amersham was simply inscribed "Ruth Hornby 1926 - 1955" - this being her original family name. Shortly after her death her 18 year old sister died suddenly, her husband George Ellis descended into alcoholism and hanged himself in 1958. In 1982 her eldest son Andy destroyed the headstone shortly before he committed suicide. He was only 11 when his mother was executed and was affected greatly by her death. Her grave is in a corner of the graveyard and marked by a tiny angel. Many believe there is even great doubt as to whether Ruth was guilty, and to read more about this follow the link to "Searching for the Truth about Ruth Ellis by Monica Weller".
The climb up to
the Amersham Martyr's
Memorial is very steep and long, and depending on the time of year and which
crop is planted, you can come out a different colour than when you began
-
I once came out yellow all over. However, the view behind of Old Amersham, with
the Chilterns rolling into the distance makes it all worthwhile. As the path
starts to level off, look directly down the hill and over the large Tesco
superstore below to a road rising up the other side of the valley. The road is
called Gore Hill and is believed to take its name from a bloody battle fought
there between the Saxons and invading Danes in 921 AD.
The Martyr's Memorial (close up photo) was erected in 1931 and sits in a corner of the field in an enclosure just a few yards left of our path. This is a lonely and peaceful place and although at the top of the climb, the ground around it has levelled out enough to block the view of the town below.
The
Martyrs
were Lollards and consisted of six men and a woman (William Tylsworth, John
Scrivener, Thomas Barnard, James Morden, Robert Rave, Thomas Holmes and Joan
Norman). William Tylsworth was the leader of the Lollards in Amersham and was
burnt in 1506, his married daughter Joan was forced at sword point to light the
fire. The other six were burnt at the stake in 1521. John Scrivener's
children were forced to light his fire. They were burnt for their religious
beliefs. At the time the town was considered a hotbed of heresy and the local
Bishop carefully choose the spot so the glow of the flames could easily be seen
from the town below. The memorial is inscribed:
"In the shallow of depression at a spot 100 yards left of this monument seven Protestants, six men and one woman were burnt to death at the stake. They died for the principles of religious liberty, for the right to read and interpret the Holy Scriptures and to worship God according to their consciences as revealed through God's Holy Word".
Lollardy was a political and religious movement which came about in the late 14th Century. It followed the teachings of John Wyclif (born 1320, died 31st December 1384) a prominent theologian at Oxford University. He believed the Catholic Church abused its powers, put too much emphasis on wealth and needed to be reformed. He disagreed that only trained priests should be allowed to preach and he also helped translate the bible into English.
On the back of
the Martyr's
Memorial is a second inscription. It is to more residents of Amersham who were
persecuted and killed for their beliefs. It states:
"The
following men, worshippers at Amersham, were martyred in other places
Robert Cosin
of Gt Missenden,
burned
at Buckingham 1506
Thomas Chase,
strangled at Woburn Bucks
His body was buried at Norland Woods 1514
Thomas Man
burned at Smithfield
1518
Thomas Harding
burned at
Chesham 1532"
Apparently, on
the night before they died the martyrs were imprisoned in The Chequers pub on
London Road. The pub is still in use today, dates back to about 1450 and still
provides rooms to rent for the night. They martyrs were kept in a back room and
their goaler was a man called Osman. Over the years
The Chequers
has built up a reputation of being the most
haunted place in the town with up to nine ghosts identified.
The screams from the back are thought to come from the martyrs; a hooded woman
in white is believed to be Joan, daughter of William Tylsworth grieving for the
father she was forced to burn; and the man dressed in black sometimes seen in
the bar is Osman, the goaler condemned to return to the place from where he sent
innocent people to their deaths. Also see
Amersham
Museum section on The Chequers.
There are many
stories about Amersham ghosts and you can read about some of them and other
mysterious things which have happened in this old town at
Legends of Amersham.
Also, before leaving Old Amersham, I must mention another section of Amersham
Museum website. This is entitled
"History
of the Amersham Area",
it is really tastefully done, and contains a huge amount of information on
buildings, people and much more.
At the
top of the climb go straight on onto a
signed narrow
path between high garden
fences and steep downhill. The path comes out sharply onto the busy Station Road
(A416). Cross straight over with care and directly onto another
narrow path
-
this time climbing between fences. At the top, where the path is crossed by
another, go straight on. This leads out onto a residential road, called
Stanley Hill Avenue, and
next to a small green.
Go
straight on along the pavement, keeping the green to the left and crossing over
to the left-hand pavement soon after passing the green. On reaching the
T-junction, turn left into Stanley Hill (A404), staying on the left-hand
pavement. At a traffic junction turn left under the railway bridge, then turn
right at the roundabout to cross over into Raans Road.
The large
middle-class estate between Station Road and Stanley Hill, through which the
path to and along Stanley Hill Avenue follows, was built in the early 1930. It
is only a short walk away from Amersham Station and the Metropolitan Line into
London. This was an ideal place to build a commuter residential area. A 1973 BBC
documentary, beautifully written and narrated by Sir John Betjeman and entitled
"Metro-land",
tells the story of the expansion of the
Metropolitan Line
and how the urban sprawl grew up along the corridor of the line. I watched this
video many years ago, but wasn't
able to find it again until
BBC showed it again in
February
2023 you can watch it at this
LINK
-
it's
one of my favourite documentaries.
Follow
Raans Road, staying on the left-hand pavement, eventually past an industrial
estate on the right. When the pavement turns left, following what seems to be
the main road (Quill Hall Lane), stay straight on past this road to your LHS,
staying with Raans Lane
and soon over the railway.
If hungry and
passing at the right time a mobile cafe
is on
hand to the right just inside the main entrance to the industrial estate and
before the bridge over the railway.
The
lane leads to Raans Farm. Soon the road divides, stay left past two houses to
the RHS, then veer right, keeping the farm to your left and past it to a gate.
Almost all of the outbuildings, at the farm, have been converted to private dwellings. The farmhouse is Grade II Listed and mostly hidden behind a hedgerow to the right of the lane about 50 yards before reaching the other buildings. It dates from the 16th Century and is built on the site of the older 12th century Raans Manor - believed to be the oldest manor in Amersham. This manor and farm played an important role in the history of Amersham Common and controlled much of the land around here, including most of the area which is now Amersham-on-the-Hill, and the land through which the railway passes. Over the years it has been owned by many powerful families including the de Mandevilles, the Duke of Bedford and Lord Chesham. The name seems to derive from the Jordan de Rane and his descendants, firstly under-tenants of Geoffrey de Mandeville 2nd Earl of Essex from 1166 and later owners until the late 14th Century.
Before leaving
Amersham, I will direct you to some wonderful old photos at
Amersham Museum.
Go
straight on through the gate along an
enclosed track. The
track is an unsurfaced old lane which leads to a wood named Chiltern Forest.
Soon after entering the forest, the
path divides (at
2 miles), take the right fork to follow a path through the forest
-
at points you will see fields away to your RHS.
Although it's great to see the wonderful old buildings and memorials the route passes going through Amersham, it's also lovely to get back into the quiet surroundings and greenery of the countryside. Chiltern Forest has a larger meaning and this wood is only a small part of it. The forest once covered almost all of the Chiltern Hills and half of the county of Buckinghamshire. Today the trees are mainly beeches and cover a much smaller area, in pockets like this one. The native trees were hardwoods, especially oaks and during the 18th Century almost all were cut down to provide wood for the furniture industries of High Wycombe and the surrounding areas. Their craftsmen were well skilled and called "Bodgers", though the term today is now sometimes used to describe someone as unskilled and good at making a mess of their work.
The path
through the wood is undulating and wide. At some points narrow paths go off to
both sides. However, just follow the main path straight through. To the left
there are some large and clearly marked circular depressions in the ground. Most
have got trees growing from them. These holes in the earth were made by bombs
dropped from German planes during World War II, but luckily, they were some of
those which missed their targets. Whether it was local munitions industries, the
nearby Hughenden Manor with its Intelligence Centre, Bletchley Park and its code
breaking Enigma Machine, Royal Windsor or just London is unclear.
This part of
Chilterns is named Lane Wood. Most of the wood is to the left and through the
trees to the right crop fields are visible. During spring the floor of the wood,
like most in the Chilterns, is covered with a carpet of
bluebells.
Before we leave
the wood,
its name changes from Lane Wood to
Ladies'
Arbour Wood.
Maybe a strange name, but there must be a story here.
After
0.6 miles the path climbs steeply and comes out into a small cul-du-sac. Go
straight on past
Forest Cottages
and to a T-junction with Bell Lane.
Cross
straight over and back
into the forest now named West Wood, although the signs still say Chiltern
Forest. Take the track to the left, signed
Public Footpath, past a
wooden barrier and downhill and
through the woods. After
another 150 yards take a narrow path to the left.
As a rule of thumb, always stay left, but inside the wood. The narrow path weaves its way thru' the wood at times borders on the very LHS of the wood.
After another
450 yards stay left steeply downhill to a
metal kissing gate.
Through the
trees to the left are good
views
across the Chess Valley to Latimer House on the opposite hill with Latimer Park
Farm below and its private fishing lake behind it. On reaching the metal kissing
gate we have also joined the
Chess Valley Walk.
We stay with it until Latimer Village (although, by downloading the
walk leaflet, you'll
see part of what we follow is an
"optional
route").
This promoted walk is 10 miles long. It starts at Chesham Station and finishes
at Rickmansworth Station and is waymarked.
Go
through the gate into a field and stay left along its LHS edge and downhill (at
3 miles). After 170 yards, where the edge of the field turns left, go straight
on following the path diagonally across the field to its bottom right hand
corner. Exit the field, through a
metal kissing gate,
cross straight over the road (Latimer Road) then go through a
wooden kissing gate,
signed public footpath, and straight across a field.
Exit
the field to a lane / driveway and go straight on to cross a bridge over the
River Chess. Follow the driveway around to the right and uphill.
To the left, on
crossing the River Chess, a statue of Neptune (God of the sea) reclines on the
wall of a dam / weir, behind which is Latimer Reservoir, also known as the
"Great
Water".
The River Chess as it flows over the dam is aptly known as
"Neptune
Falls"
-
although he is only reclining. The Domesday Book records that a mill stood on
the site of Neptune Falls just after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The
Latimer Park Estate is situated in an area of outstanding natural
beauty in the
Chess Valley.
The farm dates back many centuries and is sometimes referred to as Dell Farm in
old documents. Excavations have revealed a wooden Roma Villa occupied part of
the site. There is evidence of a wooden building from the 1st Century
AD and a stone villa of a corridor stile from the about 150 AD to the late 3rd
Century. From the 4th Century (the
Dark Ages)
onward little is known until Middle Saxon Times (AD650
-
850) when this area along the Chess Valley was given the name
"Isenhampstede".
During this time iron was a metal from which many things were made, especially
tools and weapons. A source of water was needed to cool the molten metal and
downstream of these works the river would appear an iron brown coloured. Hence
"isen"
is Saxon for iron, "ham"
Saxon for village and
"stede"
meaning a "standing
place".
The
driveway leads to a wooden gate with a kissing gate to the right of it. Go
through the kissing gate and turn left along a road, past the entrance to
Latimer Place (or Latimer House). After another 75 yards, turn right, through a
wooden gate / gap in a low metal fence, signed Chess Valley Walk.
NOTE: this may now just be signed public footpath as the Chess Valley Walk has
been diverted to a permissive path south of Latimer Place. However, it is still
marked as an alternative route for Chess Valley Walk on
the walk's guide.
The narrow path doubles back along the opposite side of the metal fence for just a few yards and then turns left, through trees, then a wooden gate and across a field.
Latimer has
many royal connections. In c1646 William Cavendish (3rd
Earl Devonshire)
and his mother Christian entertained
King Charles I,
whilst in the custody of Parliamentarian soldiers. His son Charles II also
stayed as guest of the Countess of Devonshire before fleeing to the continent.
Latimer House
is a red brick Elizabethan / Gothic style house replaced an older one which was
badly damaged by fire in 1836. Latimer was home to the Cavendish Family for over
300 years, and their coat of arms still adorns the main doorway. It was acquired
in 1615 by
Sir William Cavendish,
later 1st Earl of Devonshire. The first known mention of a manor here
was in 1194 when it was described in records of the King's
Court as part of the Honour of Wallingford. However, it did not take the name
Latimer (full name "Isenhampstead
Latimer")
until the late 14th Century, many years after it had been given to
William Latimer (3rd Lord Latimer), by Edward III in 1330. The manor
remained in the Latimer Family until the mid-16th Century.
The original Elizabethan house was destroyed by a fire in the 1830s. It was replaced by the current red brick Tudor style mansion, built 1834 - 1838, designed by Edward Blore.
During the
World War II, Latimer House was used as a secret interrogation centre where
captured senior members of the German and Italian Forces were held prisoner. It
is claimed that Rudolf Hess spent time here after his capture in Scotland. At
this time all the rooms were bugged with the latest listening devices and the
information collected from conversations between prisoners played a huge part in
the winning of the war. In the Summer of 2013 ITV broadcast a new series of five
programmes, entitled
"Britain's Secret Homes".
The series was made in partnership with English Heritage, and in a countdown
from 50 to 1 it reveals what they believe to be the top 50 secret homes in the
country. When I first wrote this, in 2014, the full version of the last episode
was available at
YouTube, but is no longer
- if it reappears please contact me.. At the time of
updating this (July 2018) some short videos of the programme have reappeared.
Here are a few
YouTube1,
YouTube2,
YouTube3,
YouTube4,
YouTube5,
YouTube6
- there are many more, and yes, Latimer House did
finish top of the list.
From 1947 to
1983 it was the
Joint Services Staff College.
After this the house converted to a conference centre with extra accommodation
blocks and conference facilities built behind it. Today the centre is run by De
Vere Venues with parkland covering an area of 33 acres. It doubles as a hotel
and conference / events centre and is called
Latimer
Estate.
Latimer House
is also claimed to be haunted. It recently offered haunted breaks and you can
read of "A
spooktacular UK Break"
experienced by Jeremy Head of the Daily Mail in October 2007.
In the grounds
of the house and adjacent to the road only a few yards past where we turned off
the road, is the
Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
It was commissioned by
Charles Cavendish
(1st
Baron Chesham)
and designed by
Edward Blore.
The church was completed in 1841 replacing a much older chapel dating back to at
least the early 13th Century. In 1867 it was enlarged by architect,
Sir George Gilbert Scott,
whose uncle was Rector. You can read more at the
National Churches Trust website.
At the
opposite side of the field the path goes along a high hedge, soon between houses
and descends to a road (Church Lane) in the heart of Latimer Village. Turn left
and downhill, keeping the small green to your RHS. At the bottom, at T-junction,
turn left along road (Flaunden Hill).
The village of
Latimer
is tiny and built around its small triangular green
-
the house and conference centre on the hill cover a much larger area. The green
has
two memorials
relating to the Boer War and the
old village pump. The
larger is to those locals who died during the war and the smaller to
"the horse ridden by General de Villebois
Mareuil at the battle of Boshof, South Africa, 5th April 1900 in
which the General was killed and the horse wounded". The horse was
brought to England by Major General Lord Chesham KCB, and died on 5th
February 1911. See photo of both
memorials.
Around the small green the houses have not changed much in over 200 years and blend in to make a beautiful and picturesque setting. You can view old pictures and read stories of people who lived here by visiting the Francis Firth website. To read more about the archeology and history of the Chess Valley follow the link to the Chess Valley Archeological & Historical Society.
Flaunden Hill
is narrow and has little traffic, but still take care as there is no pavement.
After
350 yards and shortly after Home Farm turn right onto a wide enclosed track,
signed Public Bridleway 5, Flaunden 1.5 (that's miles), with a field to the left
and a wood to the right.
As you turn right onto this bridleway you can
see what is ahead. It's
a big climb and about 150 metres up in a short distance.
After
100 yards turn left and continue to climb uphill
between a fence and hedgerow
to Long Wood.
To the left on
the climb are good views
over the narrow valley to the fields beyond.
On
entering the woods continue straight on following a wide bridleway (at 4 miles)
-
do not take the bridleway to the right and do not be tempted to turn off the
main path when opportunities
arise. After half a mile follow the bridleway as it turns right and changes to a
track / restricted byway.
After another 220 yards stay straight on past a turn to the right. The track soon veers left then right and towards a transmission mask. Within a short distance, with some outbuildings to your RHS, turn left onto a wider track. Stay straight on along this enclosed track for 0.45 miles to the village of Flaunden.
One of the
outbuildings next to the transmissions mask (0.45 miles from Flaunden) is an
observatory owned by the
South West Herts Astronomical Society.
It's
probably not a bad place to looks at the stars.
On
approaching the village, the spire of Flaunden church is
visible above the
hedgerow. The track leads to a road on the edge of the village
- the
church is to the left
and the Green Dragon pub
in front. Turn right past the pub and through the village.
Flaunden
has many half-timbered buildings and mellow brick cottages. The Church of St
Mary Magdalene was built in 1838 of flint and wood and is thought to be the
first designed by
Sir George Gilbert Scott.
Strangely the church records go back to the early 1700s with even older records
available. The reason for this will be revealed below. To the left, along
Flaunden Hill and just past the church, the statue of a large
green dragon
peers over a hedge from the back of the pub of the same name
-
it does take people by surprise if the enter the village from Latimer along the
road through Flaunden Bottom.
The Green
Dragon dates from the 17th Century, has a large beer garden to the
back, a hitching rail for horses, a cosy restaurant and a Tap Room which has
virtually been unchanged since 1836. The pub website is very well laid out and
has some great history, photos and lots of other information on the pub and the
area. The same family has run the place since 1932 and through the years it has
been one of the focal points of the village. There is a story of two young
sisters visiting in the 1930's
and playing in the garden with the daughter of the then Landlord and Landlady.
They were called Elizabeth & Margaret and were staying nearby Latimer House.
Unknown to these locals at the time, was that within 15 years Elizabeth would be
Queen of England.
Two other
stories tell of more unscrupulous visitors. Joachim von Ribbentrop was Nazi
Germany's
Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1936 to 1938. He had weekend retreats at
Latimer and often visited the Green Dragon as there was no local pub at Latimer.
In 1938 he was recalled to Berlin to become Adolf Hitler's
Foreign Minister. After World War II the Nazis were brought to account for their
actions during the
Nuremburg Trials
(1945 - 46).
Von Ribbentrop
was the first of many Nazi war criminals to be executed there. He was hanged on
16th October 1946. It's
quite ironic to think that if von Ribbentrop had been taken prisoner by the
Allies during the war, he may well have spent time at Latimer House under
interrogation.
Some years late
another regular visitor to Flaunden and the Green Dragon was
Guy Burgess
(1911 -
1963) one of this country's
greatest traitors. Whilst studying at Cambridge University he was recruited into
Soviet Intelligence by
Anthony Blunt
as part of what was later was known as the Cambridge Five. After university he
worked for the Diplomatic Service and during the height of the Cold War, Burgess
and the others passed on British secrets to the Soviets. In his visits to the
village he stayed with close friends at the nearby Sharlowe's
Farm -
just 100 yards further along our route and on the left. The pub website says he
often dropped in for breakfast and would come back later for a casual beer. On
24th May 1851 the landlord noticed Burgess in an engaging
conversation, in the Tap Room, with a man the landlord had never seen before.
The following day Burgess headed for the Continent and from there onto the
Soviet Union. A few days later the story of the spies within the British system
made the headlines in the press. From photos the landlord recognised the
stranger as
Donald Maclean
(1913 -
1983), another member of the
Cambridge Five.
He had also fled to the Soviet Union. It appears both were under suspicion by
British Intelligence and had been tipped off. It was one of the biggest scandals
of the century.
The Green Dragon has appeared three times in the TV series Midsomer Murders. Other parts of the village have also appeared. The pub website contains lots of information on the history of both the pub and the village. Another local website worth a mention is by Flaunden Village.
Flaunden
is a rear example of how a village can relocate. The original village was
situated a mile and a half to the south on the banks of the River Chess and just
a few hundred yards downstream from Latimer on what is now the Chess Valley
Walk. There was a small church built in the 13th Century and a few
cottages grew up around it. The village was susceptible to flooding from the
river, so over 200 years ago the village and inhabitants were moved to higher
ground. At the time the people here were employees of Lord Chesham. All that
remains of the older village is the
ruins of the church and
a brick tomb. The latter
is that of William Liberty a relative of the family who own the famous store in
London. He was a brick maker who died in 1777. He requested to be buried away
from the rest of the villagers so his bones could be recognised and not
intertwined with others when it came to the
"Judgement Day".
The
tomb
is now a grade 2 listed building.
The
Church of St Mary Magdalene
is of similar design to its predecessor and was mainly financed by former rector
Rev Samuel King. Some parts of the older and now abandoned church were used in
its construction and many other relics still survive.
Before
continuing with this guide, I will direct you to another website
"Pete's
Walks",
as the walk at the link joins us in Flaunden and basically stays with us for the
2.5 miles to the Apostle's
Pond at Chipperfield Common. There are lots of comments to read and lovely
photos to see.
Continue through the village to a crossroads. Cross straight over and soon exit
the village as the road begins to descend.
Shortly after
leaving Flaunden the
Chiltern Way
joins us from the RHS and stay with us to Holly Hedges Lane. This is a 187 mile
circular walk through the Chiltern Hills and was created by the
Chiltern Society
as its Millennium Project. We did join it previously, near the start of stage 4
at Bloom Wood above Little Marlow and followed it for two miles to Burroughs
Grove.
350
yards after the crossroads, stay with the road as it veers left and still
downhill to a T-junction of roads. Cross straight over and through a
wooden kissing gate,
signed The Chiltern Way, and onto a path / track into a wood (Lower
Plantation).
The area around
here has the peculiar name
"Hogpits
Bottom",
and 200 yards to the left of the T-junction is a
pub called the
Bricklayers Arms
(18th Century). It's
old, quaint and very inviting. Its beers and foods have recently won many
impressive awards. They were awarded by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), The Good
Pub Guide, the Michelin Guide and many others. If you have time it's
well worth a visit.
For such an
interesting and historic place, the Flaunden entry in
Wikipedia
has very little information. However, I will still include the link as over time
much more is usually added.
Follow
the track / path straight through the wood. After almost half a mile, exit the
wood through a wooden kissing gate (at 6 miles) onto a lane (Holly Hedges Lane).
Turn right along the lane,
signed Hertfordshire Way.
We have now joined the Hertfordshire Way and follow for the next 0.8 miles to Windmill Hill. It is waymarked and thus is easy to follow.
The
Hertfordshire Way
is a 166 mile circular route within the County of Hertfordshire. It was
originally inspired by the Ramblers to celebrate their diamond jubilee in 1995
and now promoted by an autonomous group called the
Friends of The Hertfordshire
Way.
We soon pass an isolated house on the left,
and
after 175 yards,
stay straight on along
the
lane, past a public bridleway going into woods to LHS.
After another 150 yards, where the lane turns sharp right, turn left at a metal barrier onto a footpath (signed Hertfordshire Way). Stay straight on through the woods (Woodman's Wood) - take the middle path.
After
170 yards the path veers right, then left. Soon
after stay straight on past a crossing
bridleway. After another 450 yards out into the corner of a field. Go straight
on along the LHS of the field and gradually downhill to exit the field, by a
stile next to a gate onto a road (Dunny Lane).
Cross
over with care and turn left, along the pavement. and after 85 yards, turn right
into Windmill Hill. Almost immediately, turn right onto a narrow gravel path
going uphill and into the trees. We have now entered Chipperfield Common on a
permissive bridleway.
NOTE: If for any reason access to the permissive bridleway is withdrawn, you can still get to the next instruction by following the Hertfordshire Way. To do this continue up Windmill Hill on the road for 260 yards. Then at a drive to a house, veer slightly right signed "Public Footpath to Kings Langley". After 110 yards veer left to rejoin our route where it says "We have rejoined the Hertford Way ..." below.
After
280 yards, and at the top of the hill, take the right fork. We have rejoined the
Hertfordshire Way and follow it for 1100 yards to a pond (Apostles'
Pond).
180 yards after
rejoining the Hertfordshire Way a narrow road to the left leads to one of two
pubs adjoining Chipperfield Common.
The Windmill Pub
is again another location in
Midsomer Murders.
It was a route I thought about using, but I choose to see more of the common.
The
Apostles'
Pond was used by the Dominican Friars as far back as 14th
Century. It takes its name from the 12 lime trees planted around it in 1714,
each named after an apostle. Apparently, Judas Iscariot got blown down in a
storm. In the 1980s the other 11 were pollarded and 12 new trees were planted.
The Common also has some sweet chestnut trees, planted almost 650 year ago to
provide shade for
Isabel of Castile,
the 1st Duchess of York, when she rode on the Common.
At the
Apostles'
Pond, turn left along a path keeping the pond to your LHS, following
"easy
access route, local path no.8".
We have now left the Hertfordshire Way, but will cross paths again at St Albans
and Hertford.
At a fork stay straight on avoiding path branching off left. Then after another 140 yards stay straight on avoiding crossing tracks.
After
another 240 yards
the path comes
out between a car park
to your RHS
and
Chipperfield Cricket Ground
to your LHS.
Stay
along the edge of the cricked ground (at 8 miles) and then straight on, soon
past
Chipperfield War Memorial,
and to finish at a crossroads next to the Two Brewers Inn.
There are many interesting buildings around Chipperfield Green. St Paul's Church was built in 1837, is mainly of flint and sits on the north east corner of the common, next to the green and at the centre of the village. The Two Brewers Inn dates from the 16th Century and was at one time a training house for bare-knuckle fighters. The inn started off as the centre house in a row of three. However, it became so popular that its owners acquired the other two houses and enlarged the place. This explains its long and narrow look. Today the pub is part of the "Chef & Brewer" group with 20 rooms to let. The old flint school, just west of the inn and north of the church, is now cottages and retains the original school's striking clock, erected to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Just south of the War Memorial is the cricket ground and pavilion and a short distance south of this on the opposite side of the road is the Queen Ann fronted, Grade II* listed, 16th Century Manor House was once home to actor Peter Sellers.
The common
itself has many pleasant walks, covers an area of over 118 acres of which most
is woodland. The whole area including the village is within the
"Green
Belt"
and was once part of the Royal Manor of Kings Langley. The first evidence of the
name Chipperfield dates to 1316, when
Edward II bequeathed "the
Manor House of Langley the closes adjoining together with the vesture of
Chepervillewode for Fewel and other Necessaries"
to the Dominican Black Friars. Chepervillewode is believed to be Chipperfield
Wood, cheper being derived from the Anglo-Saxon word
"ceapere"
meaning merchant or trader. Hence the area is thought to have been the site of a
market.
Chipperfield
Common was given to the local authority by the Lord of the Manor in 1936, for
the use of the people of the village. The common has much history to tell. There
are bronze-age tumuli in
the woods
The village
spreads over a large area and is built on a chalk plateau on the edge of the
Chilterns. There are many interesting street names and a historical poem
explains their origin. The
Chipperfield Village Website
provides much more information on the local area including up to date news and
events. Below is the poem, reproduced with permission from the village website
about the street names
-
the author is unknown.
All you
who live in Chipperfield have heard of its royal past-
How
kings came down from London town to hunt in its forests vast.
Dominican monks fished its pool all dressed in their monkish clothes,
But did
you ever wonder how the names of its streets arose?
Now
there's
a tale that I've
heard tell (which may or may not be true)
That
some there be -
just two or three -
who have blood that's
royal blue.
They
know who they are but stay mum, that's
because to be frank it
Don't
look good when your claim to fame's
the wrong side of the blanket.
In
fifteen ten King Henry Eight came
riding along these lanes
(And
this was quite some time before those Catherines, Anne and Janes).
The
handsome Buck rode up the
Hill, watching the villagers stare,
And
into what they called The Street,
which was the main thoroughfare
And
there he quaffed a jar of mead
'neath
shade of a Royal Oak
And
stopped a while to sing and dance with Chipperfield's
honest folk,
Waving
farewell, he spurred his horse And galloped round to the hill
Up
where the breezes turned the sails that powered the old
Windmill.
And
there he spied a local girl, Sweet Meggy,- the miller's
lass,
Plucking flowers as she tripped along just before going to Mass.
Pretty
and young, rural and chaste, Dressed in a simple green gown,
Yes,
she appealed to him far more than all of the girls in Town.
He
spent the summer wooing her
-
Meggy, though, wouldn't
give way -
For she
had vowed to marry Fred next year on the fifth of May.
Obsessed by Megg, Henry was mad
-
he didn't
think it funny
That
she should dare to spurn a king And choose instead Fred
Dunny.
Young
Henry's
heart was all aflame for Meggy was such a peach
In
muslin gown with sleeves of green A treasure just out of reach.
The
King tried every trick he knew, he even wrote her a song-
You
know the one, about Greensleeves, The love that had done him wrong.
He
vowed to her his heart, his life, promised he'd
make her his Queen
If she
would just be his that night she'd
sample the royal scene.
Compared to this, life with young Fred really seemed on the grey side,
And so
sweet Megg gave in at last and fell there by the
Wayside.
But
when he'd
had his way with her, King Henry made it plain
He
couldn't
marry her at all 'cos
of a lady from Spain.
A babe
on the way, Megg distraught rushed back to the arms of Fred
But he
declared the date in May was off, whatever she said.
So Megg
at last sought out the nuns at the Chapel
beside the Croft,
For
no-one else would take her in, when asked they just jeered and scoffed.
The
baby was born (just like dad she looked when she coohed and smiled)
And
Alexandra was the name they gave to
the royal child.
Poor
Megg became a nun, I'm
told, and still on each fifth of May,
When
moon shines bright on starry night you may glimps a shape in grey,
Dressed
in Nun's
robes, clutching her child, she haunts the
Fields until dawn,
Plucking flowers and singing
"Greensleeves",
her tragic face all forlorn.
And
thus the royal blood's
come down through sweet Alexandra's
birth
(She
had three sons by a farmer, an honest man of the earth),
So have
respect for your neighbour, whether graced with brawn or brains,
For he
may come from Henry's
stock, with royal blood in his veins.
For some old
photos, maps and more history of the village visit
Hertfordshire Genealogy
and
Francis Firth.
The Genealogy website claims that former American President,
Jimmy Carter,
can trace his roots back to Jeffries Farm at Chipperfield. The Chipperfield
listing on
Wikipedia
is worth a visit, and to see listed buildings in the village go to
British Listed Buildings.
Chipperfield,
because of its beauty and history within the green belt, has been classified as
a Conservation Area. At 112 hectares it is the largest in the Dacorum Borough.
You can download the council's
plans for the area
HERE.
It is a huge file, but has some great photos and information on the area.
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