Knebworth
Encyclopedia
Knebworth is a village
and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire
, England
immediately south of Stevenage
. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth
, Woolmer Green
, Codicote
, Kimpton
, Whitwell
, St Paul's Walden
and Langley
, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the small village of Old Knebworth and Knebworth House
.
times and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086 where it is referred to as Chenepeworde (the farm belonging to the Dane, Cnebba) with a population of 150. The original village, now known as Old Knebworth, developed around Knebworth House. Development of the newer Knebworth village started in the late 19th century centred a mile to the east of Old Knebworth on the new railway station
and the Great North Road (subsequently the A1, and now the B197 since the opening of the A1(M) motorway
in 1962).
Knebworth has, since 1974, been famously associated with numerous major open air rock and pop concerts at Knebworth House
.
On 16 June 1990 the village was twinned
with the commune
of Chatelaillon-Plage
in France
.
Education and leisure
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
immediately south of Stevenage
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth
Datchworth
Datchworth is a village and civil parish between the towns of Hertford, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Sited on the Roman road from St Albans to Puckeridge, the village has examples of Saxon clearings in several locations...
, Woolmer Green
Woolmer Green
Woolmer Green is a small village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The 2007 census figure for the population is 1,429 people .-History:...
, Codicote
Codicote
Codicote is a large village, and civil parish about seven miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It has timber-framed and chequered brick houses, of special interest being the 18th-century Pond House and the half-timbered "As You Like It" Peking restaurant . Codicote Lodge is 18th...
, Kimpton
Kimpton, Hertfordshire
Kimpton is a village, situated between the Mimram and Lea Valleys, about six miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It is approximately four miles from Harpenden and Luton....
, Whitwell
Whitwell, Hertfordshire
Whitwell is a village in the parish of St Paul's Walden about six miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. Situated on a tableland, a spur of the Chilterns, Whitwell is about 400 feet above sea level. The soil is mostly clay with flints....
, St Paul's Walden
St Paul's Walden
St Paul's Walden is a village about five miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. The civil parish of St Paul's Walden also includes the village of Whitwell...
and Langley
Langley, Hertfordshire
Langley is a hamlet and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire District, in the county of Hertfordshire. It is located four miles south of Hitchin, on the B656 road near the large town of Stevenage....
, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the small village of Old Knebworth and Knebworth House
Knebworth House
Knebworth House is a country house in the civil parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England.-History and description:The home of the Lytton family since 1490, when Thomas Bourchier sold the reversion of the manor to Sir Robert Lytton, Knebworth House was originally a genuine red-brick Late Gothic...
.
History
There is evidence of people living in the area as far back as NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 where it is referred to as Chenepeworde (the farm belonging to the Dane, Cnebba) with a population of 150. The original village, now known as Old Knebworth, developed around Knebworth House. Development of the newer Knebworth village started in the late 19th century centred a mile to the east of Old Knebworth on the new railway station
Knebworth railway station
Knebworth railway station serves the village of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England. The station is 25 miles north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
and the Great North Road (subsequently the A1, and now the B197 since the opening of the A1(M) motorway
A1(M) motorway
The A1 is a motorway in England that upgrades sections of the A1 road that connects London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland...
in 1962).
Knebworth has, since 1974, been famously associated with numerous major open air rock and pop concerts at Knebworth House
Concerts at Knebworth House
The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England has become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000 at the first large concert held at the venue....
.
On 16 June 1990 the village was twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Chatelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is twinned with Knebworth in England.-Population:-History:...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Facilities
Places of worship- St Martin’s, Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and consecrated by the bishop of St AlbansBishop of St AlbansThe Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three archdeacons....
, Edgar JacobEdgar JacobEdgar Jacob was an English churchman, who became Bishop of Newcastle and then Bishop of St Albans.-Early life and education:He was born at the Rectory, Crawley, Hampshire, on 16 November 1844...
, in 1915 - St Mary’s, Church of England, parts of which date back to 1120
- St Thomas More, Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, built in 1936 - Trinity Church, a Methodist Church and United Reformed ChurchUnited Reformed ChurchThe United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
local ecumenical partnershipLocal ecumenical partnershipIn England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations....
built in 1996 with roots in the village dating back to 1880
Education and leisure
- Knebworth Primary and Nursery school
- The Roebuck Inn, its oldest public housePublic houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
(now in Stevenage) dating back to 1420 - The Lytton Arms (in Old Knebworth) which is an early VictorianVictorian architectureThe term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
building - The The Station public house which was built in 1883
- Recreation ground, incorporating football pitches, tennis courts, bowling green and adventure playground
Notable inhabitants
- Edward Ballbag-Lytton
- A. Duncan CarseA. Duncan CarseA. Duncan Carse was an artist working in Britain, of Norwegian/Scottish parents. His two large works Birds of the Old World and Birds of the New World were selected by Cunard in 1933 to be on their new flagship liner, the Queen Mary. Documents are held in the National Archive. He illustrated the...
, painter, of Deards End 1922-1923 - Barbara Follett
- Ken FollettKen FollettKen Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...
- Earls of LyttonEarl of LyttonEarl of Lytton, in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1880 for the diplomat and poet Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Baron Lytton. He was Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880 and British Ambassador to France from 1887 to 1891...
- Henry Lytton-CobboldHenry Lytton-CobboldHenry Fromanteel Lytton-Cobbold is the current occupier of Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England.He is the son of David Antony Fromanteel Lytton-Cobbold, 2nd Baron Cobbold, and is heir to the Barony of Cobbold. He is married to Martha Boone, with two children, Morwenna Gray and Edward...
- Tim MarlowTim MarlowTim Marlow is a British writer, broadcaster and art historian. He is best known for his regular feature on Channel Five - Tim Marlow on..., an occasional series in which he looks at current art exhibitions. He has also had several other art programs, radio programs and publications...
- Lucy Mitchole
- Barry NormanBarry NormanBarry Leslie Norman, CBE is a British novelist, impresario, film critic and media personality. He was the BBC film critic on television from 1972 to 1998.-Early life:...
, film critic and broadcaster
External links
- Clubs:
- Library
- Neighbourhood Watch
- Parish Church
- Parish Plan
- Primary School
- Village
- Knebworth House
- Local Government: