Reed, Hertfordshire
Encyclopedia
Reed is a small village and civil parish
in North Hertfordshire
. It is situated on a chalk ridge at almost the highest point in the county, approximately 3 miles south of the market town of Royston
. The Prime Meridian
passes just to the east of the village, between Reed and Barkway. The modern A10 road (here following the course of the Roman Ermine Street
) passes just to the west of the village.
Reed includes a first school
, recently assessed as 'Outstanding' in a 2009 Ofsted
report1. There is also a village hall, the Saxon parish church of St. Mary, a small chapel, a cricket club and a village pub and restaurant set in a 16th century coaching inn
. A converted windmill
also stands in the village. There were 273 residents recorded as living in 119 households in Reed in the United Kingdom Census 2001
.
There has reportedly been a settlement at Reed for 2,000 years, and the community was mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086 (as Retth). A number of houses in the village boast the remnants of ancient moat
s, and the village includes a number of ancient woods on its outskirts. Reed was awarded protected status as a conservation area
in 1974.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in North Hertfordshire
North Hertfordshire
North Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the amalgamation of the urban districts of Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth, and Royston and the Hitchin Rural District.From eastward clockwise,...
. It is situated on a chalk ridge at almost the highest point in the county, approximately 3 miles south of the market town of Royston
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
. The Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
passes just to the east of the village, between Reed and Barkway. The modern A10 road (here following the course of the Roman Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
) passes just to the west of the village.
Reed includes a first school
First School
First school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some English Local Education Authorities have introduced First Schools since the 1960s...
, recently assessed as 'Outstanding' in a 2009 Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report1. There is also a village hall, the Saxon parish church of St. Mary, a small chapel, a cricket club and a village pub and restaurant set in a 16th century coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
. A converted windmill
Mile End Farm Mill, Reed
Mile End Farm Mill is a tower mill at Reed, Hertfordshire, England which has been truncated and converted to residential accommodation.-History:...
also stands in the village. There were 273 residents recorded as living in 119 households in Reed in the United Kingdom Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
There has reportedly been a settlement at Reed for 2,000 years, and the community was 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 (as Retth). A number of houses in the village boast the remnants of ancient moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s, and the village includes a number of ancient woods on its outskirts. Reed was awarded protected status as a conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
in 1974.
External links
1. http://www.reedvillage.org- http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/(id)/111685
- http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_providers/full/(urn)/117129
- http://www.reed.herts.sch.uk/prospectus_info/ourvillage.html
- http://fhsofmartin.org.uk/fhs/reps/17_cambridgeshire/doig/reed-through-the-ages.htm
- http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/therfield.pdf
- http://www.hertsdirect.org/infobase/docs/pdfstore/tabKS01sett.pdf
- http://www.gwp.enta.net/hertnames.htm
- http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/conservation_area_review_dates.pdf