Turville
Encyclopedia
Turville is a village
and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is located in the Chiltern Hills
, about five miles west of High Wycombe
and five miles north of Henley-on-Thames
.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
in origin, and means 'dry field'. It was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
in 796 as Thyrefeld.
The manor
of Turville once belonged to the abbey
at St Albans
, but was seized by the Crown
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1547. The manor house
has since been rebuilt as Turville Park, a fine stately home
in the village. The present incumbent of the manor is Lord Sainsbury, of the J Sainsbury plc supermarket family.
Turville was also home to eleven-year-old Ellen Sadler
, who fell asleep in 1871 and purportedly did not wake for nine years, becoming known as "The Sleeping Girl of Turvile". The case attracted international attention from newspapers, medical professionals and the public. Rumours persist in the region that Ellen Sadler was visited by royalty for a "laying on of hands
".
The 1942 film Went the Day Well?
in which German paratroopers invade a small English village was filmed in Turville, as were many of the scenes from the 1963 comedy film Father Came Too!
. Additionally many of the outdoor scenes of television show The Vicar of Dibley
was filmed in Turville, as were the outdoor scenes of Goodnight Mr Tom, the dream scene in Bride and Prejudice
, the Daffyd Thomas scenes in Little Britain
and the Cobstone Windmill
used in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
in the neighbouring parish of Ibstone
, overlooks the village of Turville. Scenes have also been shot in the village for Midsomer Murders
, Lewis
, Marple
, the 2008 Christmas special of Jonathan Creek
, the British drama An Education
, and the 2009 BBC adaptation of The Day Of The Triffids
. The village is also used as a location in the film An Education
.
The local pub is The Bull & Butcher.
. Whilst many of the scenes were performed live in the BBC Television Centre
in front of a live studio audience, the scenes shot outdoors were filmed in the picturesque village of Turville a.k.a Dibley. In the series the church of St. Mary the Virgin was renamed "St. Barnabas".
who lives in Manor of Turville, the house that once belonged to the abbey at St Albans, but was seized by the Crown in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1547. The manor house has since been rebuilt as Turville Park, a fine stately home in the village. Lord Sainsbury is the former Chairman of Sainsbury's supermarket and current Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is noted for his philantrophy founding the Gatsby Charitable Foundation
in 1967 and the Sainsbury Management Fellowship
scheme in 1987. In 2009 he became the first Briton to donate more than £1 billion to charities.
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 within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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...
. It is located in the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
, about five miles west of High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
and five miles north of Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
in origin, and means 'dry field'. It was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
in 796 as Thyrefeld.
The manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Turville once belonged to the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
at St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, but was seized by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1547. The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
has since been rebuilt as Turville Park, a fine stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
in the village. The present incumbent of the manor is Lord Sainsbury, of the J Sainsbury plc supermarket family.
Turville was also home to eleven-year-old Ellen Sadler
The Sleeping Girl of Turville
Ellen Sadler , sometimes called The Sleeping Girl of Turville, was a resident of Turville, a small village in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. In 1871, aged eleven, she purportedly fell asleep and did not wake for nine years...
, who fell asleep in 1871 and purportedly did not wake for nine years, becoming known as "The Sleeping Girl of Turvile". The case attracted international attention from newspapers, medical professionals and the public. Rumours persist in the region that Ellen Sadler was visited by royalty for a "laying on of hands
Laying on of hands
The laying on of hands is a religious ritual that accompanies certain religious practices, which are found throughout the world in varying forms....
".
The 1942 film Went the Day Well?
Went the Day Well?
"Went the Day Well?" is a British war film produced by Ealing Studios in 1942 as unofficial propaganda. It tells of how an English village is taken over by German paratroopers . Made during the war, it reflects the greatest potential nightmares of many Britons of the time, although the threat of...
in which German paratroopers invade a small English village was filmed in Turville, as were many of the scenes from the 1963 comedy film Father Came Too!
Father Came Too!
Father Came Too! is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott. It is a sequel to The Fast Lady.-Plot:Dexter and Juliet Munro are a married couple who move to a run-down cottage in hopes of escaping from Juliet's overbearing father. However, the couple are soon confronted by their...
. Additionally many of the outdoor scenes of television show The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
was filmed in Turville, as were the outdoor scenes of Goodnight Mr Tom, the dream scene in Bride and Prejudice
Bride and Prejudice
Bride and Prejudice is a 2004 romantic musical film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay by Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges is a Bollywood-style adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue. The film released in...
, the Daffyd Thomas scenes in Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
and the Cobstone Windmill
Cobstone Windmill
Cobstone Mill was built around 1816 and is located in the civil parish of Ibstone in Buckinghamshire, England, and overlooks the village of Turville. It is sometimes referred to as Turville Windmill. It is a smock mill that replaced the original mill that had stood there since the 16th century...
used in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. The...
in the neighbouring parish of Ibstone
Ibstone
Ibstone is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills on the border with Oxfordshire, about two miles south of Stokenchurch....
, overlooks the village of Turville. Scenes have also been shot in the village for Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
, Marple
Marple (TV series)
Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Agatha Christie's Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role. She was replaced...
, the 2008 Christmas special of Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek is a British mystery series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. Primarily a crime drama, the show is also peppered with broadly comic touches...
, the British drama An Education
An Education
An Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
, and the 2009 BBC adaptation of The Day Of The Triffids
The Day of the Triffids (2009 TV series)
The Day of the Triffids is a BBC two-part television adaptation of John Wyndham's novel of the same name. The novel had previously been adapted by the BBC in a 1981 miniseries.-Part one:...
. The village is also used as a location in the film An Education
An Education
An Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
.
The local pub is The Bull & Butcher.
The Vicar of Dibley
As noted, the village of Turville is the principal location of the popular sitcom, The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
. Whilst many of the scenes were performed live in the BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in front of a live studio audience, the scenes shot outdoors were filmed in the picturesque village of Turville a.k.a Dibley. In the series the church of St. Mary the Virgin was renamed "St. Barnabas".
Lord Sainsbury of Turville
One of Turville's most famous residents is Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleDavid Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville
David John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville, FRS , is a British businessman and politician. From 1992 to 1997, he served as the Chairman of Sainsbury's . He was made a life peer in 1997, and currently sits in the House of Lords as a member of the Labour Party...
who lives in Manor of Turville, the house that once belonged to the abbey at St Albans, but was seized by the Crown in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1547. The manor house has since been rebuilt as Turville Park, a fine stately home in the village. Lord Sainsbury is the former Chairman of Sainsbury's supermarket and current Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is noted for his philantrophy founding the Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Gatsby Charitable Foundation
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation is an endowed grant-making trust, based in London. The organisation is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, set up to provide funding for charitable causes. Although the organisation is permitted in its Trust Deed to make general grants within this broad...
in 1967 and the Sainsbury Management Fellowship
Sainsbury Management Fellowship
The Sainsbury Management Fellowship scheme was setup in 1987 by David Sainsbury to develop UK engineers into leaders in industry and thereby to improve the competitiveness of UK engineering, manufacturing and construction businesses...
scheme in 1987. In 2009 he became the first Briton to donate more than £1 billion to charities.