Waddesdon
Encyclopedia
Waddesdon is a village
within the Aylesbury Vale
district in Buckinghamshire
, England
, 6 miles from Aylesbury
on the A41 road
. The centre of a civil parish, including the hamlet
s of Eythrope
, Wormstone
and Woodham
, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with mill
ing, silk
weaving
and lace
making enterprises.
The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates from 1190 with medieval and Victorian
additions. In 2001, the population of the parish was 2000.
Between 1897 and 1936, Waddesdon had train services on the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway
(later part of the Metropolitan
) at Waddesdon Manor railway station, two miles from the village. There was also a halt on the Brill Tramway
.
In 1874, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bought a large estate in the area and built the mansion of Waddesdon Manor
on a hill-top above the village. He transformed Waddesdon into an estate village, with new houses for employees and tenants, a school
, a public house
, cricket
pavilion and village hall.
Waddesdon Manor
and grounds are now the property of the National Trust
, and Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
retains the estate and a house at nearby Eythrope
.
Waddesdon was often referred to as Black Waddesdon and was notorious for being one of the most dangerous stops on what is now the A41. Highwaymen were rife and the chances of being held up at gun point were significant.
Waddesdon Village Primary School is a mixed, community
, primary school, which has approximately 200 pupils from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The village is also home to Waddesdon Church of England School
, a secondary school
.
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...
within the Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
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...
, 6 miles from Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
on the A41 road
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
. The centre of a civil parish, including the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
s of Eythrope
Eythrope
Eythrope is a hamlet and country house in the parish of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located to the south east of the main village of Waddesdon, and is the present home of a branch of the Rothschild family....
, Wormstone
Wormstone
Wormstone is a hamlet in the parish of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located just south-south east of the main village....
and Woodham
Woodham, Buckinghamshire
Woodham is a hamlet and civil parish about west of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.The toponym is derived from the Old English for "home near a wood", referring to its proximity to the ancient Bernwood Forest....
, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
ing, silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
making enterprises.
The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates from 1190 with medieval and Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
additions. In 2001, the population of the parish was 2000.
Between 1897 and 1936, Waddesdon had train services on the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway
Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway
The Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway was an English railway located in Buckinghamshire, England operating between Aylesbury and Verney Junction.-History:...
(later part of the Metropolitan
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
) at Waddesdon Manor railway station, two miles from the village. There was also a halt on the Brill Tramway
Brill Tramway
The Brill Tramway, also known as the Quainton Tramway, Wotton Tramway, Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad and Metropolitan Railway Brill Branch, was a six-mile rail line in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England...
.
In 1874, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bought a large estate in the area and built the mansion of Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. The house was built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild . Since this was the preferred style of the Rothschilds it became also known as...
on a hill-top above the village. He transformed Waddesdon into an estate village, with new houses for employees and tenants, a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, a public house
Public house
A 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...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pavilion and village hall.
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. The house was built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild . Since this was the preferred style of the Rothschilds it became also known as...
and grounds are now the property of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, Bt, OM, GBE, FBA is a British investment banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild family of bankers...
retains the estate and a house at nearby Eythrope
Eythrope
Eythrope is a hamlet and country house in the parish of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located to the south east of the main village of Waddesdon, and is the present home of a branch of the Rothschild family....
.
Waddesdon was often referred to as Black Waddesdon and was notorious for being one of the most dangerous stops on what is now the A41. Highwaymen were rife and the chances of being held up at gun point were significant.
Waddesdon Village Primary School is a mixed, community
Community school
The term "community school" refers to types of publicly funded school in England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to a school that serves as both an educational institution and a centre of community life. A community school is both a place and a...
, primary school, which has approximately 200 pupils from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The village is also home to Waddesdon Church of England School
Waddesdon Church of England School
Waddesdon Church of England School is a mixed secondary school in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire. In September 2011 the school became an Academy....
, a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
.