What is your village famous for?

[Kimbers]

Little Melton's only claim to fame is that in 2001 it was a quant village of 373 people with a small pub, village school of 50 pupils and a tiny shop (more a house with shelves of essentials). 

It now has 1272 people with no extra infrastructure, a school with a 5 year waiting list and a "Generic pub restaurant thingy" serving rubbish food. It also has 2 more housing estates going up. Also with no additional infrastructure.

Its also one of the few places around here that planted a British Ancient Forest (Oaks, Ash etc)  just 20 years ago as part of the agreement to build said increase in housing................

.......... Which they have now applied to cut down to build 500 houses on. Go figure hey!

[Mysterae]

All I can find is that Balnagown Castle is near by, in fact I could see if from upstairs if it wasn't for all the trees between. It's owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed and when he owned Harrods he would fly in on his Harrods helicopter. 

The village is probably more known for Ken's Garage, a popular pit-stop for those doing the NC500!

You lot can keep your murderers, plagues and urban expansion!

[C8RKH]

10 minutes ago, Mysterae said:

You lot can keep your murderers, plagues and urban expansion!

I'd rather have those than Mr. Fayed as my neighbour, but each to their own.

Although I do note that an Alexander Watson from there, of Mill Croft, was charged with the murder of his wife, a Mathilda Watson. He tried to get off by claiming "insanity". So I suppose there is "hope" for you after all.

[Mysterae]

7 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

I'd rather have those than Mr. Fayed as my neighbour, but each to their own.

Although I do note that an Alexander Watson from there, of Mill Croft, was charged with the murder of his wife, a Mathilda Watson. He tried to get off by claiming "insanity". So I suppose there is "hope" for you after all.

C8RKH, you can really find the dark in anything can't you . 

Respect to Mr Fayed, he restored the castle when it fell in to disrepair from being unoccupied, tax dodge or not.

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, Mysterae said:

C8RKH, you can really find the dark in anything can't you . 

Hah, not at all. Just like a little challenge every now and then. Lovely part of the world where you are. I had an Uncle who lived in Muir of Ord which ain't a million miles away from you, just doon the road really.

[windymiller]

st edmund was slain in hoxne and oldest pre glacial site in europe here too and one of the biggest roman hoards ever found was the wrong side of the road to my house 😒

[andydclements]

My cousin & his wife lived in Hoxne, lovely area.

[DDubya]

Grew up in Benenden, Kent. Princess Anne’s place of education, home of Harry H Corbett, used to deliver his papers. Oh, and home of Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram, ornithologist and the world’s authority on Japanese cherry's (yes really). Also on my paper round. 😊

On 09/01/2022 at 19:25, TAR said:

Aylesbury has a 15th Century coaching inn dating back to 1455, it's one of the best preserved in the country. Henry the VIII is said to have wooed Anne Boleyn there.

Its first marketplace was established in the 13th Century.

It was home to the Aylesbury Duck.

Aylesbury played an important role in the Civil war with local man John Hampden partially responsible for starting it!

The Cubit car was built in Aylesbury in the 1920's

Aylesbury was the home to the Friars music venue which was where David Bowie first brought Ziggy Stardust to life. It hosted some of the biggest bands of the 70's and 80's and still survives today.

The band Marillion were based in Aylesbury and wrote the song Market Square Heroes, referencing to the towns market place.

Still on a musical note... John Ottway and Wild Willy Barrett were born in Aylesbury.

Keith Richards appeared in Aylesbury Crown Court in 1973 on drugs charges.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital (located on the edge of Aylesbury) was the birthplace of the Paralympic games. Dr Ludwig Guttmann was a pioneer in the treatment of disabled people and founded the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville

Somewhat more obscure is that Rhoda Abbott was the only woman to fall into the freezing-cold water to survive the Titanic sinking. She was born in 1873 in Aylesbury.

Finally, the England football squad played a warm up game ahead of Euro 88 against non-league Aylesbury United. We lost 7-0

 

EDIT: I just realised that technically, Aylesbury isn't a village...

Sadly Stoke Mandeville famous for other reasons, now then, now then😊 also my second son born there.

[DanR]

No longer a village but back in time there was a bit of a battle between the redcoats and Irish convicts here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Hill_convict_rebellion

[Mark Blanchard]

Lots of old rockers live in Shiplake, our neck of the woods.  Ian Paice from Deep Purple / Whitesnake, Barrie Barlow from Jethro Tull and Gary Moore used to live 3 houses away from us.

[Kevin Wheeler]

Pretty sure Whitchurch is a Town now, but heigh ho!

Famous ex-residents Lord Denning (born here!), Richards Adams (Watership Down author) and James Robertson Justice (late-thespian).

Current famous (?) thespian resident - Brian Wheeler (credits - Star Wars, Harry Potter, Never Ending Story among others).

Town also famous for the Salvation Army riots in the 1800s (I think) and the only surviving working Georgian Silk Mill open to visitors.

[jep]

Whitchurch Whitchurch: So good you said it twice.

Must be the Bombay Sapphire you get free from the local distillery. Heatherwick designed glasshouse at same.

Justin

[Kevin Wheeler]

That happened when I edited it!

Perhaps a mod can fix it fo rme!

Also forgot Paul Sartin from Bellowhead is a current resident.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I haven’t been back to my village since I was a baby and have no idea what it looks like. I just googled it for this thread and discovered that this has just been built there.
It’s Leicester City’s new state-of-the-art training ground. Video here:

 

 

[andydclements]

Resting place of St Walstan, former residence of Ed Balls.

[5pence]

Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, home of the 'King of the Road' Joey Dunlop and brother Robert. There's a memorial park here for them.

[RobinB5]

5 hours ago, Mark Blanchard said:

Lots of old rockers live in Shiplake, our neck of the woods.  Ian Paice from Deep Purple / Whitesnake, Barrie Barlow from Jethro Tull and Gary Moore used to live 3 houses away from us.

Mark, I'll raise you a Roger Whittaker, used to be my neighbour in this small hamlet a good few years ago.

[pete]

Quendon Essex?

[Dave Eds]

"Historically Wadesmill is particularly notable for two features - it is the location of the first turnpike in England (and therefore the world), and the presence of the Clarkson Memorial halfway up nearby High Cross hill, a memorial to Thomas Clarkson's rest point in his travels at which he decided to devote much of the rest of his life to ending the slave trade."

This place is oh so exciting 😂

[Mark Blanchard]

17 hours ago, RobinB5 said:

Mark, I'll raise you a Roger Whittaker, used to be my neighbour in this small hamlet a good few years ago.

Impressive.  I'll raise you John Lord of Deep Purple / Whitesnake from Henley (RIP).  And George Harrison (RIP).  Used to be a neighbour of ours in Henley, at the top of Friday St in a huge house.

[ChrisJ]

A few in the village where I lived until I was in my early 30s

• Douglas Bader - was based there when he had is crash.
• Peter Cushing was born there (I didn't know this)
• Des O'Connor's house was just down the road from me - although I'm not sure when he lived there.
• David Baboulene - my brother was in the same class in primary school.
• Ray Mears - who I've been friends with since I was 5 years old.

[slewthy]

I live in the village of Whittington, North Shropshire (dont)

And before you say it, no, Dick Whittington didnt come from here - he is a fictitious character.

Richard Whittington however (Mayor of London, cat etc) did marry the daughter of Fulk Fitzwarin in 1401, who owned the castle at Whittington etc - go figure!

There is also a survivor from the Charge of the Light Brigade buried here. One of the 600. Multiple lance and sabre wounds, 2 horses shot from beneath him and was captured and held by the Russians for 12 months. CourtMarshalled on release.

Shot himself in the head in the local pub 20 years after the event, 'in a fit of insanity.' Buried with full military honors, chargers etc.

We'd call that PTSD now I think.

[Bling]

I grew up and still live in the North London suburb of Southgate. My home is on the border with Winchmore Hill. The area is probably more famous for the people who lived here. These included:

• Sir Thomas Lipton
• Cliff Richard
• Rod Stewart
• The Walker brothers (part of the Taylor Walker (brewery) family but more famous 19th century cricketing family who founded the Middlesex county Cricket Club and established it at Lords)
• Amy Winehouse
• Sir John Moore, Lord Mayor, circa 1674
• David Puttnam (Film producer)
• Judge Rob Rinder

 

[RobinB5]

1 hour ago, Mark Blanchard said:

Impressive.  I'll raise you John Lord of Deep Purple / Whitesnake from Henley (RIP).  And George Harrison (RIP).  Used to be a neighbour of ours in Henley, at the top of Friday St in a huge house.

Blimey, I'm going to have to call you with all I have left - Dale “Buffin” Griffin (RIP), founding member of Mott the Hoople from Ross-on-Wye a couple of miles away.

(I used to live next door to Bruce Thomas (from Elvis Costello's Attractions) in London, but that's hardly a village )

[Chillidoggy]

We used to live in Folkestone, opposite my gran. Pete Kircher, the drummer from ‘The Honeybus’ (I Can’t Let Maggie Go, used in the Nimble ad) was my gran’s lodger.