Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards

Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards
Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Location within Buckinghamshire
Population	956 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	TG224262
Civil parish	Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards
Unitary authority	Buckinghamshire
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Tring
Postcode district	HP23
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
Website	Parish Council
List of places UK England Buckinghamshire 51°45′18″N 0°39′07″W / 51.755°N 0.652°W / 51.755; -0.652

Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards is a

It comprises the hamlet of Buckland Common, and the villages of Cholesbury, Hawridge and St Leonards (with Lane Ends hamlet) which were brought together as part of the local government reorganisation in April 1934. The parish has since increased in size through the annexing of additional parcels of land which previously were part of Chesham, Ashley Green and Drayton Beauchamp.

History

In common with many other villages close to the

Prior to 1934, the local government arrangements covering the area of the present-day parish were distributed across several civil parishes. Cholesbury has historical associations with Drayton Beauchamp, becoming an autonomous manor and parish from the 14th century. Meanwhile, Hawridge, which has historic associations with Marsworth despite the two settlements being separated by a narrow strip of land in Hertfordshire, became an autonomous unit from around the 16th century. The other two main settlements of the modern-day parish, prior to 1934, were the upland portions of two other parishes. St Leonards had been part of a civil parish with Aston Clinton (for a time known as Aston Clinton St Leonards). The hamlet of Buckland Common had been within the parish of Buckland. Additionally, as part of a contemporary county boundary changes, a narrow strip of mainly arable fields and woodland plantation which ran adjacent to the county boundary was transferred from Drayton Beauchamp parish, as was part of the hamlet of Heath End, a small parcel of land previously in Wingginton parish in Hertfordshire. More recently, a section of land formerly part of Chesham parish has become incorporated at the Hawridge end of the parish.

Recreation and culture

The relative remoteness of the villages and hamlets within the parish, together with their close geographic and historic associations which have strengthened their mutually-held independence from the nearest towns, have resulted in a cultural identity developing across the parish. Locally, they are known as the Hilltop Villages.^[2] This is demonstrated by the existence of a number of long-established clubs and community organisations, which in similar fashion to the three local churches co-ordinate activities across the parish as a whole.^[3]

Sport and recreation

The cricket club was formed in 1895 and leases its ground in Cholesbury from the Lord of the Manors of Hawridge and Cholesbury. There is a recreation ground associated with the parish hall in St Leonards, used for football, gymkhana and village sports events. Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons are public open spaces, and the parish council look after The Green at Buckland Common and nearby allotments.

Social activity

The villages hold annual fêtes at St Leonards and on Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons. There are two community halls, Cholesbury Village Hall (built in 1895) and St Leonards Parish Hall (1938), which host many of the parish-wide social activities such as the

Parishioners have a long-standing tradition of commemorating important anniversaries and participate in national celebrations by organising events such as parish race days, exhibitions, parish walks, and other cultural activities. The most recent of these took place in April 2009 when in the parish celebrated the parish's 75th anniversary through a series of events comprising, in April a talk and exhibition entitled 'The first 75 years of Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Parish'. In May, an inter-village 6-a-side cricket competition was held. In June, a

Governance for the civil parish is administered through a

Today there are three

Economy

Agriculture, which formed the basis for most employment in the parish in the first part of the 20th century, has ceased to be a significant source of work although there is employment for those supporting the remaining farming activities. There are no shops or post offices in the parish. The majority of residents are employed in the surrounding towns, or further afield in London. Since the introduction of broadband a growing number of self-employed and small businesses are run from home.

Education

Originally, there were two