The Chalgrave Heritage Trail
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Toddington. along the crest of the ridge, which rises gently toward toward gently rises which ridge, the of crest the along Looking northwest along the green lane running roughly roughly running lane green the along northwest Looking by Chalk arc. Chalk by Chalgrave. The Chalgrave Heritage Trail was funded funded was Trail Heritage Chalgrave The Chalgrave. for archaeological and historical information about about information historical and archaeological for County Council’s Heritage and Environment Section Section Environment and Heritage Council’s County Chalgrave Parish Council are grateful to Bedfordshire Bedfordshire to grateful are Council Parish Chalgrave warmer, south-facing slope of the ridge. the of slope south-facing warmer, settlement remains known in Chalgrave are on the the on are Chalgrave in known remains settlement Please close gates to prevent livestock straying. livestock prevent to gates close Please the low clay vale west of the parish. The earliest earliest The parish. the of west vale clay low the route. the along stiles are there that Note ground through Chalgrave until at last it reaches reaches it last at until Chalgrave through ground www.chalgrave.org from downloaded runs down from the Chalk to follow high high follow to Chalk the from down runs Theedway network should be available in the pubs and can be be can and pubs the in available be should network prehistoric track known to the Anglo-Saxons as as Anglo-Saxons the to known track prehistoric your starting point. Maps of the parish footpath footpath parish the of Maps point. starting your The landscape shaped settlement of this area: the the area: this of settlement shaped landscape The or in sections using other footpaths to return to to return to footpaths other using sections in or long, and can be walked in its entirety (4–5 hours) hours) (4–5 entirety its in walked be can and long, that caps the Gault ridge. ridge. Gault the caps that till glacial of This waymarked circular trail is about 8 miles miles 8 about is trail circular waymarked This area. When the ice melted these became the layer layer the became these melted ice the When area. from the landscape they flowed across to reach this this reach to across flowed they landscape the from who lived here. lived who The glaciers brought with them clay, sand and rock rock and sand clay, them with brought glaciers The discover more about this landscape and the people people the and landscape this about more discover wind and rain to create the landscape we live in. in. live we landscape the create to rain and wind to to Trail Heritage Chalgrave the follow history: this the Gault were exposed and eroded by glaciers, glaciers, by eroded and exposed were Gault the arrived in Britain. Modern Chalgrave was shaped by by shaped was Chalgrave Modern Britain. in arrived southern England. The Chalk, the Greensand and and Greensand the Chalk, The England. southern established by travellers long before the Romans Romans the before long travellers by established that raised the Alps created a gentle ridge across across ridge gentle a created Alps the raised that , a track track a , Theedway and road Roman a include and algae. Then, 20 million years ago, the same force force same the ago, years million 20 Then, algae. in an Anglo-Saxon charter over 1000 years ago ago years 1000 over charter Anglo-Saxon an in the south is made of the skeletons of microscopic microscopic of skeletons the of made is south the boundaries of Chalgrave Parish were described described were Parish Chalgrave of boundaries or no mud reached it: the Chalk escarpment to to escarpment Chalk the it: reached mud no or are only the most recent settlements here. The The here. settlements recent most the only are Eventually this area was so far from land that little little that land from far so was area this Eventually 6,000 years: the villages of Wingfield and Tebworth Tebworth and Wingfield of villages the years: 6,000 a muddy sea floor that is now the Gault Clay. Clay. Gault the now is that floor sea muddy a People have lived and worked in Chalgrave for over over for Chalgrave in worked and lived have People sea drifted down through the water to become become to water the through down drifted sea an 8 mile circular walk circular mile 8 an was further away, finer particles washed out to to out washed particles finer away, further was e Dunstabl 11 Chalgrave; as the sea grew deeper and dry land land dry and deeper grew sea the as Chalgrave; A 5 Heritage Trail Heritage 0 ton Lu 5 sea floor became the Greensand Ridge, north of of north Ridge, Greensand the became floor sea Regis Houghton south Bedfordshire. Sands deposited on the shallow shallow the on deposited Sands Bedfordshire. south Chalgrave The million years ago, rising sea levels were flooding flooding were levels sea rising ago, years million 5 A Wingfield 1 Gault Clay. In the Cretaceous period, over 100 100 over period, Cretaceous the In Clay. Gault M Most of Chalgrave Parish sits on a low ridge of the the of ridge low a on sits Parish Chalgrave of Most Hockliffe history hidden Chalgrave’s ebworth T About Chalgrave Chalgrave About ddington To 12 The Chalgrave Heritage Trail, beginning at information board 4 in Tebworth. Carefully cross the busy Toddington road, then follow which was Millway (nothing now remains of the Where known, dates and old names are in italics. the waymarkers. Please stay on the permissive path Mill) across the fields that were West Close Furlong through recently planted trees to the corner of the field, to Hockliffe Road. As you stand at the board behind you, to the right then turn right. Continue ahead, over a stile and kissing When Chalgrave was enclosed in 1800 the old of the Queen’s Head [The Three Horseshoes, 1822] gate to walk to the Glebe in Toddington. Follow the route across the open fields to Hockliffe, Coxstead is 2 The Lane [17th century]; the village pump was waymarked footpath sign south along the fence and turn Way, was replaced by Hockliffe Road. Cross this to the left of the pub. Across The Lane is Blacksmith right through another kissing gate. The path runs through road and take the footpath, angling through a House [site of the blacksmith’s shop, 1755], then a nature reserve and across a bridge into Chalgrave modern copse and across the ditch. These fields Forge Cottage [The Cock beerhouse, 1867]. Further parish. Continue to Chalgrave Road (once known as were part of Coxted Furlong. Cross the next ditch right is Buttercup Farm [late 17th century] and Church Way) at College Farm. Turn left and walk to into part of Hockliffe Parish that was once in straight ahead, down Hockliffe Road, is Park Farm, All Saints Church. There has been a church here since Chalgrave and continue through the recreation much as it appeared in the 19th century; to its left before 1185; information board 2 tells you more about ground, skirting the football pitch. Walk down Kilby is The Maltings [malt house 1693; the Butcher’s its history (including the famous wall paintings) and the Road, turn right and follow Birches Close to the A5. Arms, 1690]. Tithe Farm [17th century] is further Manor that once stood beside it. The A5 [Watling Street] has been a major road left, across the road. The village stocks [1757] and a Follow the waymarks and the Icknield Way path around cattle pound [1755] where stray livestock could be since Roman times; Hockliffe thrived on passing the churchyard and continue east, beside the golf trade after the road was turnpiked. Turn right and reclaimed after payment of a fine were in this area. In course. Where the Icknield Way turns left the CHT turns 1277 the triangle of ground where Forge Cottage and walk to the Woburn Road crossroads past what right across the field to Chalgrave Manor Farm. Follow were once inns: The Red Lion [Three Blackbirds, Blacksmith House stand today was part of the green, signs around the farmyard to the road on which the and villagers worshipped at St Martin’s Chapel on its 1720] closed in 2003 and the site is now a housing footpath runs south to Featherbed Lane, once part of a estate; The White Horse Inn [1712–c. 1924]; The western side. If you walk up Wingfield Road you can prehistoric track the Anglo-Saxons called Theedway. see St Mary’s Chapel [1889], the National School Shoulder of Mutton [1822–c. 1914] and The Star [1855], and The Shoulder of Mutton [17th century] At board 1 turn left onto Theedway, then take the first Inn [1636-c. 1850], Turn right toward Woburn, in Parkview Lane, all of which are now private footpath right. Follow the signs through Grove Farm, across Clipstone Brook, and take the first footpath houses. turn right onto a bridleway beside the A1520, then left, on the right, down the track. The path runs parallel carefully crossing this busy road. You are now walking to the brook across Washingpool Furlong to a stile. Walk east along Toddington Road, past the Wesleyan the Chalgrave parish boundary on the Boundway [The Follow the CHT signs into Chalgrave Parish, turning Methodist Chapel [1842, now a house] to the Pond. Dyke 926]. Take the first footpath on the right, cross right over a small bridge, left along the field edge, Information board 5 is here, and a bench with a back a bridge and follow the signs across the fields once then right to follow the field edge.