Pitstone Guide 2011/12 What to do in and around the village CONTENTS Page Welcome to the Pitstone Guide 3 Pitstone’s History 4 Pitstone Today 5 Places of Interest to Visit Pitstone Green Museum 6 Pitstone Windmill 7 Grebe Canal Cruises, Pitstone 8 Ford End Watermill, Ivinghoe 9 Pick Your Own, Great Gap 10 College Lake Nature Reserve, Bulbourne 10 Bridgewater Monument and Visitor Centre, Ashridge 11 Other nearby places of interest 11 Churches and Church Services St Mary’s Church, Pitstone 12 St Mary the Virgin Church, Ivinghoe 13-16 Ivinghoe WRU Church 16 Venues Pitstone Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground 17-19 Pitstone Pavilion and Football Pitches 19 Yardley Avenue Sheltered Accommodation Lounge 20 Ivinghoe Town Hall 21 Sure Start Centre, Ivinghoe 22 Rose and Crown, Ivinghoe 23 Bell public House, Pitstone 24 Sports, Activities and Clubs 25-27 30-36 Village Map 26-27 Local Walks 37-41 Local Cycle Routes 42 Allotments 43 Youth Café 44 Charities Benefitting Parishoners 45-47 Help for Parishoners - Transport 48 Volunteering Opportunities 49-51 General Information 52-54 Your Local Councillors 55 Published October, 2011 2 WELCOME TO THE PITSTONE GUIDE In the spring, Pitstone Parish Council undertook a Sports and Leisure survey to identify the type of additional provision that you would like to see within our village. As well as identifying the type of facilities we need to investigate, we also received many pleas to inform you of the activities that are already on offer. This guide is aimed to bridge that gap and provide other information about our local area that may be particularly useful to our newer residents. You will hear more about the other possible sports facilities that have been identified over the com- ing months, so do look out for further communications from us. We have included details of all known local clubs, and where an activity isn’t currently available in Pitstone, we have tried to track down the nearest provider for you. We are very proud of our rural parish, set within some of the most beautiful countryside in England and we hope you are too. This was recognised in June when we were awarded Run- ner Up in Buckinghamshire’s Best Kept Village Competition. As you will find within the pages of this guide, there are plenty of walks and cycle rides that will let you take in some of the breathtaking views in our area. The parish and the surrounding area is steeped in fascinating history and there are plenty of opportunities for you to experi- ence this. We are also a vibrant village and you will probably be surprised at the extent of activities available within our community, or just a short distance away. The first parish council in Pitstone was established at the end of 1894 and consisted of just five seats. Today our council is comprised of ten elected members of the village, who give their time voluntarily because they are passionate about Pitstone and enhancing the lives of those who live within it. We are there to represent you, and drive forward the initiatives that you identify as being important to our community. We welcome all your views and encourage you to attend our meetings or become involved in our committees, working parties and com- munity groups. You are welcome to contact any member of the parish council, or our clerk, about local issues, and you will find all our contact details at the back of this guide. If there is information that you would like to see in this guide that doesn’t appear at present please let us know as the information may be of benefit to other residents as well and we hope to update the guide annually. Bob Saintey, Chairman of Pitstone Parish Council Distance in Miles: Tring – 3.5 Berkhamsted – 7.5 Aylesbury – 9.5 Dunstable – 7 Leighton Buzzard – 8 Hemel Hempstead – 11.5 3 PITSTONE’S HISTORY In ancient times, herds of red deer, giant deer and oxen roamed the area. Their fossilised bones were found during excavation for cement production at Quarry 3, which is now College Lake, along with hippopotamus, rhinoceros and mammoth bones. Evidence of a settlement in Pitstone (formerly Pightlesthorn) dates back to as early as the 6th Century. There have been findings of Iron Age and Roman material, indicating this area was extensively inhabited. Several ancient trackways linking the Chilterns to the Vale have been found. In addition several moated sites and Scheduled Ancient Monuments have also been identified. The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Picel's thorn tree'. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Pincelestorne. Pitstone was given to the abbey at Ashridge by the Earl of Cornwall in 1283. In 1290 King Edward I (right) spent Christmas in Pitstone at the estate that had been given to the abbey. He stayed for five weeks, during which time he held parliament in Ashridge. His stay caused great inconvenience to the local inhabitants of the village, who were legally obliged to keep the king and his court. Pitstone was originally a farming community, including Pitstone Green Farm which is now our museum. This farm was once an important employer within the village. Farming included seasonal fruit picking such as the local plum, often known as the Aylesbury Prune, which was very popular up until the Second World War. Cereals were the most important crops (hence the windmill and old watermill and bakery located in The Mill House and Brook End Mill on the Whistlebrook and parish boundary). Although thousands of Aylesbury Ducks were fattened each year for the London market, the most important livestock was sheep. In 1866, there were 534 sheep on Pitstone Green Farm. Pitstone was also an important supplier of straw plait to the thriving hat industry in Luton, and plait schools existed in cottages where children as young as 4 were sent to learn to plait. In the 1930’s Pitstone cement works opened, which was run by The Tunnel Portland Cement Co Ltd and operated until 1991. During this time village life was dominated by the cement works, which gave work to local people. However there was a constant battle with dust and other negative environmental impacts. The site has now been demolished and has been redeveloped for housing and business use. The new housing district is named 'Castlemead' (after the Castle Cement Company who were the last operators of the site) and the business area contains numerous units, offering new opportunities for local employment. A comprehensive illustrated history of Pitstone can be found in “Pitstone 2000”. If you don’t have a copy of this book, please contact the parish clerk who will be happy to supply one free-of-charge. 4 PITSTONE TODAY Only a few of the buildings built before 1800 still exist. These include Sparrow Thatch and Robin Cottage in Chequers Lane, Moat Farm in Vicarage Road, Whitefriars in Old Farm, Cocksparrow Cottage on Marsworth Road and 4 thatched cottages at The Green. Over the years, many housing developments have been created, the most recent and extensive being the Castlemead estate which is still under construction. Plans are still being formed for a new village centre which will lie around the existing recreation ground and provide a focal point for Pitstone, joining the old with the new. We are lucky enough to live in a village where our landscape is characterised by gently undulating hills lying before the Chiltern foothills. The area is crossed by numerous streams and brooks fed by local springs. The Grand Union Canal wraps around the west and north, and you can still see extensive arable farming. In the wetter areas you will find willow trees and on the higher ground, plenty of oak and ash. The village benefits from several employment opportunities with the introduction of the business park and several well established firms such as Goodrich Engineering, White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors and Grebe Canal Cruises. Pitstone also has excellent education provision, with Windmill Pre- School recently being awarded “outstanding” status by OFSTED and Brookmead Primary School the best performing primary school in the local area. The last Census was undertaken just this year and the results won’t be known until 2013. However, we do know from the previous Census in 2001 that Pitstone had a total population of 2,343. Today, we have almost that many adults that are eligible to vote plus our children, so our population has grown steeply and is likely to continue to do so over the next 5-10 years. Housing development in the parish has already funded (or part funded) many community benefits such as the extension to the Memorial Hall, cycle paths, the sports pavilion and football pitches, children’s play equipment, the provision of open space and the allotments. The Sports and Leisure Survey you completed earlier this year is now helping to shape the development plans for further recreational facilities that will be available to all our residents. So this is a very exciting time for our parish, as our future begins to unfold. It is really important that the village develops in the way that the existing residents wish and we thank all of you that have taken the time to complete our surveys and attend our consultations. Look out for more events over the coming months and do come along and tell us your views. The future of your village is in the making. 5 PLACES OF INTEREST TO VISIT - PITSTONE Pitstone Green Museum, Pitstone Located in Vicarage Road, opposite the Memorial Hall.