Archive for 2007
Birchanger, Essex
The village is based around a hill, at the foot of which is the river Stort (a tributary of the River Lea). The village was recorded in the 1086 Domesday book with the name Bilchangra, though the village is much earlier than this, evidenced by the village church, parts of which date back to Saxon [...]
Ashen, Essex
A lovely wooden sign, showing the church, and a “flying fortress” bomber.
Ashen has been inhabited since at least the Bronze Age, as evidenced by a bronze axehead found in the area. There is also evidence of Roman and Saxon settlement in th earea, and after the There are a number of old houses in Ashen, [...]Whaddon, Cambs
Whaddon derives from ‘Wheat Hill’, is mentioned in the Domesday book and very likely predates that document by some considerable time.
The village sign was erected in 1994, at which time it was quite brightly painted. I’m not sure what happened for it to appear in the state shown above. The sheaf of corn represents wheat [...]Papworth Everard, Cambs
A wonderful cartoon dragon, signifying Pendragon Hill to the north of the village, is the main motif on this sign. The sign was first erected in 1988, but by 2002 was in a sorry state being heavily waterlogged and suffering from surface damage caused by frost and general weathering. This resulted in peeling paint and [...]
Longstowe, Cambs
The local church of St Mary’s features prominently, above scenes of rural life. The church is unspectacular, having been largely rebuilt on the 1800’s.
The racehorse Golden Miller also features on the sign, having been trained locally. Owned by the legendary Dorothy Padgett, Golden Miller was to chalk up a remarkable five successive victories in the [...]Hilton, Cambs
The sign in Hilton is located by a bus stop on the B1040.
The village’s main attraction is a turf maze built (by a William Sparrow) in the 1660’s on the green near to St Mary Magdalene church. A memorial to Mr Sparrow sits at the centre of the maze. The church dates mainly to [...]Harston, Cambs
This sign is situated on the now much-dimished green (a small patch of grass on a road junction). A honey skip (beehive) and rookery are depicted, whilst the lower half of the sign refers to the fact that the village is well supplied with excellent water, derived from many artesian wells and springs in the [...]
Great Staughton, Cambs
Great Staughton consists of three distinct areas: The Highway (where the village sign is located), the Town, and the Moor.
I suspect the sign shows all three of these areas, as the 13thC St Andrew’s Church is in the Town, the Sundial (dated to 1637) is on the Highway close to the sign, and the [...]Gamlingay, Cambs
Front and back of this sign have slightly different designs, but St Mary’s Church, the most impressive in the area according to Pevsner, appears on both.
The name of the village is from the Saxon, “Gamlin’s Hae” or Gamlin’s Island, as the area at one time was quite marshy. A great fire in 1660 destroyed [...]Cheveley, Cambs
Cheveley is close to Newmarket and the Cheveley Stud, and this connection is shown on the sign by the presence of the horse and foal.
The village boasts a 12thC flint-built church, with an unusual octagonal tower and attached Barbican (also depicted on the sign), and also the remains of a ruined castle. Chevely Park [...]