This Millenium sign seems to show a collection of villagers, with the church in the background. The sign is apparently a copy of an earlier sign, the original wood carving of which is displayed in the village hall.

By the time the Domesday Book was completed (1086), the small community of Aston (known then as Estone), was made up of about twenty-five families and included a priest. So it seems that there was a church at that time and it was almost certainly on the site of the present Aston St Mary’s, which was dedicated in 1505. Prior to this, in 1430 and 1490 Aston Church was referred to as “St. James”.

St. Mary’s Church stands on high ground to the West of the village. The original roof was thatched and the ridge marks of this roof can still be seen on the East side of the tower.

During World War II, Aston House, opposite the church (demolished in the 60’s) was occupied by the Special Operations Executive (possibly some of the people on the sign?), engaged in the design, testing and production of explosives and secret weapons for use in sabotage operations and guerilla warfare.

Aston House, Station 12

Aston – Wikipedia
Aston – British History Online

Aston, OS Grid Ref: TL 272 226

A simple sign, of painted boards, topped by a small carving of a fox, which would appear to be a motif of the village, being also the name of the local pub. The nearby All Saints church is topped with some of the most spectacular gargoyles in the county!

Willian: Hertfordshire Genealogy
Willian: Wikipedia

Willian Village, OS Grid Ref: TL 224 306

Another Millenium memorial sign, this sits on one corner of the triangular village green. Tewin has most of the features typical of English country villages, a Church, two pubs, a village green, a red telephone box and a shop and post office. The river Mimram runs to the south, and is depicted on the sign, along with various motifs of country life, including a badger, fruits, flowers, children playing on the green and the village church, St Peter’s.

The village name has Saxon roots, as God’s meadow (Tew’s ing). A tombstone in the churchyard, a short distance south of the main village is split by Sycamore and Ash trees. The tomb belongs to Lady Anne Grimston (d 1710), who professed a cynicism concerning the afterlife. The story goes that she predicted her tomb would be split if such a thing existed – though it would of course have been easily arranged for seeds to be buried with her…
The singer, Kim Wylde attended Junior School here in Tewin.

Old School House, Tewin: A Dickensian Schoolhouse

Tewin Village web site

Tewin, OS Grid Ref: TL 272 147

This sign on the village green, is very modern in design, in stark contrast to the picturesque old church across the road.

Note the spelling, which differs from that shown on the OS map. Road signs in the area show one or the other of the alternate spellings: St Ippolyts or St Ippollits.

St. Ippolyts: A Country Parish in the Nineteenth Century
Yeomen of Ippolyts: A Country Parish Before 1800

St Ippolyts Church
St Ippolyts Parish Council
St Ippolyts on Herts Genealogy
St Ippolyts: Wikipedia

St Ippolyts OS Grid Ref: TL 198 271

On one side is shown the church, Peter the Wild Boy, and a representation of the old North West Railway which passes nearby. On the other (shown above) is the Grand Union Canal and what I assume to be the old Manor House. The black and white building inset on the right is the Almshouses.

St Marys, Northchurch

Dacorum Borough Council: Northchurch

Northchurch description on Herts Genealogy

Northchurch, OS Grid ref: SP 974 086

Created for the Millenium, the sign shows the River Ash, in whose valley the village lies. Also shown are the church, a ‘tree of life’ (which is based upon a window in the church), a pair of sheep which are kept locally, and a Tudor Rose. Henry VII’s father was born in the village.

More recently, sculptor Henry Moore lived nearby from 1940 until his death in 1986. The Henry Moore Foundation looks after his studio complex and his famous works. Although visits to the sculptures’ permanent showplace in the rural surroundings are limited and by arrangement only, many can be seen from the public footpaths around the Foundation. Moore’s 1953 “Heads of a King and Queen” is in the churchyard at Much Hadham.

Hadham Community web site

Much Hadham genealogy

Much Hadham: Wikipedia

Much Hadham, OS Grid Ref: TL 428 193

This sign sits at the edge of the common, at the southern end of the town. It shows the town crest, topped with the county Hart.

Harpenden is probably a bit too large to be properly called a village these days. It’s a sizable commuter town, between Luton and St Albans.

Harpenden Town Council

Harpenden Village History

Harpenden: Wikipedia

Harpenden, OS Grid Ref: TL 136 136

A poorly maintained sign, the plastic weatherproof coating was badly cracked and in need of replacement whenn I visited. I understand that it was replaced in April 2007. I must try to revisit to get an updated photo!

It’s interesting to note that the village name is actually mispelt on the sign! On the OS map, the name is given as Furneux Pelham, with no ‘a’. The name originates from the 13C Norman family: ‘de Furneux’, so the spelling without the ‘a’ would appear to be the correct one.

The village used to boast it’s own brewery, but this is now a housing estate.  The memory lives on though, in the name of the village pub.

Community web site

The Brewery Tap

Furneux Pelham, OS Grid ref: TL 435 277

The village sign was erected to mark the start of the new millennium in 2000. It was paid for by donations and from fund raising events, and stands on the village green to the west of the cross-roads and near the Datchworth Museum. The original ideas for the design were based on suggestions from the pupils of the village school and show a number of important aspects that make Datchworth the village that it is.

Standing at the eastern side of Datchworth Green is the whipping post. Its last recorded use was on 27th July 1665 when two ‘vagabonds’ were publicly flogged. Stocks stood near the post too, but there is no trace of them now. The stocks are thought to have been removed in 1899.

Datchworth Village web site

All Saints, Datchworth

Datchworth: British History Online

Datchworth, OS Grid Ref: TL 270 190

The motifs shown include the local church, a timbered hostelry which is the oldest documented licensed premises in Hertfordshire; the George and Dragon (now the As You Like It restaurant, across the road from the sign), the coat of arms of John Penne (barber-surgeon to Henry VIII and a local landowner), and a carved dog (which can be found in the church). A useful information board stands near the sign, showing points of interest in the parish.

Codicote Local History Society

St Giles, Codicote

Codicote: British History Online

Codicote, OS Grid Ref: TL216 182