Hambleden | |
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Post Office and store |
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Hambleden Church of St. Mary the Virgin |
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Hambleden shown within Buckinghamshire | |
Population | 1,413 1,445 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SU784865 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Henley-on-Thames |
Postcode district | RG9 |
Dialling code | 01491 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Buckinghamshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
EU Parliament | South East England |
UK Parliament | |
Hambleden is a small village and civil parish within Wycombe district in the south of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Marlow, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) north east of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.
The civil parish also includes the villages of Fingest and Frieth, and the hamlets of Colstrope, Mill End, Parmoor, Pheasant's Hill and Skirmett.
The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'crooked or irregularly-shaped hill'. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hanbledene, though previously in 1015 it was known as Hamelan dene. St Thomas Cantilupe, the Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Hereford, was born in Hambleden in 1218. In 1315 a Royal charter was granted to hold a market in the village, and a fair on St Bartholomew's Day (24 August) every year. The charter was reconfirmed in 1321, though appears to have not lasted much longer than this.
The village was a base for US soldiers during the buildup to D-Day in 1944.
The brick and flint cottages in the centre of the village conform to a similar design and have dormer windows topped with red tiles. St Mary's church dates from the 14th century and includes a conspicuous memorial to Cope D'Oyley (who died in 1633) and his family. The tower contains eight bells and the ceiling is quite intricately decorated in parts. The post office in the village serves also as the local shop and cafe.