Winslow, Buckinghamshire

Winslow

St Laurence's parish church
Winslow
Winslow shown within Buckinghamshire
Population 4,407 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference SP7627
Civil parish
  • Winslow
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Buckingham
Postcode district MK18
Dialling code 01296
Police Thames Valley
Fire Buckinghamshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament

Winslow is a market town and civil parish designated as a town council in the Aylesbury Vale district of north Buckinghamshire. It has a population of just over 4,400.[1]

History

Winslow was first recorded in a royal charter of 792–93 in which it was granted by Offa of Mercia to St Albans Abbey as Wineshauue,[2] which means Wine's Burial Mound[3] The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Weneslai.

A late Celtic copper torc has been found here, and also a silver drinking-cup of late Roman design.[4]

Notable buildings

Winslow Hall sits on the main road leading into the town from Aylesbury. It was built possibly from the designs of Sir Christopher Wren by William Lowndes, secretary to the Treasury.[4] His name and the date 1700 can be seen on the frieze over the door. The Anglican parish church in High Street, dating from about 1320[4] is dedicated to St. Laurence (St Laurence's Church, Winslow), and is twinned with St Paul's Church in Winslow, Arizona.[5] The church has a ring of 8 bells,[4] the heaviest weighing 19 long cwt (970 kg).

The half-timbered Bell Hotel was first recorded in the late 16th century[6] and soon became the main hostelry in the town.[4]

Keach's Baptist Chapel, dating from 1695 in its present form, is probably the oldest surviving nonconformist chapel in Buckinghamshire.[7]

Main roads

Leisure

Winslow High Street

The Whaddon Chase fox hunt has traditionally met in Winslow Market Square every Boxing Day for many years. The occasion is very well attended with over 1,000 people visiting the town on Boxing Day each year. The Silver Band from the nearby village of Great Horwood playing Christmas carols have often been in attendance. Other annual events in the town include a beer festival in March, and the Winslow Show, a gymkhana and agricultural show held every August on Sheep Street, across the road from Winslow Hall.

Winslow Hall Opera, formerly known as Stowe Opera, was reformed after a gap of six years. Since 2012 it has been performed in the grounds of Winslow Hall.[8]

The Lions Club of Winslow meets on the second Wednesday of every month in the Bell Hotel in the town, and prides itself on helping the community of Winslow and the surrounding areas.

In 2017, Sir Thomas Fremantle's new school site has brought a much needed expansion of sporting facilities to the town. These include a four-court sports hall, large dance studio, fitness suite and a range of all-weather pitches.

Modern housing developments

Verney Road Estate - Phase 1 - Built in the 2010s by Bellway and Cala Homes

Phase 2 - Built in 2015 by Bloor Homes

Phase 3 - Built in 2016/17 by Bloor Homes

Phase 4 - Going through planning process (Bloor)

Phase 5 - Planned in the 2020s as stated in the Winslow Neighbourhood Plan (WNP)

Land at Tinkers End - Also planned in the WNP and going through planning process.

Transport

The A413 road linking Buckingham and Aylesbury, runs through the centre of Winslow, forming the high street. This was originally the Wendover to Buckingham Turnpike, which was diverted to go through Winslow by Act of Parliament in 1742.[9]

Until the late 1960s,[10] the town had its own railway station on the "Varsity Line" (Oxford/Cambridge), with a spur to Aylesbury (from Claydon LNE Junction). As part of the East West Rail project, the line is to be reopened by 2025,[11][12] and a new station is to be built on the western outskirts of the town. When in operation, it is to provide new rail connections with London, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury and Oxford.[13][14]

The Sustrans National Cycle Route 51 (Oxford – Colchester) goes east–west through Winslow, via Milton Keynes or Bicester. A 5.6-mile (9.0 km) shared use path between Buckingham and Winslow was completed in 2017. [15]

Bus services to and through Winslow include the x60 Aylesbury – Milton Keynes express, the route 60 Aylesbury – Buckingham, and the route 50 Milton Keynes – Winslow. There are also numberous Winslow Community Bus Services.

Winslow town council

Winslow Town Council (WTC) is a group of 12 members, split into 4 committees : Amenities, Development, Events, and Finances and General Purposes. The Town Council meets around once a month.[16]

Education

Winslow is home to Furze Down School for children with special educational needs, aged 5–19. The town is also served by Winslow Church of England Combined School, which is a mixed, voluntary controlled primary school, that takes children from ages four to eleven. As of 2018, the school has approximately 520 pupils (as of 2018) and the headteacher is Mrs Colmer (there is no deputy head). State Secondary schools for Winslow children are the highly rated Sir Thomas Fremantle School, Buckingham School and the Royal Latin School in nearby Buckingham, and the Cottesloe School in Wing.

Sport

The local football team are Winslow United who play in division one of the Spartan South Midlands Football League.

Winslow RUFC were formed in 1992 and play at the Winslow Centre (the old school) in the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Championship. Their Clubhouse is currently based at the Nags Head on Sheep Street.

Winslow Town Cricket Club, which is based at Elmfield's Gate, next to the football pitch, currently field three men's Saturday teams. Two teams play in the Morrants Four Counties League: the first XI play in Division 1 and the seconds in Division 4. The third XI play mainly at Winslow's secondary pitch at Padbury near Buckingham. The club also fields a Sunday team, which plays other local Sunday teams, and fields many youth teams, ranging from Under 9s to under 15s.

Twin towns

Winslow is twinned with:

References

  1. 1 2 "Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 Census". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  2. ↑ Electronic Sawyer nos.136a and 138
  3. ↑ Ekwall, Eilert (1977). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Parishes, Winslow – Victoria History of the Counties of England
  5. ↑ "Benefice Profile" (PDF). Retrieved 24 April 2007.
  6. ↑ "The Bell Inn / Hotel". Winslow History. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Winslow Chapels". Winslow History. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Winslow Hall Opera". Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Turnpike". Winslow History. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Butt (1995), p. 252.
  11. ↑ "Chancellor accepts East West Rail targets and strengthens plans with extra cash". www.railtechnologymagazine.com.
  12. ↑ Transport Secretary officially launches East West Railway Company at Bletchley Park East West Rail, 22 November 2017
  13. ↑ "Prospectus" (PDF). East West Rail Consortium. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  14. ↑ RAIL. Bauer Media Group (685): 10–11. 14–28 December 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ Winslow cycleway nears completion as East West Rail gets new impetus Buckinghamshire County Council, 23.12.2016
  16. ↑ Winslow Town Council
  17. ↑ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Winslow Anglo French Twinning Association". Retrieved 23 April 2007.

Sources

  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
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