Wendover
For other places named "Wendover", see Wendover, Utah, and West Wendover, Nevada.
Wendover is a picturesque market town that sits at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. The mainly arable parish is 5,832 acres (24 km²) in size and boasts many hamlets that nestle in amongst the lush forest on the surrounding hills.
The town name is of Brythonic origin and means "white waters", pertaining to the stream that rises in the adjacent hills and flows through the middle of the town, bringing chalk deposits on its way. The parish church of St Mary sits outside the town to the east on the hillside: a feature that is very common among towns with strong Celtic origins.
The town was once the home of Anne Boleyn whose father held the manor of Aylesbury among his many estates. There is still a row of houses in the town today, known as Anne Boleyn's Cottages. The town is also believed to be the birthplace of the medieval chronicler Roger of Wendover.
The town is also at the end of the now disused Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. Birdlife flourishes along the course of the canal which joins the Grand Union just south of Marsworth.
Today the town is very popular with commuters for London and thus it is a very expensive area in which to live. The popularity is due partly to the town's close proximity to London by road, partly to the railway station in the town on the Aylesbury branch line of the Great Western Railway, and partly because it is so picturesque. The property value has risen dramatically in recent years since the completion of the Wendover Bypass.
There are four schools in the town; The John Hampden School (Age 4-7), Wendover Church of England Junior School (Age 7-11), The John Colet School (Age 11-18) and Wendover House School (Special Educational Needs)
The town is home to racing driver Jackie Stewart and actor David Jason and is a popular stopping off point for the Prime Minister due to its proximity to Chequers. The town is twinned with the town of Liffre, Brittany, France.
The many hamlets in Wendover parish include:
- Cobblers Hill
- Concord
- Dean
- The Hale
- Hazeldean
- Kings Ash
- Little London
- Scrubwood
- Smalldean
- Swan Bottom
- Wendover Dean
- Wendover Marsh
