Little Berkhamsted

Little Berkhamsted is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, five miles south-west of the town of Hertford.

Not to be confused with Berkhamsted.

Little Berkhamsted

St Andrews Church, Little Berkhamsted
Little Berkhamsted
Location within Hertfordshire
Population554 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceTL291077
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHERTFORD
Postcode districtSG13
Dialling code01707
PoliceHertfordshire
FireHertfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

The village is in a hilly location, some 120 metres (400 feet) above sea level. It has a row of weather-boarded cottages opposite St Andrew's Church. Conservative cabinet minister Reginald Maudling (1917–79) and his widow, Beryl, are buried in the churchyard. Nearby there is an Elizabethan house and 'Stratton's Folly', a 1789 brick tower.

There is a shop, a public house (the Five Horseshoes), a playground and a sports field there, and in the summer a traditional hog roast takes place. There is also a day for open gardens, when people can go look at other people's gardens.

History
Stratton's Tower

The manor of Little Berkhampstead is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Berchehamstede when it was held by Hardwin de Scales. The Parish Church of St Andrew is faced with Kentish ragstone and has a wooden bell-cote for three bells. The church was first mentioned in the 12th century but was totally rebuilt in 1647, although little from that date survived reconstruction in the 19th century.[2]

Stratton's Tower (also known as "Stratton's Folly") is a five-storey, 97 ft tall observation tower in the village. It was built in 1789 for John Stratton, Gentleman, who lived at "Gay's", since renamed The Gage. Legend has it that John Stratton was a retired Admiral and that he wanted to see ships in the Thames; however, he was a non-conformist and, as such, would have been unable to hold a commission under the Crown and the earliest known reference to the building describes it as a "Prospect Tower". After being derelict for more than 100 years, it was restored and converted to living accommodation in 1971 by William Tatton Brown. It is a Grade II* Listed Building.[3]

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  2. A History of the County of Hertford: volume 3 (1912), pp. 427-430. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43638&strquery=Little Berkhampstead
  3. English Heritage Listed Building - Stratton Tower

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