Ley Hill

Ley Hill is a Chiltern village on the Bucks/Herts border near the town of Chesham in the south-east England. It is part of the civil parish of Latimer, and comes under Chiltern District Council in the County of Buckinghamshire. Ley Hill lies in the Chiltern Hills and is continuous with Botley.

Symbols

The golf club uses the green woodpecker as its symbol. The School uses the owl as its symbol. The cricket club uses an oak tree as its symbol and "The Swan" pub is named after the swan which is the symbol of Bucks County. In 2000 a village sign was hung up on the Common which incorporates an owl as the unofficial village emblem.

The Common

The village has a large common, which is used by Chesham and Ley Hill Golf Club. Golf has been played on the Common since about 1900.

Pubs

There are two pubs on the Common called The Swan and The Crown that both serve food.

The Swan was built in about 1520. In 1680 the timber framed building consists of three cottages with five extensions, oak beamed ceilings and pillars, a kitchen range and an Inglenook fireplace. It is reputedly one of the oldest pub in Buckinghamshire. During the war the "Snug" was a sub post office. Clark Gable and James Stewart were frequent visitors during WWII, and signed photographs were displayed in the bar for many years. They cycled from Bovingdon airbase.

Churches

The village has an Anglican Church called St George's at Tyler's Hill which was built in 1871.

There is a Methodist Chapel on the Green which was built in 1887. The Methodist Church was founded in 1840 as part of the Primitive Methodist tradition and used to meet in local houses. The first Chapel was built in 1846. Today the church has a congregation of all ages, with activities for young and old.

The Baptist Chapel was built in 1833, as a branch of the Lower Baptist Church in Chesham (now Trinity Baptist), and it closed in 1908 when the people joined the Methodist Church.

School

Ley Hill School is a well-respected primary school.

Cricket

Ley Hill Cricket Club is a village-standard club competing in the Mid Bucks League. The club has four senior sides, as well as junior sides from Under 9s upwards. In 2006 the club became the first in Buckinghamshire to receive Clubmark accreditation.

Local Industries

Local industries include agriculture and brick-making. Historically the village also had tile making and pottery, which are remembered in the local names of Tyler's Hill and Kiln Lane. In the mid 1980s an extensive late medieval tile kiln (approx 1400) was found while excavating an extension in Joiners Close.

References

* Gavin Darvell "John Wilson – Fact or Fiction"
* Neil Rees "The Life of a Village Chapel – The History of Ley Hill Methodist Church"(these booklets are available from Chesham Library)

External links

* [http://www.leyhill.org.uk/ Ley Hill village]
* [http://www.leyhill.bucks.sch.uk/ Ley Hill School]
* [http://www.swan-ley-hill.com/ The Swan, Ley Hill]
* [http://www.lhcc.org/ Ley Hill Cricket Club]
* [http://www.cheshamgolf.co.uk/ Chesham & Ley Hill Golf Club]
* [http://www.greatchesham.org.uk/StGeorges/stgeorgemain.html St George's Church]