Frithsden

Frithsden (IPA: frɪzdən) is a small hamlet in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about two miles north of Berkhamsted, to which it belongs.

The village name is derived from the wood "le Fryth" (me. frith »wood«) [Allen Mawer, F.M. Stenton: "The place-names of Hertfordschire"; Cambridge University Press 1938] . It is first mentioned 1291 as "Frithesdene" (»valley of the wood«).

West of the hamlet bordering to Ashridge Park are the "Frithsden Beeches", a wood left to the nature, with large beeches. Scenes for the Harry Potter film, The Goblet of Fire, have been filmed in this wood.

Frithsden, together with the neighbouring hamlets Nettleden and Potten End, is famous for its black cherries and the villagers held in July their annual cherry fair. They also claim to have originated the Cherry Bounce and the Cherry Turnover [Doris Jones-Baker: "The Folklore of Hertfordshire"; 1977. ISBN 0 87471 925 9] . The village has also a winery, the Frithsden Vineyard.

References