Iver

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.5206
longitude= -0.5071
official_name= Iver
population= 9,925 [ [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=792141&c=iver&d=16&e=15&g=424953&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1216491208734&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 census] ]
shire_district= South Bucks
shire_county = Buckinghamshire
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Beaconsfield
post_town= IVER
postcode_district = SL0
|postcode_area= SL
dial_code= 01753
os_grid_reference= TQ037810
ambulance_service = ?

Iver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.

Iver railway station is in Richings Park.

The Parish of Iver

The parish of Iver covers about eight square miles (21 km²) and it includes the villages of Iver Heath and Iver. To their south is Richings Park. The center of London is about twenty miles (30 km) away. The parish flanks the Greater London border in the vicinity of Uxbridge for several miles and it is to the east of the town of Slough. Iver Heath, Iver and Richings Park straddle the M25 motorway which is intersected to the north above Iver Heath by the M40, and to the south beneath Richings Park, by the M4.

History of the parish

The village name Iver is Anglo Saxon in origin and means (place by) "the brow of the hill". In the Domesday Book of 1086 the whole area was recorded as "Evreham" or "homestead by the brow of a hill" and it was in the possession of a man called Robert Doiley.

It has been suggested by some that the area is actually named after a contemporary of Doiley, Roger de Iveri, also a Norman gentleman who arrived in England with William the Conqueror. However there are no records to suggest that Iveri ever owned the manor here, although he did own property elsewhere in Buckinghamshire.

The area was (in 1351) granted a Royal charter to hold a weekly market. This charter was confirmed 110 years later in 1461. At that time Iver was a place of some importance.

The family names Eure and Ewer are said to originate from this area.

Notable residents (past and present)

*Sid James
*Linford Christie
*Walter Gilliat – England footballer (1893) and later vicar of Iver
*David Seaman
*Edward Schroeder Prior – architect instrumental in the arts and crafts movement lived at Bridgefoot shown on the postcard above

Village of Iver Heath

Iver Heath is the location of Heatherden Hall, a Victorian estate with spectacular grounds. It was purchased by Lt. Col. Grant Morden, a Canadian financier, who transformed the mansion by adding a huge ballroom and Turkish bath. During the 1930s it became a retreat and private meeting place for politicians and diplomats. The agreement to form the Irish Free State was signed at Heatherden Hall.

When Grant Morden died in 1934 the estate was purchased at auction by Charles Boot who had recently inherited a large construction firm from his father Henry Boot, who died in 1931. Within twelve months Charles Boot transformed Heatherden Hall into the office building for a new movie complex which occupied the grounds. He based his new studios on the latest Hollywood, USA designs of that era. Charles Boot named it Pinewood Film Studios after seeing the large number of pine trees that surrounded the area. The entrance to the studio is on Pinewood Road.

Adjoining the studio complex is Black Park with a lake that extends over 530 acres (2.1 km²). It was used for outdoor sequences in some of the Hammer Films' Dracula horror films, and in the 1964 James Bond film "Goldfinger".

To the south, Black Park is separated from Langley Park by the A412 road. Langley Park covers 130 acres (0.53 km²) and is known for its rhododendron and azalea-filled Temple Gardens.

Iver Heath village itself is centred around a triangle of roads. The village post office is on the Slough Road to the south, while a parade of shops can be found along Church Road to the north. Slough Road and Church Road are connected by Bangors Road North to the east.

The Church of St Margaret was built in 1862.

Iver Heath Drama Club

Iver Heath is also home to the Iver Heath Drama Club. Established by John Hargreves in 1948 they are the most responsible for the construction of the current Village hall. The group enjoy putting on plays and pantomimes and continue to this day. In 2008, it celebrated 60 years by performing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was featured in the local press, and according to the group's facebook site a pantomime is continue its birthday year by being performed early 2009. [ [http://www.ihdc-online.co.uk Iver Heath Drama Club] ] In September 2008, Pinewood Studios became the club's official sponsor. The film studios are helping to fund rent and the forthcoming pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk [ [http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21210035547] ]

Village of Iver

Iver village on the Uxbridge to Langley road has a pre-Domesday foundation in which Neolithic potsheds and other artifacts have been discovered. The village church has fragments of a Saxon window and elements dating from the 15th century, 16th century and 17th century are to be seen. The village has numerous houses from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Richings Park

Richings Park was once the estate of Lord Bathurst. Richings Park mansion was destroyed during World War II and its site is now a residential area with its own shopping facilities. Richings Park mansion was very briefly the home of Bomber Command, and the cellars of the house are still visible in fields now overlooking the M4.

In pop culture

The film Ali G Indahouse made many satirical references to fictional gangster life in Iver Heath. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/03/12/alig_in_da_house_2002_review.shtml BBC Ali G Film review] ] In the Intro of the music video of the hit "Me Julie" by Shaggy and Ali G there is a reference to the Crooked Billet pub, which is just off the Uxbridge road on the Five Points Roundabout.

References