- Nettlebed
-
For the New Zealand cave network, see Nettlebed Cave.
Coordinates: 51°34′41″N 0°59′24″W / 51.578°N 0.990°W
Nettlebed 
Historic pottery kiln
Nettlebed
Nettlebed shown within OxfordshirePopulation 711 (2001 census)[1] OS grid reference SU7086 Parish Nettlebed District South Oxfordshire Shire county Oxfordshire Region South East Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town Henley-on-Thames Postcode district RG9 Dialling code 01491 Police Thames Valley Fire Oxfordshire Ambulance South Central EU Parliament South East England UK Parliament Henley Website Nettlebed Parish Council List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire Nettlebed is a village in England in the Chiltern Hills about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northwest of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Wallingford.
Contents
History
Archaeological finds show that the area around Nettlebed has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times.[2]
The site was frequently travelled through since ancient times, being a pass through the Chiltern Hills used by the road between Oxford and Henley. The road between Henley and Wallingford was made into a turnpike in 1736 and ceased to be a turnpike in 1873.[3] It is now classified the A4130.
The Church of England parish of Saint Bartholomew was originally a chapelry of the adjacent parish of Benson. There is a record of the Empress Matilda giving the benefice of Benson, including chapels at Nettlebed and Warborough, to the Augustinian Abbey at nearby Dorchester, Oxfordshire in about AD 1140.[4] The Mediaeval church building was replaced in 1845-46 by the present building, designed by a member of the Hakewill family of architects.[5] The bell tower has a peal of six bells, all cast in 1846.[6]
From the 14th century Nettlebed became important for brick making, which continued until the 1930s. One remaining pottery kiln is preserved in the village.
The sand used in the manufacture of the first flint glass was sourced from Nettlebed by George Ravencroft in 1674.
Nettlebed pudding stone
Nettlebed Folk Song Club
The village is home to a long-established and highly regarded folk club which holds its concerts on Monday evenings from 8pm at The Village Club in Nettlebed High Street. Nettlebed Folk Song Club was started in July 1975 at the Bull Inn. The club quickly became established as one of the folk music scene's major venues. When the Bull Inn was closed by its owners, Brakspear Brewery in 1991, the club moved to its present venue, which holds 200 people. The Folk Song Club is a volunteer run, non-profit organisation which has featured many top singers and musicians, including many well-known acts such as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Ralph McTell, Lindisfarne, Richard Thompson, Show of Hands, Vin Garbutt, Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick, Eric Bogle and Bill Jones. The Club is also famous for its unique special performances such as 'Feast of Fiddles' and 'Rocks Specials' where a mix of leading national performers and local artists provide themed evenings.[7] Nettlebed Folk Song Club is recognised as one of the top folk venues in the U.K. and in 2002 won the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Club of the Year Award.[8]
Notable residents
Nettlebed church- Celia Johnson, star of the 1945 film Brief Encounter.
- Lucy Fleming, actress
- Peter Fleming, writer and traveller
- Kate Grimond née Fleming, daughter of Celia Johnson, writer and actress, daughter-in-law of Jo Grimond
See also
References
- ^ "Area: Nettlebed CP (Parish): Parish Headcounts". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798669&c=Nettlebed&d=16&e=15&g=481089&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1268955641078&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ^ Nettlebed - a Brief History
- ^ Turnpike Roads in England
- ^ Page, 1907, pages 87-90
- ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 714
- ^ Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, Reading Branch
- ^ Nettlebed Folk Song Club (retrieved 7th February 2011)
- ^ BBC (retrieved 7th February 2011)
Sources
- Page, William (ed.) (1907). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Oxfordshire, Volume 2. pp. 87–90.
- Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 714–715. ISBN 0 14 071045 0.
External links
Media related to Nettlebed at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Villages in Oxfordshire
- Civil parishes in Oxfordshire
- Clubs and societies in England
- Folk music venues
- Music venues in England
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
