Holmer Green

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.66542
longitude= -0.69432
official_name= Holmer Green
population= 4,077
shire_district= Chiltern
shire_county = Buckinghamshire
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Chesham & Amersham
post_town= High Wycombe
postcode_district = HP15
postcode_area= HP
dial_code= 01494
os_grid_reference= SU904971
static_

static_image_caption=Christ Church, Holmer Green

Historically, Holmer Green was a small hamlet in the parish of Little Missenden, in Buckinghamshire, England. Today it is considered a village in its own right even though it looks to the casual observer like a far corner of High Wycombe. It is next to Hazlemere, about three miles (5 km) south of Great Missenden but unlike Hazlemere, Holmer Green is part of both Little Missenden parish and Chiltern District – a reflection of its origins which lie in Little Missenden.

History

Holmer Green is named after the manor of Holmer that covered a significant part of the parish of Little Missenden in the medieval period. The early history of the village is essentially one of people moving out of Little Missenden over the centuries and settling on a large area of heath (now vanished) known as Wycombe Heath or Holmer Heath. The 'Holmer' part of the name was first recorded as "Holeme" in 1208 and is probably Anglo Saxon in origin. It is commonly thought to derive from 'mere in a hollow' which would refer to Holmer Pond. However there are certain factors which don't support this theory and the "-mer" element may actually translate to an old Saxon word meaning 'boundary'. The 'Green' part of the name refers to a large and ancient Green, probably dating from the 13th century that used to exist here but was reduced to a mere 4 acres (16,000 m²) in size in 1854. [ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0955372100 Once Upon a Heath – The Early History of Holmer Green at Amazon.co.uk] ]

The location of the original medieval manor house of Holmer remains obscure, although local historians McLain-Smith and Riches have suggested its location at a moated site in nearby Colemans Wood where they have excavated medieval pottery.

The oldest houses are The Old Rookery, Hollands Farm and Penfold, all of which probably date from the early 16th century when the hamlet thrived due to sheep farming.

During the 19th century, Christina Rossetti and Dante Gabriel Rossetti visited their grandfather Gaetano Polidori's house in the village. It is said that Christina received some of her poetic inspiration from the rural landscape.

In the hundred years between 1850 and 1950, the village became well-known locally for its cherry orchards, and there remain many references to orchards and cherries in road names and house names.

In 2008, the village formally celebrated 800 years of recorded settlement.

Social and Community

The village was subjected to a wave of housing development during the 1960s and early 1970s and now has about 4,000 inhabitants (almost double that of nearby Great Missenden). [ [http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/downloads/Factsheet_Ward_HolmerGreen.pdf Holmer Green Ward Factsheet] ] The big individual developments of the 1960s and 1970's included an expanded range of shops around Turners Place, the Winter's Way estate, the Fox Road and Harries Way estate and the Holmer Court estate (Clementi Avenue). A significant number of newcomers to the village came from Middlesex during that period.

The village has two centres: a commercial centre based around the shops and central crossroads; and a community-oriented centre based around The Common featuring two churches, the village hall, a school, a pub, a children’s playground, and The Common itself.

Holmer Green's most desirable roads range from older roads like Watchet Lane and Penfold Lane through to newer developments like Mead Park. The village's most famous residents are television presenter Fern Britton and her husband celebrity chef Phil Vickery.

Residents jealously guard the village's independence from the Wycombe-based urban sprawl next door. Maintenance of an independent community separate from the Wycombe conurbation has been helped not only by the village's historic connections with the Missendens, Penn Street and Amersham but also by the presence in the village of a full range of amenities including: pre-schools; primary and secondary schools; three different Christian denomination churches (Anglican, Baptist, Methodist); a GP practice; a dental practice; three pubs (The Bat and Ball, The Earl Howe and The Old Oak); two clubs (The British Legion and the Holmer Green Sports Association); and good sports facilities.

Sport and Recreation

The sporting activities hosted by the Holmer Green Sports Association (HGSA) are an important feature of village life. Community Charter status. Football matches and training sessions for some village teams are also held on The Common.

Other sports at HGSA are: a Tennis club and facilities consisting of 3 tennis courts; a Squash club and courts; a Cricket club and cricket square; and a Short Mat Bowls club with a 3-rink outdoor green.

Surrounded as it is by Green Belt countryside, Holmer Green village is well placed for walking, horse riding, and cycling - the Chiltern Heritage Cycling Trail runs right through the centre of the village. [ [http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/downloads/HeritageRedRouteMap_Hampden.pdf The Chiltern Heritage Trail] ]

A Fun fair sets up on The Common for several days in May and September. Scouts, Brownies/Girl Guides, and Boys' Brigade groups also meet regularly in the village.

Places of Interest

* Holmer Green Miniature Railway run by the High Wycombe Model Engineering Club [ [http://www.hwmec.co.uk High Wycombe Model Engineering Club] ]
* Penn Wood - a 450 acre woodland on Holmer Green's southern fringe managed by the Woodland Trust [ [http://www.wt-woods.org.uk/PennWoodBuckinghamshire Woodland Trust - Penn Wood] ]

Education

Holmer Green First school (ages 5-7) and Holmer Green Junior School (ages 7-11) are part of a cluster of local primary schools used by Holmer Green families. A significant proportion of villagers use the Holmer Green schools while others make use of spare places at Little Kingshill School and the Church of England schools at Penn Street and Great Kingshill.

In 2006, Holmer Green Junior School led this cluster of schools at Key Stage 2 and came joint-tenth in the county for aggregated score. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/06/school_tables/primary_schools/html/agg_825.stm BBC School League Tables] ] Previously, Little Kingshill School led the group. All four primary schools are consistently in the top half of KS2 results in Buckinghamshire.

Most Holmer Green children who are not selected for grammar school under Buckinghamshire’s 11+ selective system go to either Holmer Green Senior School or to the Sir William Ramsay School which share a common catchment area. A smaller number go to the Misbourne School and the Amersham School despite both being out of catchment.

Local pupils selected for grammar school at age 11 – about a third of all those who sit the test – have traditionally attended Amersham and Chesham schools: Dr Challoner's Grammar School (boys), Dr Challoner's High School (girls) and Chesham High School (mixed). New catchment areas were implemented by Buckinghamshire Local Education Authority in 2004 so that selected pupils may now attend The Royal Grammar School (boys), Beaconsfield High School (girls), or Wycombe High School (girls). Some selected pupils still choose to attend Chesham High School and John Hampden Grammar School (boys) despite both now being out of catchment.

A number of independent schools are available in nearby villages and towns. The Gateway School [ [http://www.gatewayschool-bucks.co.uk/ The Gateway] ] (primary) and Pipers Corner School [ [http://www.piperscorner.co.uk/ Pipers Corner] ] (primary and secondary girls) are popular with villagers who choose the independent sector.

It is said that Holmer Green people enjoy an unusually wide choice of schools. [ [http://www.holmergreenparents.info/ School Choice for Holmer Green parents] ]

Transport

Holmer Green is near the A404, a main road which connects junctions of the M4, M40 and M25.

Being only a short drive from both Amersham to the east, and High Wycombe to the south-west, the village is suitably located for commuting into London by fast mainline railway on the Chiltern line which takes about 40 minutes, or on the Metropolitan line which is slower. Consequently, some of the working population commute to London every day. The proportion of London commuters is however lower than some surrounding villages – most villagers work in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire or Hertfordshire. Regular bus services connect Holmer Green to High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham and Hemel Hempstead. The village is also up to an hour's drive from all four of London's main international airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted.

Politics and Public Administration

Six parish councillors represent Holmer Green on Little Missenden's ten-seat parish council which has offices at Rossetti Hall in Holmer Green. The councillors are formally independent of political parties. [ [http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/elections2007/downloads/uncontested.pdf Parish Council results 2007] ] Holmer Green has long elected two Conservative district councillors to the Conservative-run Chiltern District Council. Holmer Green is also represented by Conservatives at County, Parliamentary and European levels.

Holmer Green has been part of Chesham and Amersham Parliamentary Constituency since 1974. Between 1950 and 1974, the village formed part of the larger South Buckinghamshire constituency, and prior to 1950, it was a part of the historic Aylesbury constituency. As such, the village was last represented by a non-Conservative in 1923, when the Liberal Thomas Keens was elected.

It is not however 100% accurate to say that Holmer Green has never been represented by a Labour MP. Until quite recently, the far south-west corner of Holmer Green was actually a part of Hughenden parish, Wycombe District and therefore Wycombe constituency. This peculiarity had been a result of the village's steady growth towards Hazlemere and across an old Hundred and parish boundary. Between 1945 and 1951, Wycombe and therefore a handful of Holmer Green houses were represented by Labour MP John Edwin Haire. [Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Political Reference Publications, 1972)]

The peculiarity was addressed and the village finally unified inside Little Missenden parish, Chiltern District and Chesham and Amersham constituency following the movement of the administrative boundary to the top of Sawpit Hill in 1987. [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1987/Uksi_19870339_en_1.htm Boundary changes 1987] ]

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, the Holmer Green electoral ward had a population of 4,077. The ethnicity was 97.8% white, 0.5% mixed race, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% black and 0.2% other. The place of birth of residents was 95.6% United Kingdom, 0.5% Republic of Ireland, 0.9% other Western European countries, and 3% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 77.8% Christian, 0.2% Buddhist, 0% Hindu, 0.2% Sikh, 0.3% Jewish, and 0.6% Muslim. 14% were recorded as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 7% did not state their religion.cite web | title = Neighbourhood Statistics | publisher = Statistics.gov.uk | url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=5948330&c=Holmer+Green&d=14&g=424700&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1208775380843&enc=1&domainId=16 | accessdate = 2008-04-20]

The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 39.9% in full-time employment, 14.1% in part-time employment, 12.5% self-employed, 1.7% unemployed, 2.5% students with jobs, 2.8% students without jobs, 16.4% retired, 7.3% looking after home or family, 1.7% permanently sick or disabled and 1.2% economically inactive for other reasons. The industry of employment of residents was 17% retail, 15.6% manufacturing, 7.9% construction, 19.5% real estate, 9.1% health and social work, 6.9% education, 5.6% transport and communications, 4.1% public administration, 2.6% hotels and restaurants, 3.8% finance, 1.1% agriculture and 6.8% other. Compared with national figures, the ward had a relatively high proportion of workers in real estate and construction. There were a relatively low proportion in public administration, hotels and restaurants. Of the ward's residents aged 16–74, 21.5% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared with 19.9% nationwide.

See also

*Spurlands End
*Beamond End

External links

* [http://www.stuartking.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/falbum/wp/album.php?album=72157603434917989/ Photos of Holmer Green past and present]
* [http://www.pshg.org/ Holmer Green and Penn Street churches]
* [http://www.littlemissendenparish.org.uk/ Little Missenden Parish Church]
* [http://www.hgsa.co.uk/ Holmer Green Sports Association]
* [http://www.hgfc1908.freeserve.co.uk/ Holmer Green Football Club]
* [http://www.holmergreenladies.co.uk/ Holmer Green Ladies Football Club]
* [http://www.hgmfc.co.uk/ Holmer Green Minors Football Club]
* [http://www.afchg.com/ AFC Holmer Green]
* [http://www.holmergreenfirst.bucks.sch.uk/ Holmer Green First School]
* [http://www.holmergreen-jun.bucks.sch.uk/ Holmer Green Junior School]
* [http://www.holmer.bucks.sch.uk/ Holmer Green Senior School]
* [http://www.holmergreenparents.info/ Holmergreenparents.info school choice website]
* [http://www.holmergreenplayers.co.uk/ Holmer Green Players]

References