Ashwell Bury

Ashwell is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire situated 4 miles (6 km) north-east of Baldock.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Ashwell, in the English county of Hertfordshire, is the Anglican parish church for the village. It comes under the Diocese of St Albans and is one of the largest village churches in the county. The Church is part of a wider benefice, together with St Nicholas', Hinxworth and St Vincent's, Newnham, and the Rector of all three parishes is Reverend Christine Campbell, who was licensed to the parishes in September 2021. As a village church in the heart of the community, St Mary’s exists "to welcome everyone and share the love and life of Christ with all, through our worship, teaching and life together, now and into the future".The church dates almost entirely from the 14th century and is renowned for its ornate tower which stands at 176 feet (54 m) and which is crowned by an octagonal lantern with a leaded flèche or spire. The church also contains some medieval graffiti carved on its walls which highlights the plight of survivors of the bubonic plague pandemic known as the Black Death. The church has been Grade I listed since 1968.Today St Mary's is a popular venue for music concerts and festivals, including the Ashwell Music Festival.

Ashwell Springs is a 0.3-hectare (0.74-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Ashwell in Hertfordshire, England. The local planning authority is North Hertfordshire District Council.The site consists of a series of freshwater springs, which form a source for the River Cam. Due to the low temperatures of the spring pools, they provide a habitat for cold water, invertebrate animals, some of which are rare. The site is particularly important for flatworms, including Crenobia alpina and the Polycelis felina. The pools are surrounded by grassland which provide shade for the water.There is access from the High Street and by a footpath from Hodwell.

Ashwell War Memorial is a war memorial cross in the village of Ashwell in North Hertfordshire, England. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1922, one of 15 war crosses designed by Lutyens to similar designs erected between 1920 and 1925. It is a Grade II listed building. A parish war memorial committee was formed in Ashwell in 1919, chaired by a local brewer Wolverley Attwood Fordham. The committee requested design proposals from the architects Sir Reginald Blomfield, and Sir Edwin Lutyens, and from a local building firm, Tappers, before deciding to commission a cross designed by Lutyens. The memorial was constructed built by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts, who also built Lutyens' Cenotaph in Whitehall, at a cost of £557, including a fee of nearly £43 for Lutyens. The memorial is located on the east side of Ashwell village, to the west side of the junction of Lucas Lane and Station Road. It comprises a tapering Portland stone war cross, standing on a square plinth and podium, on a circular stone base of only two steps rather than the usual three, surrounded by grass. The memorial is raised above the road junction by a stone retaining wall with a flight of six steps. The cross bears several inscriptions: to the front "IN HONOUR OF THE MEN OF / ASHWELL WHO FOUGHT IN THE / GREAT WAR AND IN LOVING / MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL / OUR GLORIOUS DEAD" then some names then the inscription "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE". The south side bears the date "1914" and more names, and the north side bears the date "1919" and yet more names. Further names were inscribed on the podium later to record the war dead from the Second World War. It bears 42 names in all. The memorial was unveiled on 4 December 1921 by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Thomas Brand, 3rd Viscount Hampden. It became a Grade II listed building in November 1984.

Arbury Banks is a hill fort southwest of Ashwell, Hertfordshire, England. It was probably first constructed during the late Bronze Age, 1000-700 BC. Standing at 90 m (300 ft) above sea level, it is one of a line of six similar hill forts along the northern Chilterns that includes Wilbury Hill Camp southwest of Letchworth. Excavations in the 1850s traced Arbury Banks' horseshoe-shaped ramparts and identified two opposed north-north-west and south-south-east entrances. Evidence was also discovered for several enclosures or buildings inside the fort. Arbury Banks has been suggested as a possible location for the Battle of Watling Street, where a small Roman force destroyed the army of Boudica.The site is a scheduled monument.Ordnance Survey grid reference: TL261387

Ashwell Quarry and Quarry Springs is a three hectare nature reserve managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust near Ashwell in Hertfordshire. Ashwell Quarry is owned by a local farmer, and Quarry Springs by Hertfordshire County Council. It is a Regionally Important Geological Site.The quarry may date to Roman times and its Totternhoe stone was probably used to build Ashwell's fourteenth-century church. In the nineteenth century it was grazed by sheep, adding the nutrients required for wild flowers which need soils which are dry and chalky. In 1970 it became a nature reserve. Plants include pyramidal orchid, clustered bellflower and glaucous sedge, and there are rare mosses in shaded hollows. Quarry Springs has rare wildlife such as flatworms which need water which is clean and at a constant temperature around 10 degrees Celsius.A permit is required from the local warden of the Wildlife Trust for entry to Ashwell Quarry, which is a mile west of Ashwell, on the Hinxworth Road opposite Loves Lane. Quarry Springs is on the opposite side of the road to the quarry.

Bygrave is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about 2 miles north-east of Baldock. In the 10th century the parish was called Bigraffan and 11th to 16th centuries Bigrave. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 306. A reservoir is situated behind the Old Rectory and used for irrigation of potato crops by Manor Farm. The village stands on a clay-capped hill, a defensive position where the original settlement was surrounded by moats built in 1386 which can still be seen today. From these defences, the whole parish bounded by Icknield Way, the Great North Road, the Cat Ditch and a ridge to the north would have been visible. The village church is St Margaret's and is dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, while the site on which it stands dates from at least Saxon times with two phases of Saxon construction from 8th-10th centuries. Some Romano-British pottery, pre-dating the present church by several centuries was found under the north nave wall indicating a much earlier settlement on this site. This church has carvings of the ancient game of Nine Men Morris on the frames of the chancel windows. There are wall paintings that date from the mid fifteenth century. A notable rector here was George Coke who went on to be the bishop of Hereford. The Church is open at weekends only and the key is available from the churchwardens. The peaceful lane leading to the church was once the centre of a busy village and known as the Market Place and flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries. There was a 3-day annual fair beginning at the feast of St Margaret. The date was changed to Easter Monday and survived until Victorian days. The Manor Farm has contributed much to the life of this village, from when most people living there were actually employed on the farm, to the present day. Sheep are still grazed on the Common. There is also a tiny airfield used for microlight aircraft.

The Church of St Margaret of Antioch is the Anglican parish church for the village of Bygrave in Hertfordshire. Dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, the church has been a Grade II* listed building since 1968 and comes under the Diocese of St Albans.The site of the church dates from at least Saxon times with two phases of Saxon construction from the 8th to 10th centuries. Some Romano-British pottery, pre-dating the present church by several centuries, was found under the north nave wall during excavations in 1993 indicating a much earlier settlement on this site. Pevsner states that the bricks in the East angles of the nave are Roman. The walls are clunch with brick and flint rubble and are plastered. The chancel measures 25 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 6 in., the nave 31 ft. by 20 ft. 6 in., and the south porch 6 ft. by 5 ft., with all dimensions being measured internally. The nave is the earliest part of the church, and belongs to the 12th century, the chancel to the latter part of the 14th century, and the west turret to the 15th century, at which time windows were altered and the rood stair was built. On the south side of the chancel is a 14th-century moulded and arched piscina, and on the north side is an arched niche for a tomb. The church has carvings of the ancient game of nine men's morris on the frames of the chancel windows. There are fragments of wall paintings on the West and North chancel walls that date from the 14th century. The nave has a window in each of its north, south and west walls consisting of two cinquefoiled lights under square heads. The glass is modern and includes a stained glass Millennium Window of 2001 by Michael Lassen. The north doorway has been blocked while the south doorway is of the 12th century, but has been considerably restored. The south porch dates to the 18th century. The small semi-octagonal turret against the west wall on the south side of the west window gives access to the bell, which is dated 1718.The octagonal baptismal font is 15th century and stands on a square base. The sides of the basin have rectangular sunk panels, carved with the instruments of the Passion of Christ while round the stem are displayed angels holding shields. The font's wooden cover is Gothic of about the 18th century. The rood screen dates to the 15th century and has a carving of the Royal Arms on the cornice dating to the end of the 17th century. The altar and communion rails also date to the 17th century. The church has some 15th-century bench ends with poppy heads together with some plain old seating. A few fragments of 15th-century glass have been set in the nave windows.The pulpit is Victorian but incorporates panels dating to the 15th century, while fixed to it is a 17th-century wrought-iron hour-glass stand. By the west wall of the churchyard is an old stone coffin without a lid.A notable rector here was George Coke who went on to be the Bishop of Hereford.The Church is open at weekends only and the key is available from the churchwardens.

Steeple Morden is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 15 miles (24 km) south west of Cambridge and 5 miles (8 km) west of Royston. It is part of the South Cambridgeshire local government district. The parish is combined with the parishes of Abington Pigotts, Guilden Morden and Tadlow to form "The Mordens" ward, which is represented on South Cambridgeshire District Council by one councillor.

Newnham is a small village and civil parish near Ashwell in the North Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It shares a grouped parish council with neighbouring Caldecote, called Caldecote and Newnham Parish Council, although the two remain separate civil parishes.The parish church is St Vincent's and features several medieval wall murals. The solicitor and historian Reginald Hine (1883-1949) was born in Newnham Hall. Statistics are not available for Newnham alone for the 2011 Census. Due to the small population of the parish and its neighbours, statistics are presented jointly for the three parishes of Caldecote, Newnham and Radwell, in order to protect individuals' privacy. The combined population of these three parishes was 209.

Hinxworth Place is a medieval manor house near Hinxworth, Hertfordshire, England. Formerly the Manor of Pulters, building was started c. 1390. The construction is of clunch with loose flint filling cavities in the lower part of the walls. There is 16th century decoration painted directly onto the stonework in one of the upper rooms. It was once owned by John Ward, son of Richard Ward, who was Lord Mayor of London for one month in 1484. After his death it passed to John Lambard, master of the Mercers' Company and alderman of London.The house was inhabited at one time by Cistercian monks of Pipewell Abbey in Northamptonshire. The Drury and Andrews map of 1766 shows an L shaped building with three separate outbuildings with indication of an avenue and other plantings.The large spring fed pond to the south of the house is one of the sources of the river Rhee which is a major tributary of the river Cam. In the early part of the 20th century it was owned by Walter Sale who farmed 250 acres (1.0 km2) but in the 1930s was compulsorily purchased by the county council who divided the land into four smallholdings each of about 60 acres (240,000 m2). The Sales remained tenants until 1949 by which time, the house having fallen into dereliction, it was sold to a banker who formed a syndicate of London professionals and artists (including the actor Peter Copley) who renovated it.Hinxworth Place was divided and sold during the 1960s and the larger part of the property is now the home and workplace of the sculptor John W Mills, a number of his works are displayed in the grounds.

The Church of St Vincent in Newnham in Hertfordshire is a 12th-century Anglican parish church and a Grade II* listed building, having gained that status in 1968. The church is named for Saint Vincent and is under the Diocese of St Albans; it is noted for the Newnham Murals which were uncovered in 1963.