Whaddon, Bucks
Posted by: 
Norfolk12
N 52° 00.030 W 000° 49.692
30U E 649084 N 5763320
The sign shows a fox with the church in the background and a Wheatsheaf. The name Wheathill is above.
Waymark Code: WMC03J
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/10/2011
Views: 2
The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'hill where wheat is grown'. The village is referred to several times in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle generally in the form of Hwætædun.
The village is at the centre of the ancient Whaddon Chase, the site for many centuries of royal hunting lands.
Whaddon Chase is designated an area of 'Special Landscape Interest'.
Whaddon Hall, (the village manor) was once home to the Selby-Lowndes family, whose ancestor William Lowndes built the larger and grander Winslow Hall.
Both mansions are still private houses. During World War II Whaddon Hall served as headquarters of Section VIII of MI6, under the command of Brigadier Gambier-Parry. In February 1940, the "Station X" wireless interception function was transferred here from Bletchley Park.
The sign was funded by Whaddon Parish Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council It was designed by John Morris to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queenn Elizabeth II in June 2002.
Sign Date: 01/06/2002
Occasion Commemorated: H.M. Queen Elizabeths Golden Jubilee
Location: junction of roads in the village
Plaque: yes
Construction Material: carved painted wood on a wooden pole
Artist: John Morris
Web Address: [Web Link]
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