Akeley, Buckinghamshire

Akeley is a village and civil parish about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Buckingham in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire. The village is on the Towcester road (A413) between the villages of Lillingstone Dayrell and Maids Moreton. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 545 reducing to 514 at the 2011 Census.[1]

Akeley

Akeley from the churchyard in 2006
Akeley
Location within Buckinghamshire
Population514 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP7037
Civil parish
  • Akeley
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBuckingham
Postcode districtMK18
Dialling code01280
PoliceThames Valley
FireBuckinghamshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteAkeley Parish Council

Village background

The village name is derived from the Old English for "Oak Field". The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded it as Achelei.

The Square, Akeley – this aerial view was taken in 1996 soon after the renovation of Verendale, the thatched cottage at the centre of the picture, was completed. The brick cottage is The Old School House and the building in the foreground is The Old School. The Bull & Butcher pub in The Square is part seen far right.

The village was controlled by the Cluniac priory of nearby Newton Longville on behalf of the priory of Saint Faith in Longueville in northern France.[2] The parish church of St. James the Apostle was built in Akeley in 1154. It was rebuilt to designs by the Gothic Revival architect John Tarring in 1854[3] and restored in 1901.[2] By the mid 20th century St. James' had fallen into disrepair and in 1982 it was demolished.[4] Akeley presently does not have its own parish church; it is part of the North Buckingham ecclesiastical parish.

Akeley once had a medieval deer park, and a school where poor children were taught to make lace.

Amenities

The village is a small primary school St James Church of England School, and outside the village the large Cognita run private Akeley Wood School.

The village has a pub (Bull & Butcher) and opened a new village hall in 2006.[5]

Akeley hosts an annual horticultural show, which has been run since 1976.

Stockholt

The ancient hamlet of Stockholt once lay within the parish boundary. It has been amalgamated with the modern village.

References
  1. Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 Census, Accessed 2 February 2013
  2. Page, 1927, pp. 144-147
  3. Pevsner, 1963, page 76
  4. "Site of 19th century church, built in 1854 and demolished in 1982". Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  5. "Village Hall". Akeley Parish Council. Retrieved 14 August 2014.

Sources


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