Great Gaddesden
Encyclopedia
Great Gaddesden ˈɡædzdən is a village and civil parish
in Dacorum Hundred
in Hertfordshire
, England
. It is located in the Chiltern Hills
, north of Hemel Hempstead
. The parish borders to Flamstead
, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden
and Little Gaddesden
and also to Studham
in Bedfordshire.
The Church St. John the Baptist was probably the site of a pre-Christian sanctuary. The church shows features of every period since the 12th century. Part of the chancel with Roman bricks dates back to the early 12th century. The old church was extended by the south aisle in the 13th century and the north aisle in the 14th century, the west tower was built in the 15th century and the north chapel in the 18th.
The medieval convent of St Margarets
stood northwest of the village.
Gaddesden Place, positioned east of the small village was built from 1768 to 1773 for the Halsey family. It is surrounded by a huge park. In 1905 a fire destroyed the interior of the main house.
The River Gade
has its name from Gaddesden. Its clear water is used for watercress
beds along the river and at Water End south of Great Gaddesden is an old corn mill provided by the stream. The bridge over the river at Water End has a medieval appearance but was built in the 19 century.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Dacorum Hundred
Dacorum
The Borough of Dacorum is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England that includes the towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and Kings Langley. The district, which was formed in 1974, had a population of 137,799 in 2001...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located in the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
, north of Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
. The parish borders to Flamstead
Flamstead
Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original Verulamstead...
, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden
Nettleden
Nettleden is a village in Hertfordshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about four miles north west of Hemel Hempstead, surrounded by Little Gaddesden, Great Gaddesden and Frithsden. Nettleden with Potten End is a civil parish in Dacorum District.The village name of Nettleden is Anglo Saxon...
and Little Gaddesden
Little Gaddesden
Little Gaddesden is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire three miles north of Berkhamsted. As well as Little Gaddesden village , the parish contains the settlements of Ashridge , Hudnall , and part of Ringshall .Part of the parish was formerly in Buckinghamshire...
and also to Studham
Studham
Studham is a village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It has a population of 1,125. The parish bounds to the south the Buckinghamshire border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire border. The village lies in the wooded south facing rolls of the Chiltern Hills...
in Bedfordshire.
The Church St. John the Baptist was probably the site of a pre-Christian sanctuary. The church shows features of every period since the 12th century. Part of the chancel with Roman bricks dates back to the early 12th century. The old church was extended by the south aisle in the 13th century and the north aisle in the 14th century, the west tower was built in the 15th century and the north chapel in the 18th.
The medieval convent of St Margarets
St Margaret's convent Hertfordshire
St Margaret's convent, was a convent of the Benedictine order near Great Gaddesden in Hertfordshire, England. The convent was founded in 1160 and dissolved in the 1530s at the Dissolution of the monasteries....
stood northwest of the village.
Gaddesden Place, positioned east of the small village was built from 1768 to 1773 for the Halsey family. It is surrounded by a huge park. In 1905 a fire destroyed the interior of the main house.
The River Gade
River Gade
The River Gade is a river running almost entirely though Hertfordshire. It rises from a spring in the chalk of the Chiltern Hills at Dagnall, Buckinghamshire and flows through Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley and Croxley Green to Rickmansworth where it joins the The River Colne...
has its name from Gaddesden. Its clear water is used for watercress
Watercress
Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...
beds along the river and at Water End south of Great Gaddesden is an old corn mill provided by the stream. The bridge over the river at Water End has a medieval appearance but was built in the 19 century.