The village of Haddenham is in the rural Vale of Aylesbury. A large, picturesque village full of interesting old houses, winding lanes and most modern facilities. Haddenham has won the Best Kept Village in Buckinghamshire award last year (2007) and it is a great place just to wander round. There are many shops and pubs within a short walk of the cottage.
The village has a modern medical centre, four churches, several restaurants and even a small museum of its own.
Haddenham has an excellent garden centre that has lovely gifts in addition to all things for the garden. It also has a coffee shop.
The village is the home of the St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, where you can visit rescued animals such as hedgehogs, foxes and deer.
For bird watchers the village is a great place to see the Red Kites of the Chilterns. They are an amazing sight, gliding effortlessly over the village all the year round.
Just in front of the cottage is an excellent bakery where you can purchase wonderful bread and cakes. 100 metres away is a set of shops that include a general store, an off-license, a green grocer and a library. On the other side of the village is a good quality family butchers.
There are 3 duck ponds in the village, all just a short walk away.
The main line railway station (Haddenham and Thame Parkway) is just 10 minutes walk from the cottage.
A bit of History:
The village name is Anglo Saxon and means Haeda's Homestead. It was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hedreham, though later in 1142 it had taken on its more modern form and was called Hedenham.
From the Norman conquest to the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries the village was in the possession of the Convent of St Andrew in Rochester. King Henry VIII of England, who gained possession of the village after the dissolution, held on to it for the rest of his natural life, passing it at the time of his death to his daughter Elizabeth.
The village received Royal charter to become a market town between 1294 and 1301. The market was so short lived because the manor of Thame found they were seriously out-of-pocket by a rival market being held so close by.
Local Website
The Haddenham village website is: www.haddenham.net
