It’s been quite a while but development has continued off Gold Lane and phase 2 is now well underway.

And in the meantime road names have been agreed for both phases, and the good news is that the names, as hoped, do remember and celebrate the villages agricultural and faming heritage, including the late lamented dovecote.

In phase 1 there are:

Boteler Reach and Dovecote Drive: what is now the village pond was originally a carp pond created by Sir William Boteler to supply fish for the Manor table. Later his wife Elizabeth built by the pond the dovecote to supply meat and eggs for the table and fertiliser for the fields.

Peacock Lane, Manning Mews and Whitworth Walk: commemorating farmers at what were then working working farms in the village over the years, including Grove Farm, Church Farm, Green Farm and Honeyhill Farm.

The Smithy and Wheelwright Way: remembering two essential trades that supported the village farmers.

Within The Smithy are Summerlin House and Davison House, remembering two long serving village blacksmiths Frederick Summerlin (43 years) and his successor William Davison (45 years).

Within Wheelwright way is Hebbes House remembering Alfred Hebbes the village wheelwright in Duck End Lane for 50 years.

In phase 2 will be:

Howard Way and Rawlins Reach: Charles Howard was a farmer at Manor Farm of international renown as a sheep breeder, particularly for his Oxford Down rams and flock. When he died in 1895 some 600 people attended his funeral in the village, many having to stand in the churchyard. Fred Rawlins farmed for many decades of the 1900s at Honeyhill Farm and later at Church Farm which by then included Manor, Honeyhill and Grove farms, some 1,000 acres in total.

Shepherd Lane and Carpenter Close: remembering two other occupations that supported the village farmers.

Campion Road and King Lane: Campion was Charles Howard’s shepherd and Harry King was carpenter for the Biddenham Estate and was in charge of the work undertaken in 1932 to restore the dovecote, which sadly was later mysteriously demolished early one morning in 1966.

And more good news, the Parish Council being keen to support the history of the village would like to do this by extending the village Heritage Trail bringing in the archaeological discoveries in the land off Gold Lane.  It would also like to explore how the trail could be linked to the development north of Bromham Road. And hopefully new heritage boards could also explain the history behind the road names that have been chosen.