'Welcome to Bovingdon Green' Information Board

Image: © David Hillas Taken: 14 Mar 2020

This information board is located at the east end of Bovingdon Green HP3 0LF and is maintained by Bovingdon Parish Council. It has the following wording: WELCOME TO BOVINGDON GREEN At the same time as Bovingdon began to grow around the Church, half a mile up Green Lane the area centred around this 8 acre Green was settled. Bovingdon Green consisted of farms and cottages, one of the earliest of which is Water Lane Cottage built in the 1400s and once part of a medieval hall house. The Green has been common land since the 1600s, this would have allowed the villagers to graze their animals. In the 18th century the Green was on the route between Berkhamsted and Rickmansworth when the pond would be a useful watering stop. Nowadays the cricket pitch is a dominant feature of the Green, the club was started in 1884. Left column Green Farm also dates from the 1400s. In the 1930s some of the farmland was sold to a brickmaker. When the clay was worked out, this land was passed to the Box Moor Trust who now manages this area for wildlife to the benefit of us all. Photo-Golden Jubilee 2002 Green rectangle Golden Jubilee Picnic on the Green Monday 3rd June Bovingdon Green Bring your own Picnic! Starts at 1.00pm 1pm - Scottish Piper Other attractions include: Short cricket matches Tug-o-War Morris Dancing Egg Throwing Contest Jazz Band Hot Dog Stand Roundabout So see you there! The Funfair comes to the Green each September. Bovingdon 'Revels', Jubilee picnics and Dog Shows have been held on the Green. Photo-Royal Oak Pub early 1900s The original Royal Oak stood much nearer the junction of the Green with Water and Middle Lanes. It was replaced in the 1950s. Middle Column Photo-Green Farm Map of Bovingdon Green For those unable to work on the land, or earn money straw plaiting, there was Bovingdon 'Poor House' located by the side of the Green. The house had room for 30 paupers and even a cage for those who misbehaved. A field nearby was called Workhouse Meadow. Right column Image-Cricket on the Green When the Green was given to the then Rural District Council, it was with the proviso that the Cricket Club could continue to use the Green. At one time the Club's president was Sir Gordon Cunard (Cunard Shipping Line) who lived in nearby Shantock Hall. The Cunard family grave can be seen in Bovingdon Churchyard. Photos: Cunard family grave including gravestone of Gordon Cunard, Baronet, 1857-1933 During WW2 the Americans used the pitch as a baseball square and also tried their hand at cricket. Photo: Americans reading the rules of cricket.

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