Jordans, Buckinghamshire

Heritage

One of several suggestions for the origin of the name Jordans appears in a seminal book on the history of the village: "Little is known of Jordans Farm before the seventeenth century.... It has been suggested that the name comes from some connection with a manorial family of Jourdemain... but a more probable origin is in an early owner or occupant called Jordan." Jordans Farm is known as Old Jordans today, and that building together with the Mayflower Barn date back to the 16th century.

Quakerism

In the 17th century the village became a centre for Quakerism. It has one of the oldest Friends meeting houses in the country, whose cemetery is the burial place of William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, as well as other notable Quakers. Close by is Old Jordans, originally a farmhouse, sold by the Quakers for development in March 2006. Old Jordans was used during World War I as a training centre for the Friends' Ambulance Unit.

Meeting House

Jordans Friends Meeting House was built in 1688 shortly after the Declaration of Indulgence. The meeting room retains most of its original brick, including the bare brick floor, glass, panelling and benches. It suffered a serious fire on 10 March 2005, when the modern extension was virtually destroyed and the roof of the original 17th-century meeting room severely damaged. The interior of the original meeting room escaped relatively unscathed, but suffered some water and smoke damage.

The Mayflower Barn

Within the grounds of Old Jordans is the Mayflower Barn on the edge of the Chiltern hills in the South Buckinghamshire countryside, about midway between London and Oxford, in the small village (and associated farmstead) of Jordans.

The farm's name seems to date back into the late Middle Ages. Its known history begins in 1618 when Thomas Russell bought it. Part of the present farmhouse was already there and Thomas Russell added to it in 1624, when he also built a substantial new main barn with timbers from a ship. Despite suppositions, it cannot be proved that the barn was built with timbers from a ship named the Mayflower that carried the Pilgrim Fathers from Plymouth to New England. However, Harris' research was speculative and drawn mostly from his claims of an oral tradition. The timbers' origins have not been verified.

The well-preserved structure was a tourist attraction, receiving visitors each year from all over the world and particularly from the Americas but is now privately owned and not open to the public.

Education

Jordans has a primary school (Jordans County First School) and Jordan's Village Nursery School.

Located in Puers Lane, the Jordans school is state-funded, catering for years 1,2 and Reception (Ages 5–8). It is a feeder school for Seer Green School, Thorpe House School and Gayhurst School and has about 60 pupils with a student/teacher ratio of 1:12. Ofsted commented "The school enjoys an ordered, welcoming and caring environment in which pupils are valued and respected and positive values and attitudes promoted." The present head is Hannah Bancroft (2015–present).

Transport

Jordans is located 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of the intersection of the M25 and M40 motorways (Junction 16/1A). It is served by Seer Green and Jordans railway station, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) away, on the London to Birmingham main line. The service is operated by Chiltern Railways. There is one Beaconsfield–Uxbridge bus service each way that calls at Jordans on Tuesday and Friday.

Leisure and amenities

Jordans no longer has a pub, but several annual events take place: a fete, a sports day and a village supper. The small Jordans Tennis Club is located in the village. It holds about 7 roll-ups each year. The village also has a youth club.

Jordans Village Store was opened in 1922. It sells the usual staples and some own-brand preserves, as well as acting as a sub-post office. The shop is subsidized by a voluntary Shop Amenity Charge of £5 or £10 per month, subscribed by about half the households in the village.

Jordans has eight new allotments, one of them used by Jordans First School. The old allotment area now holds a development of four homes for the elderly.

Notable residents

Jordans is home to: