Long Crendon

History

"Crendon" was the caput of the feudal honour held by Walter Giffard (died 1102), created Earl of Buckingham by William the Conqueror. The Manor in Long Crendon was once a great building that housed the later Earls of Buckingham and over the years the various manorial estates in the village have passed through the hands of the Crown, Oxford University, the Earls of March and the Marquis of Buckingham. The latter is now the Lord of the Manor of Long Crendon.

In 1162 an order of Augustinian monks was founded in the village at nearby Notley Abbey. The park in which the abbey stood was donated to the abbey itself by the incumbent of the manor, the Earl of Buckingham. At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries the annual income was calculated as over £437; an immense amount of money for the time. The abbey still stands, but as a secular manor house. In the 20th century it was the marital home of actors Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.

In 1218 Long Crendon was granted a royal charter to hold a weekly market; the monies from which were to be collected by William Earl Marshall who owned the manor at that time. The town (as it was then) was certainly important in this period as it shared the distinction with Aylesbury as being the only places in the whole of England where needles were made. The royal charter was later rescinded and the market moved and joined with the existing one in nearby Thame.

The Church of England parish church of St Mary dates from the 12th century. The building underwent major renovation and refurbishment that was due to be completed early in 2008. The village has also a Baptist church and a Roman Catholic church.

Long Crendon Courthouse is a 15th-century timber frame building. Manorial courts were held here from the reign of King Henry V until the Victorian era. The National Trust bought the courthouse in 1900. The lower floor is residential; the upper floor can be visited.

There was a Long Crendon Rural District from 1894 to 1934.

Amenities

The village has two public houses: the Eight Bells and the Churchill Arms, a brewery XT Brewing Company, a Village Association Hall & Bar, a fine dining restaurant "The Angel", a small square with about six small shops, an Indian restaurant, a post office, a butcher, a corner shop, a fantastic fish and chip bar "Mermaid Fish and Chips", a spooky carpet shop that nobody goes in or out of with a stuffed vulture in the window, a traditional English restaurant 'The Mole and Chicken' (just outside the village in the hamlet of Easington), two hairdressers, a primary school, playing fields and two parks. Long Crendon School is a mixed, community school, which has about 240 pupils from the ages of four to 11. Villagers are concerned that recently approved housing developments will cause a decrease in the number of mustelidae in the village and surrounding area.

Long Crendon has two youth football clubs. Crendon Corinthians Youth Football Club (CCYFC) has over 250 members, with 18 teams, including four girls teams, across 11 age groups from Under 6 to Under 18. The teams compete in three different leagues: South Bucks Mini Soccer Conference U7-U10, Booker Wholesale League U11-U16, Bucks Girls League U11, U13, U15 and U18 Girls teams. The club was awarded FA Charter Standard Status in 2004 and was named as the Berks & Bucks FA Charter Standard Club of the year in June 2010. Long Crendon Youth FC are an FA Charter Standard Club fielding an Under 18s team, competing in the South Bucks Youth League.

Long Crendon has a thriving Scout Group named Bernwood Forest Group after the ancient hunting forest of Henry VIII that was in the area. It has two scout troops, two cub packs and two beaver packs, one in the nearby village of Dinton, totalling over 100 children age 6 – 14.

Midsomer Murders, the ITV crime series is often filmed in Long Crendon with locals posing as extras.. The series of "Jeeves and Wooster" with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie was also party filmed in Long Crendon, whilst Lower End, including The Mound was featured in the Coronation Street theme for a period.