Villages & Towns

Below, there is a map of the villages of Barleywolds, followed by a map of the towns and large villages bordering the Barleywolds, followed by a map of component areas of the Barleywolds.

The best villages to visit (based on a variety of subjective criteria) are: Barley, Reed, Great Chishill, Heydon, Chrishall, Elmdon, Barkway, Arkesden, Furneux Pelham, Brent Pelham, Clavering, Berden, Therfield, Wallington, Ardeley, Rushden, Graveley, Benington, Standon, Westmill, Aspenden, Albury, Manuden and Braughing. But all those idicated below are worth a visit.

Towns

The Towns and villages indicated below are not technically part of the Barleywolds, as they are either below 100 m, not rural or just out of area. But they are all intimately connected to the Barleywolds, and worth a visit. Click on the icon for desciption.

The best of these towns/villages to visit  (based on a variety of subjective criteria) are: Saffron Walden, Much Hadham, Standon, Baldock, Buntingford, Ashwell and Royston.

The Therfield Heights reach from Cottered to Royston, and includes the highest land in the Barleywolds, which is still very low in altitude, but gives a pleasant roll to the landscape and an edge at Therfield Heath. Therfield, Reed, Sandon, Rushden and Wallington are all pretty villages, and excellent starts for great walks into this landscape, which is crossed by the Icknield Way, Hertfordshire Way and Chain Walk. George Orwell lived in Wallington and based Animal Farm on the Manor Farm there. Therfield Heath has great views, ancient barrows, nature reserves and a cafe. And there is a great pub on the green at Therfield.

The Barkway Vale is the valley of the river Quin (now a stream) running down from Barkway, via Hare Street to Braughing. Braughing was a Celtic, Roman and Anglo-Saxon centre, and the Vale was a pilgrim trail and then coach route through the Barleywolds, bringing wealth that dried up in the 19th century. There were Norman castles at Anstey and between Barkway and Reed. Barkway, Hare Street, Anstey, Great Hormead and Braughing are all pretty villages, and starts for good walks. Nuthampstead had an airfield for US bombers during World War II, and has a small museum about this in the village pub and coffee shop. The story of the Blind Fiddler is still told at the pub of that name at Anstey. Barkway also has a pub and a tea shop.

The Chrishall Ridge is a ridge running from Barley to Great Chishill, to Heydon, to Chrishall, to Elmdon, to Strethall, and then to Littlebury Green. This has some of the best countryside and prettiest villages in the Barleywolds - great for walks. And there are excellent pubs at Barley, Great Chishill, Heydon and Chrishall. The Icknield Way passes through, and there is a Saxon church at Strethall, the name of which refers to the local Roman street. But Strethall is also close to the magnificent Jacobean house of Audley End, and to Hinxton Hall, where the human genome was first sequenced.

The Langley Plateau is a remarkably empty plateau with dispersed settlements and winding roads - great for walks. There are pretty villages/hamlets at Langley, Arkesden, Clavering, Nuthampstead and Anstey, each of which has a good pub. Nuthampstead has a museum of the WWII airfield. Anstey has a Norman castle ruin associated with the legend of the Blind Fidler. Clavering has the castle ruin associated with the Miracle of the Ring. Arkesden and Langley are just beautiful, with great walks. 

The Pelhams includes the villages of Brent Pelham, Stocking Pelham and Furneux Pelham, as well as Berden, Albury and Farnham. The Ash valley includes Patmore Heath, and to the east, the Stock Valley including Manuden, and then the Rickling ridge including Ugley. There is some very fine counryside and walks in this area. And great churches at Furneux Pelham, Little Hormead, and Albury. The south reaches towards Much Hadham.

Wood End includes the pretty villages of Aspenden, Westmill, Benington, Ardeley and Walkern, but much of this area is scattered hamlets. There are tea shops at Westmill and Walkern, and pubs at Aspenden, Westmill, Benington, Ardeley and Walkern. Benington apparently had a Anglo-Saxon palace of the King of Mercia, upon which a Norman castle was built, upon which a Georgian mansion was built, and these can be seen when the gardens of Benington Lordship are open. Ardeley has a farm petting zoo, farm shop and cafe, and the church and almshouses are worth seeing, as well as excellent food at pub.

Village forms

The settlement pattern of the valleys and chalk escarpment is typically nucleated villages around common greens, and surrounded by large fields, which used to be the common fields. Whereas the settlement pattern of the high woodland areas between the valleys is typically dispersed settlements of individual farms or a few houses, surrounded by a patchwork of woods, parks, fields and meandering lanes. The common greens were sometimes built on after the enclosures. The villages nucleated by pre-existing roads (or streams) may be linear for obvious reasons. The house, farm or estate of the lord of the manor is often known as the "Bury" or "Lordship".

Building materials

Local geology and plants in part determines what materials are available to build with. From early times, wood must have been the most convenient local material due to the forests on the Barleywolds, but reeds from the fens could be used for roofing, and clay could be used for wattle and daub, as well as tiles and subsequently bricks. Chalk is usually too crumbly to build with, but a harder version, clunch, was used as it could be cut into blocks. The flint stones within the chalk were used to build, particularly churches, and to face houses in the Barleywolds. Puddingstone is a conglomerate stone formed in part from flint, and was used in church walls, where available.