Willian, Hertfordshire

Willian is a small village in North Hertfordshire, with a population of approximately 326. Along with Norton and Old Letchworth, it is one of the original villages which the garden city of Letchworth Garden City grew up around. Despite this, it retains a distinctive character. The village was referred to in the Domesday Book as "Wilie", and the name probably derives from a word meaning "willows".[1][2]

Willian

All Saints church, Willian
Willian
Location within Hertfordshire
OS grid referenceTL225308
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY
Postcode districtSG6
Dialling code01462
PoliceHertfordshire
FireHertfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

The village has two pubs, the Fox, which used to boast a bar with 16th century beams and low ceilings, now replaced by modern decor, and the Three Horseshoes, a Village Stores and Post Office and a large pond. The original parish church, All Saints', has a tower with clocks on two sides; two sides are blank, supposedly so that farm labourers would not be able to tell when to leave work. This continues to be an active parish church in the village. Its daughter church of St Paul's, Letchworth became a separate parish church in 1963.

The solicitor and historian Reginald Hine lived in the village from 1929 until his death in 1949.

References
  1. Eilert Ekwall (1960). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names. Oxford: OUP.
  2. Stokes, H.G. (1948). "A Land of Woods and Water". English Place-Names. Edinburgh: B. T. Batsford Ltd. p. 8.
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