A Village Green Quandry

[Burnaby49]

I'll be in Britain this summer but (hard as it seems to believe) not to go pubbing. I'll be with my wife rather than my boozing buddy and that requires an entirely different agenda. She's set me a task that's stumped me. She wants to visit an authentic (as in mythical) village green. A pub (her criteria), duck pond, post office, whatever. A bucolic vision of Britain circa 1890. Thankfully she hasn't mentioned a Maypole and Morris Dancers. I've ransacked my memory and come up with nothing. Our itinerary will be London north to Lincoln, Whitby, Edinburgh, pretty much anywhere in Yorkshire, then down to Lancashire to the Pendle Hill area and back to London.

Anyone have any village green suggestions?

[AnOwlCalledSage]

Your problem is your itinerary. The village green preservation societies are mostly in southern England (from Somerset to Kent). It's akin to visiting New York State and asking where the best place to see herds of majestic bison is.

(Sherfield-on-Loddon, Holyport nr Maidenhead would fit your criteria. If you want to go pondless but closer in to London Richmond Green is nice)

[Burnaby49]

Agreed. I'm aware that the village green is a southern phenomena. My travels have been largely in the north and that's not village green territory. That's why I need local advice. The pond is not negotiable but a post office is probably expendible. If she'd only set a pub criteria, no matter how challenging, I'd at least be on familiar territory.

[Burnaby49]

Forgot to note. We'll be driving up to Yorkshire from London so Cambridge area and midlands are within range. I thought I spotted something near Cambridge, it had a pub and green but no pond. Another had a pond and pub but a major road running through it.

[SteveUK]

You can day trip to a Kent village from London on the train. Sussex would be another good bet.

[longdog]

There are still a lot of village-green type places in my home county of Kent but most of them have A roads running through them which ruins the atmos.

For genuine imitation Olde-Worlde-Charme places the Cotswolds would probably be the best place to look.

[ArthurWankspittle]

Wrea Green near Blackpool? Not been in the area for ages but I think it had most of the "requirements".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrea_Green

[JimUk1]

Knaresbourgh if you’re traveling by in Yorkshire.

[Mike_p]

If you take the pretty route to Whitby, try Hutton-le-hole:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.30125 ... a=!3m1!1e3

[Burnaby49]

Knaresborough is very picturesque, I've passed through it before, but I've just done a Google Map and satellite scan and don't see a green. Do you know of one there?

I've actually been to Hutton-Le-hole on one of my few non-pub quests. My mother, who was from Yorkshire, returned often and worked on her passion, black and white photography. She'd roam through rural Yorkshire taking pictures of bucolic scenes. Cows by a stone barn, sheep in fields. I wanted to see if I could locate them all. Many had no point of reference but one, of sheep being herded down a country road, had a road sign pointing in two directions. One said Farndale Castleton 12 miles the other Kirbymooreside 3.5 miles. Triangulating with that and Street View I found the spot, the intersection of Moor Lane and Keld Lane in Hutton-le-Hole. So I went and took a picture of the same scene (without sheep) standing in the same spot. My only failure was a boozing one. Although there is no way of telling from the photo my mother was standing with her back to a pub, the Crown. So I figured I'd have a beer there. But it was closed, country hours. Again, Hutton-le-Hole is very picturesque, but I don't see a village green. My wife is very specific.

Another of my mother's pictures, with cows being herded past a stone barn, also had a road sign for reference. But this was before Street View so we had to drive around for a good part of a day through very narrow country lanes searching all side roads in the general area I'd pinpointed. Finally found it.

I checked the green in Wrea Green. It has a pond but the field is very large, more of a playing field size. As I said above my wife is being very nitpicking. It's easy to demand the best when you make somebody else find it for you.

[Mike_p]

Well, if the pond is essential, you might want to have a look at Nun Monkton
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nun+M ... d-1.232666

[JimUk1]

Hmmm can’t remember actually about Knaresborough.

There was definitely a village green and pond in Wrea Green in Lancashite tho, I remember that from my time at Warton-

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrea_Green

[Burnaby49]

Well, if the pond is essential, you might want to have a look at Nun Monkton
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nun+M ... d-1.232666

Thanks, this one works. Green's probably a bit too big for her fantasy, not bucolic enough, but it has a pond and a pub. I'd still appreciate suggestions but I now at least have something in the north.

[Pox]

Christleton (near Chester) - small village green, very large and pretty pond (known as The Pit), no Post Office.

http://www.christleton.org.uk/index.html

[Burnaby49]

Christleton (near Chester) - small village green, very large and pretty pond (known as The Pit), no Post Office.

http://www.christleton.org.uk/index.html

Thanks, that might work if we can fit the west coast in. Still planning itinerary. It's odd not focusing on beer.

[jonathan01n]

Lincoln! I live in Lincoln! You may see me in the city centre playing pokemon on an ipad!

[Footloose52]

Barrowden, west of Peterborough and just off the A47 has a pub, green and village pond but, as is mainly the case nowadays, no Post Office. The pub is directly in front of you in this view. https://goo.gl/maps/LPQ3KYzx6Ep

Ropley in Hampshire definitely qualifies and has the attraction of a preserved steam railway as well.

You could also try Ilmington in Warwickshire, Hovingham in Yorkshire and Cerne Abbas in Dorset although the latter is a bit off track for your itinerary. Mind you the Giant is worth seeing ...

[Burnaby49]

Lincoln! I live in Lincoln! You may see me in the city centre playing pokemon on an ipad!

I've been pubbing in Lincoln and climbed to the top of the Cathedral. This is the list of my Lincoln pubs;

Lion and Snake
Magna Carta
Queen in the West
Royal William
Still
Strugglers Inn
Tap and Spile
Treaty of Commerce
Victoria
Wig and Mitre

[jonathan01n]

Have you been to the castle? It’s nice isn’t it

[katiHWB]

Tickhill in Yorkshire has an impressive duck pond (it's an old Mill pond) and a couple of nice pubs ... no 'proper' village green as such, but lots of fields/grassy areas nearby and a castle (privately owned unfortunately) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tickhill
The pub near the duckpond is pretty nice and (if you decided to stay overnight I would definitely reccomend Hannah's Guesthouse - http://www.hannahsguesthouse.com - it's only a short walk into the village proper and the food is fabulous)

Tholthorpe has both a pond and a village green - only one pub tho' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tholthorpe