Welcome to Great Brickhill
The name ‘Brickill’ means hill hill from Brythonic ‘breg’ and Anglo Saxon ‘hyll’. In the Domesday Book recorded the village named Brichelle. In 1643, the Earl of Essex’s army camped in the village during the English Civil War for a whole month. However, no active fighting was seen, despite the proximity to the A5, what was Watling Street and the main route to London. Cromwell’s Cottages are a beautiful building where the men were said to have been billeted.
The Duncombe family live in the village and continue to own the estate. They live in what was the old Rectory, which is near the church. The family pile was demolished in 1937 and the family can’t see the empty site due to a folly wall. A Duncombe ancestor built the wall because he disliked the vicar so much, he didn’t want to even look at his house.
St Mary the Virgin is the parish church. It is now a Grade II* listed building and dates back to the 13th century. There is also a pub, called the Old Red Lion that dates back to 1577. It specialises in local, seasonal food. The Great Brickhill Tennis Club has two hardcourts and an artificial grass MUGA, which is all weather, perfect for mini-tennis. There is tennis coaching available too.
The primary school in the village is High Ash Church of England Combined School. There are around 240 pupils between the ages of 4 – 12.
Images of Great Brickhill
