is a
Village in the
Home Counties of
England . It is located to the north of the
Traditional County of
Buckinghamshire , lying within the
Borough Of Milton Keynes . It is about 4 miles (6 km) WNW of
Newport Pagnell and 4 miles (6 km) north of
Stony Stratford .
Previously called ''Hanslape'' from the time of the
Domesday Book in
1086 right through to the
Victorian Era , it refers in
Old English to a muddy place or slope belonging to a man called ''Hama''.
There was once a
Castle in the
Parish (that later became
Castlethorpe ), that was the seat of Lord Mauduit. In
1215 Mauduit had started a rebellion against King
John Of England and was defeated in battle by the king's men. Following King John's death however, Mauduit reclaimed his seat and founded a grand park in the parish, remnants of which can still be found in Hanslope today. The castle building has long since disappeared, though the grassy mounds of the
Motte-and-bailey groundworks can still be clearly seen.
In the
Medieval period it was a
Market Town , granted in
1293 .
In the Victorian period, most of the inhabitants of the village were employed in the manufacture of
Lace . This was a common trade in Buckinghamshire, and Hanslope lace was renowned for being a particularly fine example.
A prominent feature of the village is the parish church, St James the Great. The church spire is exceptionally high (180 feet, almost 55m) and, because the village is already on a ridge, it can be seen from a very wide radius. The claim that "before
Air Pollution , it could be seen from
London " seems fanciful. The church has an open day in the summer when the tower is open to the public.
Approximately half a mile south-east of the village lies
Hanslope Park . Once the
Manorial estate of the village, it is now owned by the
UK Foreign And Commonwealth Office , and is home to Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre; which researches, designs, develops and produces communications systems and equipment and related hardware and software. It is rumoured also to be home to the Technical Security Department of the UK
Secret Intelligence Service (
MI6 ).
