Holwell is a small village and a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

two miles north of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England, near the

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

border. The parish was historically part of Bedfordshire, being transferred to Hertfordshire on 30 September 1897.London Gazette, 3 September 1897, page 4946,"The County of Hertford (Holwell, &c.) Order, 1897, which was confirmed by The Local Government Board’s Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 10) Act, 1897, and will take effect on 30th September next…" At the 2011 Census the population of the village was 361. The church is unusual and, although largely rebuilt, retains some

Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...

features and an interesting brass to

Richard Wodehouse Richard Lancelot Deane Wodehouse (30 May 1892 – 20 May 1940) was an English cricketer. Born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, his entire recorded cricket career took place in Asia. He was one of three brothers of the author P. G. Wodehouse. Wodehous ...

. The school, almshouses, and rectory are all in a similar

Tudor style Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

erected in the 1830s, but are no longer in use and have been converted into housing. Fragments of early wall paintings and wooden

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

ed windows have been discovered in the mediaeval timber-framed Church Farmhouse. It is not to be confused with Holwell Court, near

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

, also in Hertfordshire, or "Hole-well"; the fictional well in which 'wholesome' children would fall as described in the brothers' Grimm Fairy Tales.

References

External links

Holwell Parish Council
Villages in Hertfordshire Civil parishes in Hertfordshire North Hertfordshire District {{Hertfordshire-geo-stub