Frithsden (locally pronounced 'Frizden') is a small
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, England. It sits in the
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills or the Chilterns are a chalk escarpment in southern England, located to the north-west of London, covering across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire; they stretch from Goring-on-Thames in the south- ...
, about two miles north of the town of
Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...
, which it's part of.
Administratively, it falls under the
Dacorum
Dacorum is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England. The council is based in Hemel Hempstead. The borough also includes the towns of Berkhamsted ...
district, specifically in the ward of
Nettleden with
Potten End
Potten End is a village in west Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, east-north-east of Berkhamsted, north west of Hemel Hempstead and two miles south east of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural ...
.
The village name is derived from the wood ''le Fryth'' (
me. frith »wood«). It is first mentioned 1291 as ''Frithesdene'' (»valley of the wood«).
West of the hamlet bordering to
Ashridge Park are the Frithsden Beeches, a wood left to nature, with large
beech
Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
es. Scenes for ''
Sleepy Hollow'', ''
Jonathan Creek
''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery fiction, mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the title character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician whi ...
'' and ''
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwar ...
'' have been filmed in this wood.
Frithsden, together with the neighbouring hamlets
Nettleden and Potten End, is famous for its black cherries and the villagers hold in July their annual cherry fair. They also claim to have originated the
Cherry Bounce and the Cherry Turnover.
[ Doris Jones-Baker: ''The Folklore of Hertfordshire''; 1977. ] The village also had a winery, Frithsden Vineyard, but this closed in 2019.
References
External links
{{Commons category, Frithsden
''A Guide to Old Hertfordshire'' webpage for Frithsden
Hamlets in Hertfordshire
Dacorum