Little Parndon
| Little Parndon | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL442100 |
| Location: | 51°46’15"N, -0°5’24"E |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Harlow |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Harlow |
Little Parndon is an area of Harlow in Essex. Until the mid-20th century, Little Parndon was a rural parish without any significant settlements. In 1946, the civil parish was absorbed into the neighbouring parish of Netteswell. The following year, Harlow was designated as a new town. The area has since then been substantially developed with western parts of the Harlow urban area.
History
The name Parndon is Old English and means "hill growing with pear trees".[1] The name was sometimes recorded as Parringdon.[2]
The Domesday Book of 1086 lists four estates or manors at a vill called Perendua or Perendina in the Harlow Hundred of Essex.[3]
No priest or church was recorded at Parndon in the Domesday Book, but the vill came to form two parishes. References to priests serving Parndon begin from the late 12th century, although it is unclear whether they served Little Parndon, Great Parndon, or both. The area had become two parishes by 1254. Great Parndon and Little Parndon parishes each had detached parts within the area of the other, reflecting their ancient origins as a single territory. These detached parts persisted until 1883 when they were transferred to the parish they actually adjoined. Another detached part of Little Parndon parish between Great Parndon and North Weald Bassett persisted until 1946.[4][5]
Little Parndon's parish church is dedicated to St Mary. The church was rebuilt in 1868.[6][7] The church stood adjoining a mediæval moated manor house called Parndon Hall. The manor house was rebuilt multiple times before finally being demolished when the site was used to build the Northern and Eastern Railway in the early 1840s.[5]
In the early 20th century, Little Parndon was described as a village.[7] There was no significant built up area as such; there was a row of houses next to the church, and the rest of the parish was scattered buildings. These included Little Parndon Watermill (also known as Parndon Mill) on the Stort Navigation at the northern end of the parish,[8] and the parkland of Parndon Hall, built in 1867, to the south.[9]
In 1947, Little Parndon was within the area designated for the new town of Harlow, and the area of the pre-1946 parish has been extensively developed as part of Harlow since then. The grounds of Parndon Hall were developed as the Princess Alexandra Hospital. In 1955, Harlow new town was created, including Little Parndon.[5]
| ("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Little Parndon) |
References
- ↑ Place-Names
- ↑ Information on Little Parndon from GENUKI
- ↑ and Little Parndon Little Parndon in the Domesday Book
- ↑ A History of the County of Essex - Volume 8 pp 213-223: Parishes: Great Parndon (Victoria County History)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 A History of the County of Essex - Volume 8 pp 223-227: Parishes: Little Parndon (Victoria County History)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1111721: Church of St Mary (Grade II listing)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kelly's Directory of Essex. 1914. p. 451. https://leicester.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/61041/rec/2. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1337045: Little Parndon Watermill (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1111714: Parndon Hall (Grade II listing)