Whiteleaf

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Whiteleaf
Buckinghamshire
Location
Grid reference: SP8104
Location: 51°43’55"N, -0°48’53"W
Data
Post town: Princes Risborough
Postcode: HP27
Dialling code: 01844
Local Government
Council: Buckinghamshire
Parliamentary
constituency:
Aylesbury

Whiteleaf is a hamlet north of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, and in the ecclesiastical parish of Monks Risborough, whose church is half a mile away. Whiteleaf stands on the escarpment of the Chilterns, which rises up dramatically at the eastern edge of the village.

Whiteleaf is to be found 7 miles south of the county town of Aylesbury and 8 miles north of High Wycombe.

The name of both is found in the form White Cliff in the eighteenth century, referring to the white chalk cliff above the road to the east of the hamlet,[1]

The hill looming over the hamlet, and on whose slopes it is built is Whiteleaf Hill, and has the famous Whiteleaf Cross cut into the chalk on its steep slope, making this important landmark for miles around. In addition to the cross, there is a Neolithic barrow on Whiteleaf Hill.

The village has a single public house, the Red Lion.

Sport

  • Cricket: Monks Risborough Cricket Club
  • Golf: Whiteleaf Golf Club (9-holes)
both of which lie slightly southeast of the main road through the village

The cricket ground has a significant slope and was tried by the BBC to see if it would be suitable for filming the cricket scene in the production of A G Macdonnell's England, Their England. However, it was found to be not sloping enough. The cricket club celebrated its centenary in 1993 and a book covering its history was published. The cricket club pavilion was largely destroyed by fire in 2010.

References

  1. Mawer, A. and Stenton, F.M: The Place Names of Buckinghamshire (Cambridge, 1925)