Walk 159: Deanshanger, Wicken & ‘Farm of the Goblin’ Circular

The ‘Needs to Know’

Distance: 5.3 miles (8.5km)

Time to walk: Roughly two & a quarter hours

Difficulty: A mixture of field path & quiet lane walking. There’s a hill, but it’s not too steep. There are no stiles

Parking: Carefully on street in Deanshanger, next to the Church in Wicken Road

Public toilets: Pubs in Deanshanger & Wicken

Map of the route:

This is the first time we’ve visited Deanshanger on one of our walks. It lies close to the south border of Northamptonshire, roughly 5 miles north of Milton Keynes & has quite a fascinating history so bear with me whilst I tell you a little…

The name derives from the original name for the village which was Daneshanger, “hanger” being an old English word, meaning a clearing in the woods. Hence Daneshanger was ‘a clearing in the woods where the Danes lived’

The closeness of the Grand Union Canal meant that, from the late 18th century, the area grew quickly with a reputation for agriculture. This growth accelerated with the building of the London & Birmingham Railway in the first half of the 19th century which passed through the nearby villages of Wolverton, Bletchley & Roade

After a fall out with Henry II in 1170 AD, Thomas Becket is said to have sought refuge in the Gilbertine Monastery in Deanshanger (or ‘Dinneshangra’ as it was then known)

Although disguised as a peasant, he was nevertheless recognised by a farm labourer. At the time the only water supply in the village was foul &, & having heard of the miracle that Becket was said to have performed at nearby Northampton, the farm labourer pleaded with Becket to repeat the performance

Becket is said to have looked towards Heaven, struck the ground with his staff, & immediately a fresh spring appeared. This is one of 703 miracles that is said to have led to his canonisation

One of my old research books describes Deanshanger as a “mongrel of a place” which may sound like an insult, but it’s referring to the mixture of town & village, brick & stone, & new & old

From the 1820s, the main industry in the village was an iron foundry & later an iron oxide works, making pigment for paint. This gave some of the surrounding area a red colouration from the oxide dust. However, in 1999, the works closed & was demolished. By 2008, most of the works land had been replaced by the construction of several new housing estates. Extensive remedial work was needed to reverse the harmful effects of the previous industrial use of the site & there are still signs of the red stained oxide all around the village

Fascinating! We mapped out a route for 003.5 to follow & report back. Now…this included a reference to a Goblin, which we’ll expand on later so….

Let’s Walk!

1. This walk starts in Church Lane outside Holy Trinity Church…

Facing the church, turn right & walk down the lane. On reaching the footpath sign in the picture below, enter the field…

…& turn right keeping the hedge & stream on your right

2. Follow the path over the bridge…

Once across bear left, keeping the tree line on your left. This seems a very popular area for dog walkers

3. The path now arrives at a gate & a further bridge. Go through & across…

It’s time to head up the hill & your line is beside the telegraph poles…

The path is fairly well trodden & heads diagonally right towards the corner

4. Go through the gate & also the one opposite, continuing in the same direction across the field, heading towards Wicken

Exit the field through the gate & turn right towards the village

5. This walk can now be extended into Walk 73 which starts in the village should you wish. I have to admit that it wasn’t one of my favourites

Follow the road round to the left passing the White Lion…

The name ‘Wicken’ originally comes from the Saxon word ‘Wick’ for farm, or the Roman word ‘Vicus’ meaning settlement. The modern name dates from the 1587 union of the two manors. The wealthier ‘Wick Dive’ takes its name from William de Dive, who acquired it in 1242, while ‘Wick Hamon’ derives from the de Hamon family, who held the estate in the 12th century

The village’s history was further researched during an episode of the Channel 4 TV programme ‘Time Team’

Records show that Wicken was part of the Saxon freehold of ‘Siward’ who hunted deer in Wicken forest

6. At the junction turn right into Cross Tree Road…

…passing the ‘Old Bakery’ with one of the smallest front doors ever! In many cases this is because the original cart tracks that passed through the village were a lot lower than the current surface of the road

There’s a village tradition that on Ascension Day, spiced cakes are eaten & the ‘Old Hundreth’ is sung on the green to celebrate the union of the manors

7. On reaching the triangular junction bear right…

…passing the evangelist Church of St John with its wonderful Lych Gate

The church was rebuilt in 1758 except for the tower. Go into the graveyard & see if you can find the gravestone of a gardener, John Jacks who died in 1785. Its wonderful inscription reads…

His seeds are sown, his line is now wound up
The trees are pruned, his knife is also shut.
His hoe is left, & likewise too his shears,
And here he sleeps in peace from all his cares.

8. Turn right into St John’s Lane, passing the old phone box…

Look for the footpath sign besides No.2. Turn left here & walk up the bridleway

9. Continue in the same direction with the hedge on your right…

Keep going through the gap & continue in the same direction

10. At the hedge cross the bridge & follow the fence line up the hill…

The path reaches a road . Carefully cross this & continue up the bridleway on the other side

11. This walk is so well signposted it’s impossible to get lost. Continue along the bridleway…

…to arrive at another road. Now continue carefully up the road in the same direction

12. This is a fairly quiet road & not all traffic on it has an engine…

Look out for the footpath sign on the left, near the tree, showing you the route over the bridge…

Head up the field edge, keeping the hedge on your right

13. The track reaches a grassy crossroads…

Carry on straight over in the same direction

14. About halfway down this field look out for the gap in the hedge, right beside the big tree in the picture below…

Turn right through the gap & head towards the telegraph poles. Again the farmer has made the path very clear

15. Cross the bridge…

…& walk diagonally right towards the bridge in the hedge. Cross the bridge & continue to the road

16. Turn right along along the road past the far buildings. Welcome to Puxley, a tiny hamlet consisting mainly of farms…

Puxley’s name is very interesting & has medieval origins. The name means “the farm of the Goblin” from the pre 7th century words “pucca” – a goblin and “leah”, a fenced farm or enclosure

People of ancient times were convinced of the existence of goblins & other things that “go bump in the night”, & the early Christians spent several centuries trying to convince the locals of the error of their ways

You’d better keep looking behind you on this stretch then…

17. Keep on this quiet road as it passes the few houses & farm buildings & then bends to the right…