Silverstone pre airfield history

ss_collins · 18 Aug 2007, 21:28 (Ref:1991552)

I got thinking today about the names of the corners at Silverstone in particular Chapel, Abbey, Priory, Luffield, now a bit of digging and looking at 1850 and 1885 maps shows some interesting text.

The BRDC Farm (then known as Luffield Farm) is the site of the slightly mysterious Luffield Abbey, long gone by 1850, about 1km - 1.5km away to the east lies another interesting site Chapel Green which I think is somewhere under Maggotts, Becketts and the start of the hangar straight and unsuprisingly Chapel!

This Chapel is marked on the map as the former Chapel of St. Thomas a Becket but under some newer farm building it does however say that there are chapel remains.

For those of you who don't have Cambridge English lit dons as godparents heres some info on Becket

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket

Now the map lists the area of Becketts as Becket's Moor obviously after Tommy boy. So I ask these two questions should Becketts really be spelt Becket's? or even called Beckets Moor? (or saints corner?) also is there anything remaining of the chapel?

And if you really want to know more about Becket - BBC2 at 22.45 (ie in few minutes)

ss_collins · 18 Aug 2007, 21:39 (Ref:1991558)

oops its Maggot's Moor and Becket's chapel.

I'm convinced Becketts is spelt wrong

ss_collins · 19 Aug 2007, 09:54 (Ref:1991854)

Quote:

The entourage left Westminster, via Bermondsey, Oxford, travelling north to Northampton, one of the regional seats of government with its magnificent castle, founded by Simon de Senlis 1, in 1084. In the wintry conditions, travelling through the deer forests around Silverstone, which in a few months time would be a carpet of bluebells, the royal party would keep to the high ground, crossing the Watling Street north of Towcester, with its floods, mists, and marshes to use the old Roman road via Tiffield, making for the Duston fords, or the bridge at Kislingbury.

About Becket's journey to Northampton - from http://www.duston.org.uk/becket.htm

about the now seemingly non existant village of Luffield Abbey (still a parish/ward)

Quote:

The parish consists of a single farm, of which the house occupied in 1831 by the whole population, a family of ten persons, is situated to the north-east, on the site of the old priory. No traces now remain of the former conventual's buildings, and even Willis, who visited Luffield on 11 October 1732, found only a piece of the old tower of the church, from which he deduced the supposed dimensions of the church, 80 ft. in length and 30 ft. in breadth.

fraggs · 20 Aug 2007, 08:45 (Ref:1992552)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ss_collins

For those of you who don't have Cambridge English lit dons as godparents heres some info on Becket

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket

Now the map lists the area of Becketts as Becket's Moor obviously after Tommy boy. So I ask these two questions should Becketts really be spelt Becket's? or even called Beckets Moor? (or saints corner?) also is there anything remaining of the chapel?

And if you really want to know more about Becket - BBC2 at 22.45 (ie in few minutes)

I got my Masters from UKC and spent every friday morning having my lectures in the cloisters where the archive office is at Canterbury Cathedral...

ss_collins · 20 Aug 2007, 20:13 (Ref:1993042)

It is Becket (one T - as I was always taught?)

chezza · 20 Aug 2007, 20:48 (Ref:1993085)

Your full of random nonsence Sam...but this is quite interesting.

fraggs · 21 Aug 2007, 11:12 (Ref:1993501)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ss_collins

It is Becket (one T - as I was always taught?)

it is becket

going round the cathedral and down in to the crypt used to give me goosebumps.. there's definitely something in the air at the spot where he was murdered.

**Aysedasi** · 21 Aug 2007, 11:18 (Ref:1993511)

Yep, interesting stuff Sam

ss_collins · 22 Aug 2007, 15:11 (Ref:1994560)

hmmm time to get Silverstone to change it I think

MikeHoyer · 22 Aug 2007, 18:24 (Ref:1994664)

Next time I'm round there I'll cross out the extra T on all of the signs

stroller · 22 Aug 2007, 19:10 (Ref:1994689)

Slightly off topic, but I have a copy of a circa 1945 Airfield Plan (declassified MOD !)

Makes some interesting viewing - The main Camp area was actually over the Dadford Road from the airfield part (or Circuit as it is today)

Spread as far as the other side of the A43 as it is now - including the Medical quarters and Mortuary

**BertMk2** · 23 Aug 2007, 09:47 (Ref:1994957)

Quote:

Originally Posted by stroller

Slightly off topic, but I have a copy of a circa 1945 Airfield Plan (declassified MOD !)

Makes some interesting viewing - The main Camp area was actually over the Dadford Road from the airfield part (or Circuit as it is today)

Spread as far as the other side of the A43 as it is now - including the Medical quarters and Mortuary

Is that online anywhere? (totally off topic now but it's interesting)

I guess the same kind of thing would be available for all the other airfield circuits as well.

stroller · 23 Aug 2007, 20:26 (Ref:1995387)

Quote:

Is that online anywhere? (totally off topic now but it's interesting)

I guess the same kind of thing would be available for all the other airfield circuits as well.

Got my copy while rummaging through a box at Ian Allen transport bookshop.
I've also got a plan of Snetterton (Heath) as it was known

I believe they are published by "After the Battle" magazine - should be able to find some info on the Web

mini1400 · 25 Aug 2007, 08:59 (Ref:1996204)

Quote:

Originally Posted by stroller

I've also got a plan of Snetterton (Heath) as it was known

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:S...ath-5feb46.jpg

fraggs · 25 Aug 2007, 12:20 (Ref:1996251)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeHoyer

Next time I'm round there I'll cross out the extra T on all of the signs

anyone who's going to the Le Mans Series in a few weeks from now??? Would do it myself but after what happened last year when I got involved in the birthday banner for Pat Symonds that we hung over the pit main straight opposite the Renault F1 garage at the GP on the sat at quali.... ....

Suze · 1 Sep 2007, 18:40 (Ref:2001411)

The Silverstone website has this information on there and more. More about the corners, but not the history, here http://www.silverstone.co.uk/php/hi_corners.php

Quote:

Silverstone – named after the early English word for “wooded” area
Maggots – named after Maggots Moor
Becketts Corner & Chapel Curve – gave their names to the ruins of the Chapel of Thomas �* Beckett
Hangar Straight - named after two aircraft hangars that originally stood next to the straight
Stowe Corner - derives from the famous Stowe School to the south of the circuit
Club Corner - named after the RAC club in Pall Mall
Abbey Curve - near the site of the ancient Luffield Abbey
Woodcote - named after the location of the RAC club in Surrey

Justin Moran · 1 Sep 2007, 19:37 (Ref:2001442)

Relevant but slightly off topic is the fact the Thomas Becket is not spelled with an a ! Apparently that was a sort of typo of the day! Some scribe got it wrong and it stuck!

Suze · 1 Sep 2007, 19:38 (Ref:2001444)

But is his name spelt with one t or two?!

ss_collins · 4 Sep 2007, 11:35 (Ref:2003477)

I'd love to see the 1945 map.

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