Whipsnade
{{Short description|Village in Bedfordshire, England}}
{{for|the nearby zoo|Whipsnade Zoo}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{infobox UK place
|official_name = Whipsnade
|country = England
|region = East of England
|static_image_name = St.Mary Magdelen, Whipsnade - geograph.org.uk - 222462.jpg
|static_image_caption = Church of St Mary Magdelene, Whipsnade (August 2006)
| population = 455
| population_ref = (parish)ONS, [https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2021_pp Census 2021 Parish Profiles]
|os_grid_reference = TL010179
|coordinates = {{coord|51.8509|-0.5349|display=it|format=dms}}
|post_town = DUNSTABLE
|postcode_area = LU
|postcode_district = LU6
|dial_code = 01582
|constituency_westminster = Luton South and South Bedfordshire
|unitary_england= Central Bedfordshire
|lieutenancy_england = Bedfordshire
}}
Whipsnade is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, about {{convert|2 + 1/2|mi|km}} south-south-west of Dunstable on the top of the Dunstable Downs, which drop away steeply to the south of the village.
Etymology
Whipsnade is a compound of the Anglo-Saxon personal name, Wibba, with the word "snæd", an area of woodland. Therefore, the name means "Wibba's wood".{{cite web | url = http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Whipsnade/TheParishOfWhipsnadeInGeneral.aspx | title = The Parish of Whipsnade in General | access-date = 17 March 2020 | publisher = Bedford Borough Council}} A variation may be seen as "Wystnade" in a legal record of 1460, where named people in Dunstable were accused of trespassing. first entry in http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no799/aCP40no799fronts/IMG_0332.htm
History
The village was first mentioned in a coroner's roll of 1274 when Whipsnade Wood was described as being within the parish of Houghton Regis. The Old Hunters Lodge at the Crossroads in the village is a Grade II listed building, built in the early 17th Century. It is now a hotel and the only licensed premises outside the ZSL grounds in the village.{{cite web | url = http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Whipsnade/OldHuntersLodgeHotelWhipsnade.aspx | title = Old Hunters Lodge Hotel: The Cross Roads, Whipsnade | access-date = 17 March 2020 | publisher = Bedford Borough Council}}
Edward John Eyre, explorer of Australia, was born in Whipsnade in 1815.{{cite web | url = http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/eyre-edward-john-2032 | title = Eyre, Edward John (1815–1901) | access-date = 17 March 2020 | publisher = Australian Dictionary of Biography}}
The parish of Whipsnade used to have a detached part at Ballingdon Bottom, which formed an exclave of Bedfordshire, surrounded by Hertfordshire. The county boundary was changed in 1844, transferring Ballingdon Bottom to Hertfordshire. For parish purposes, it remained a detached part of Whipsnade. When district councils were established in 1894, the main part of Whipsnade parish was included in the Luton Rural District in Bedfordshire, whilst Ballingdon Bottom became part of the Markyate Rural District in Hertfordshire. The parish boundaries were rationalised in 1897 when Ballingdon Bottom was transferred to the parish of Flamstead.{{cite web |title=Whipsnade Tithe Apportionment 1842{{ndash}}1844 |url=http://bedsarchivescat.bedford.gov.uk/Details/archive/110267954 |website=Bedfordshire Archives Catalogue |publisher=Bedford Borough Council |access-date=28 September 2021 |quote=Parish, including detached portion called Ballingdon Bottom.}}Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. 61){{cite book |title=Local and Personal Acts |date=1897 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |page=561 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zHU1AQAAMAAJ |access-date=26 September 2021 |quote=The Counties of Bedford and Hertford (Caddington, &c.) Order 1897}}
In the 2021 census, the population of Whipsnade was 455.
Landmarks
Whipsnade is home to Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, a {{convert|9 + 1/2|acre|ha}} arboretum planted in the arrangement of a cathedral, and Whipsnade Zoo. A chalk hill figure of a lion can be found on Bison Hill, created in 1933; it is owned by the zoo. It is the longest hill figure in England at {{convert|483|ft|m}}. During the Second World War, the lion was covered with a black tarp to prevent German bomber planes from using it for navigation.{{cite web| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-65482925.amp | title = Whipsnade Zoo's Big Help Out volunteers weed giant lion for Coronation | access-date = 17 July 2023 | publisher = BBC News | date=8 May 2023}} Whipsnade Park Golf Club is also in the vicinity, though it is actually in neighbouring Dagnall.{{cite web |url=http://whipsnadeparkgolf.co.uk/|title=Whipsande Park Golf Club|access-date=17 March 2020|publisher = Whipsnade Park Golf Club}}
The local Wildlife Trust manages a small nature reserve north of the village called Sallowsprings ({{coord|51.8559|-0.5391|type:landmark_region:GB|name=Sallowsprings}}).{{cite web | url = https://www.wildlifebcn.org/nature-reserves/sallowsprings | title = Sallowsprings | access-date = 17 March 2020 | publisher = Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust}}
Education
{{expand section|date=January 2025}}
In previous eras Whipsnade was included in a zone with priority admissions for a middle school, but this was no longer the case as of 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/5/school_admissions/504/school_catchment_areas|title=School catchment areas|publisher=Central Bedfordshire|access-date=2025-01-03}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Whipsnade}}
{{Places in Bedfordshire}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Villages in Bedfordshire