Whan Cross

Whan Cross was the name used for a short period for what is now, and was earlier, known as Grove Farm. A hoard of Roman coins was found nearby.

Whan Cross as a name does not seem to appear until the mid 20th C when it was the name applied to the location which is now, and was previously,just as Grove Farm. It was the Whan Cross Conference House, Welders Lane, Chalfont St. Giles, and run by the "National Society (Church of England) for Promoting Religious Education". Whether they owned or leased it I am unsure. Why the name Whan Cross was chosen I do not know. There are some records of it at the Church of England Record Office at Lambeth Palace which probably would give a lot more information. It appears to have been in their occupation from 1939 to at least 1954.

There are notes by the Historic Buildings Officer at Chiltern District Council which say it was also a prisoner of war camp. There are also records at the National Archives of the site being requisitioned during WW2 as a seachlight battery location. ( CDC CH/2009/0719/HB.)

As far as the Roman Hoard is concerned and using the map reference given on the Bucks Sites and Monuments Record it shows it as being found in the field opposite the entrance to Grove Farm and on the south side of Welders Lane. The parish boundary runs along the lane which is why the Hoard is recorded as being in Chalfont St Peter whilst the building is in Chalfont St Giles.

The field was named Whan Cross Field in 1989 when the coins were found and I presume was so called from its proximity to the Whan Cross College. In 1840 it was called Great Leys Field.

REFERENCES. Unless otherwise specified, all references given above refer to catalogue references at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies at Aylesbury. (County Record Office.)

This print is a section of the Chalfont History website.

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