A series of caches for you to explore the footpaths and peaceful village of Great Holland.
Records indicate that there may have been a Windmill established as early as 1291, to the west of the existing village near what is now known as Holland Pits. 1295 is the year the Rector was first appointed to All Saintsʼ Church, giving some indication of the age of the settlement that is the modern day village of Great Holland, then known as Much Holland or Holland Magna. The village remained relatively small over the following 500 years and as late as 1777, of the houses we know today, only 18 appear on the survey map of that year which records a total of only 33 properties altogether. In 1801 the village contained 43 houses inhabited by 58 families. In total a population of about 300. Changes began when Charles Hicks took the tenancy of the Hall and Farm in 1830. He had previously farmed in Suffolk and he brought many labourers with him building new cottages for them to live in. The Rectory was repaired and enlarged in 1830 by Reverend Henry Rice. Later in 1864/5, after suffering much neglect, All Saintsʼ Church was rebuilt, save the west tower, by the Reverend Richard Joynes who also established a school in 1862, which serviced the village children for nearly a hundred years, before being demolished in the 1950s, having been badly damaged by a bomb during World War II.
In the early 20th century, a thriving village with a Bakery, Butchery, Dairy, Confectionery Shop, Milliners, Wheelwrights, a Foundry, as well as a resident Postman and Policeman. Now the village is mainly residential, with quiet streets.
The series is mainly circular with a couple of there-and-backs. To make access easier between #4 and #5, there is a permissive path from the top of Westbury Road (almost opposite #4), to the footpath close to #5.