Discover Little Horwood

Little Horwood combines several centuries of local history with practical opportunities to explore the surrounding area on foot. Historic buildings, a medieval moated site, visible traces of a former watermill and five named village routes give the place a varied character.

Church, Moat and Distinctive Architecture

One prominent historic building is the parish church, Church of St Nicholas. Its nave dates from the early 13th century, while the chancel and south aisle originally date from the 14th century. The west tower was built in the 15th century. The bells are also part of the village’s long history: they have been rung since 1552.

200 m north-east of the Church of St Nicholas lies a medieval moated site protected as a Scheduled Monument. It is well preserved and largely undisturbed. This precise spatial relationship makes the site a particularly vivid part of the village’s history, without requiring several attractions to be combined into a single circular walk.

Little Horwood Manor offers a different kind of architectural interest. The Grade II-listed hunting lodge was built by A S G Butler in 1938–39. It is considered a good example of architecture with a butterfly plan and is associated with late, highly austere classicism that largely dispenses with ornament. Travellers who enjoy comparing different periods will find a clear contrast here with the medieval church and the older moated site.

Traces of the Mill and Village Life

At Wood End, Little Horwood, two probably medieval ponds are visible as earthworks east of the medieval site protected as a Scheduled Monument. The historic watermill at Wood End was built by the 13th century at the latest and abandoned in 1824. A circular brick wall is still visible. Such surviving individual traces make the development of the village tangible even where no complete building remains.

At the heart of the village, the village green forms a shared community space. The village scene is complemented by the inn, The Shoulder of Mutton. Its rear wing features an element of a cruck frame, an external brick wall, a plastered ground floor and a thatched roof with a centrally positioned brick chimney. For travel planning, this means that Little Horwood offers not only individual historic names but also a range of architectural details that can be carefully compared while exploring the village.

Walking with Clearly Defined Times

For active days, Little Horwood has five named village walking routes.

• Black: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Orange: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Red: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Green: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yellow: 1 hour 30 minutes

In addition, a narrow path leads into the woodland of the Nature Reserve in Little Horwood. This adds a nature-related facet to the village’s history. When choosing accommodation, you can first consider whether your focus should be on the historic buildings, the visible traces in the landscape or one of the named walking routes. This decision provides a clear basis for searching for a suitable holiday apartment without presupposing the features or availability of any individual accommodation.

Further Places for Orientation

If you would like to compare Little Horwood with other destinations, you can also include Cheddington, Ibstone, Amersham, Stone, Pitstone, Stokenchurch, High Wycombe and Wing in your wider travel plans.

For the broader travel overview: Buckinghamshire.