Hardmead

Hardmead
Hardmead Rectory
Hardmead is located in Buckinghamshire
Hardmead
Hardmead
Location within Buckinghamshire
Interactive map of Hardmead
Population88 (2021 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP935476
Civil parish
  • Hardmead
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWPORT PAGNELL
Postcode districtMK16
Dialling code01234
PoliceThames Valley
FireBuckinghamshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament

Hardmead is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.[2] It is in the north of the borough, about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Bedford, 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Central Milton Keynes and 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Newport Pagnell. The village is close to the A422 road, on a very small road linking that to nearby Newton Blossomville. Together with the neighbouring village of Astwood, it forms the civil parish of Astwood and Hardmead.

The village name is Old English in origin, and means 'Heoruwulf's meadow'.[3] In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was called Herulfmede.[4] The village is very small with a population of around 100 people. The nearest pub is located one mile away in Astwood and the nearest shop is about four miles distant.

Astwood and Hardmead civil parish council

Together with the neighbouring parish of Hardmead, it has a joint parish council, Astwood and Hardmead.[5] At the 2021 census, the component parishes were enumerated separately and had a combined population of 305.[6]

Church of St Mary

Former church of St Mary's Hardmead

The former church of St Mary's Hardmead is Grade I listed and parts date from the 12th century.[4] It has been redundant since the 1980s and is now in the care of the charity Friends of Friendless Churches. There are monuments in the church to the Catesby family and to the explorer Robert Shedden.[7]

Scheduled monument

The parish has a scheduled monument, a medieval "moated site 410m south east of Maukins" (at SP 94125 48121).[8]


References

  1. ↑ "PP012 - Age". NOMIS (Office for National Statistics)., then select Milton Keynes, then this parish
  2. ↑ "Contact your Parish, Town or Community Council". Milton Keynes Council. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Key to English place names: Hardmead, Buckinghamshire". Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 William Page, ed. (1927). "Parishes : Hardmead". A History of the County of Buckingham. Victoria History of the Counties of England. Vol. 4. London: Constable & Co. Ltd. pp. 362–366.
  5. ↑ "Parishes in Milton Keynes". Milton Keynes Council. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009.
  6. ↑ "PP012 - Age". NOMIS (Office for National Statistics)., then select Milton Keynes, then select both parishes
  7. ↑ "St Mary's Hardmead". Friends of Friendless Churches. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011.
  8. ↑ Historic England. "Moated site 410m south east of Maukins (1018726)". National Heritage List for England (SM).

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