A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Common land (a common) is a piece of land owned by one person but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights such as allowing their livestock to graze Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events. Pasture is land with Herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of Ungulate Livestock as part of a Farm or Ranch. Some may also have a pond, originally for watering stock.
The green is traditionally at a central location and provides an open-air meeting place for the people of a village, for example at times of celebration, or for public ceremonies. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. May Day festivities are traditionally located at the green, with the Maypole erected at its centre. May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several Public holidays In many countries May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour The maypole is a tall wooden pole (traditionally of Maple ( Acer) hawthorn or Birch) sometimes erected with several long coloured
The common use of the term village green reflects a perception of a rural, agricultural idyllic past. However the actuality of such locations always has been very wide, and can encompass woodland, moorland, sports grounds, and even — in part — buildings and roads. They may also be positioned far from the centre of the community, especially if the community has moved, or been absorbed into a larger settlement.
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Distribution
Greens are increasingly rare and are mainly to be found in the older villages of mainland Europe, the United Kingdom, and in areas of New England and Ohio in the United States. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Enclosure, the agricultural revolution, and urban development have led to the loss of a number of village greens. Enclosure or inclosure (the latter is used in Legal documents and Place names is the term used in England and Wales The British Agricultural Revolution describes a period of development in Britain between the 18th century and the end of the 19th century which saw a massive increase in agricultural Urbanizationn (also spelled urbanisation) is the physical growth of Urban areas into rural or natural land as a result of population in-migration to an existing Town expansion in the mid 20th century led in England to the formation of local conservation societies, often centring on village green preservation, as celebrated and parodied in The Kinks' album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Conservation can be confused with Conversation and vice versa The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is a pop-rock album released by the British music group The Kinks on 22 November The Open Spaces Society is the present-day UK national campaigning body which continues this movement. The Open Spaces Society is a UK campaign group to protect public rights of way and Common land. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
In the United States, the most famous example of a town green is probably the New Haven Green in New Haven, Connecticut. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The New Haven Green is a 16-acre privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown district of the city of New Haven Connecticut. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. New Haven was founded by settlers from England and was the first planned city in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Originally used for grazing livestock, the Green dates from the 1630s and is well preserved today despite lying at the heart of the city centre. Downtown New Haven is the neighborhood located in the heart of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. One of the largest town greens in the U. S. is located in the town of Lebanon, Connecticut. It is approximately 1 mile long. One of the most unusual is the Dartmouth Green in Hanover, New Hampshire, which was owned and cleared by the college in 1770. Dartmouth College ( is a private, Coeducational University located in Hanover, New Hampshire, U Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Year 1770 ( MDCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Friday The college, not the town, still owns it and finally surrounded it with buildings as a sort of collegiate quadrangle in the 1930s, although its formal origin as a town green remains apparent.
Town and village greens
As well as the general use of the term, Village Green has a specific legal meaning in England and Wales, and also includes the less common term Town Greens. Stanford in the Vale is a large Village with approximately 2000 residents situated in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Town and Village Greens are defined in the Commons Registration Act 1965, as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, as land:
- which has been allotted by or under any Act for the exercise or recreation of the inhabitants of any locality
- or on which the inhabitants of any locality have a customary right to indulge in lawful sports and pastimes
- or if it is land on which for not less than twenty years a significant number of the inhabitants of any locality, or of any neighbourhood within a locality, have indulged in lawful sports and pastimes as of right. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is a UK Act of Parliament which came into force on November 30, 2000.
This means that it is possible, by twenty years' unchallenged use, for land to become a village green. Unfortunately the legislation is less clear about what this means, and although village green legislation is often used in attempts to frustrate development, it is far from clear what rights and duties are given to the owners and users of village greens in these circumstances. It also leads to some most curious areas being claimed as village greens, sometimes with success. Recent examples include a bandstand[1], and a beach[2].
The Open Spaces Society states that in 2005 there were about 3650 registered greens in England and about 220 in Wales, covering about 8150 and 620 acres (33 and 2. The Open Spaces Society is a UK campaign group to protect public rights of way and Common land. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U 5 km²) respectively.
Examples
A notable example of a village green is that in the village of Finchingfield in the English county of Essex, which is said to be "the most photographed village in England. Finchingfield is a village situated in the county of Essex, in the south-east of England Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common " The green dominates the village, and slopes down to a duck pond, and is occasionally flooded when it has been raining too much.
There are two places in the United States called Village Green: Village Green-Green Ridge, Pennsylvania, and Village Green, New York. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Village Green-Green Ridge is a Census-designated place (CDP in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Village Green is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in Onondaga County, New York, United States. Some New England towns, along with some areas settled by New Englanders such as the townships in the Connecticut Western Reserve, refer to their town square as a village green. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Public square and city square redirect here For Public Square Cleveland see Public Square and for City Square in Leeds see Leeds City Square.
In Indonesia, especially in Java, a similar place is called Alun-Alun. It is a central part of Javanese village architecture and culture.
The northern part of the province of Drenthe (Netherlands) is also known for its village greens. Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Zuidlaren is the village with the largest number of village greens in the Netherlands. Zuidlaren ( Noord Drents: Zuudlaoren) is a village in the province of Drenthe in the Northern Netherlands.
External links
- The Open Spaces Society - gives UK information on how to claim a village green.
- Town Greens of Connecticut - historical information on the town greens that are found in almost every Connecticut town
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