Sarratt

Sarratt
Church of the Holy Cross, Sarratt
Sarratt  Sarratt shown within Hertfordshire
Population	924 (2001 census)[1] 1,849 (2011 Census) [2]
OS grid reference	TQ045994
District	Three Rivers
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Rickmansworth
Postcode district	WD3
Dialling code	01923
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South West Hertfordshire
List of places UK England Hertfordshire

Coordinates: 51°41′01″N 0°29′15″W / 51.683603°N 0.487523°W / 51.683603; -0.487523

Sarratt is a village and civil parish 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England, situated on high ground near the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. The chalk stream, the River Chess, rising north of Chesham, passes near Sarratt in the valley to the west of the village to join the River Colne in Rickmansworth. The conditions offered by the river are perfect for the cultivation of Cress. Sarratt has the last commercially operating cress farm in Hertfordshire.^[3] The valley to the east is dry.

Sarratt is within the Three Rivers District Council jurisdiction which is based in Rickmansworth. The Local Authority takes its name from the confluence of the Chess, the Colne and the River Gade which continues as the River Colne to its confluence with the Thames.

Church and chapel

The flint and brick-built Church of the Holy Cross was founded c 1190, reputedly reusing Roman tile in its construction.^[4] It is the parish church of Sarratt.^[5] From the 17th century a large linear village developed nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) away. Nowadays this area is referred to as Sarratt Green and the area around the church is known as Church End.

The village also included a Baptist Chapel and an independent Providence Mission Hall—both having closed in recent years and converted into private residences.

Motorway

When the M25 London orbital motorway – widened in 2011 to eight lanes (four each way) – was opened, the rural atmosphere of Sarratt changed. Where it passes Sarratt, it is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) distant at its nearest point, the bridge carrying Sarratt Road.

Junction 18 (M25) is on the Chorleywood Road (the A404) only 2 miles (3.2 km) by road from the village, affording Sarratt close access to the motorway network and Heathrow airport.

School

Sarratt's Church of England school, situated near the junction of Church Lane and The Green, is a village primary school with 166 pupils.

In December 2015 Ofsted inspected the school and judged it to be good across the board,^[6] having been in special measures since December 2014.^[7]

Pre-School

Sarratt Ducklings, an independent pre-school for children aged from 2 to 4, located in the grounds of Sarratt Primary School, is a registered charity. It was judged outstanding by Ofsted in 2015.^[8][9]

Fiction and filming

In some of the early novels of John le Carré, Sarratt was the fictional location of an agent training school and interrogation centre for the British foreign intelligence service. ^[10] Le Carré and Mikhail Lyubimov, the former KGB Colonel, contributed to a book published by Village Books in 1999 as a fund-raiser for village charities titled, Sarratt and the Draper of Watford. ^[11]

Sarratt has been used as a location in television and film productions, including:^[12]

• Murder Most Foul—(1964 film)—starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.
• Four Weddings and a Funeral—(1994 film)—in which the church was used as a filmset.
• The Demon Headmaster—(BBC TV)—second series of a children's drama series.
• Just William—(BBC TV)—a production of a children's drama series.

Notable people

• Sydney Valentine, actor, lived at Pear Tree Cottage, Sarratt.^[13]

See also

• Sarratt Bottom nature reserve

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sarratt.

• 'Parishes: Sarratt', A History of the County of Hertford Date accessed: 29 December 2006.
• Holy Cross Church Website