United Kingdom See also: Largest village in England A village in the UK is a compact settlement of houses, smaller in size than a town, and generally based on agriculture or, in some areas, mining (such as Ouston, County Durham), quarrying or sea fishing. They are very similar to those in Ireland. The main street of the village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England. The major factors in the type of settlement are location of water sources, organisation of agriculture and landholding, and likelihood of flooding. For example, in areas such as the Lincolnshire Wolds, the villages are often found along the spring line halfway down the hillsides, and originate as spring line settlements, with the original open field systems around the village. In northern Scotland, most villages are planned to a grid pattern located on or close to major roads, whereas in areas such as the Forest of Arden, woodland clearances produced small hamlets around village greens.[13][14] Some villages have disappeared (for example, deserted medieval villages), sometimes leaving behind a church or manor house and sometimes nothing but bumps in the fields.Some show archaeological evidence of settlement at three or four different layers, each distinct from the previous one. Clearances may have been to accommodate sheep or game estates, or enclosure, or may have resulted from depopulation, such as after the Black Death or following a move of the inhabitants to more prosperous districts. Other villages have grown and merged and often form hubs within the general mass of suburbia — such as Hampstead, London and Didsbury in Manchester. Many villages are now predominantly dormitory locations and have suffered the loss of shops, churches and other facilities. For many British people, the village represents an ideal of Great Britain. Seen as being far from the bustle of modern life, it is represented as quiet and harmonious, if a little inward-looking. This concept of an unspoilt Arcadia is present in many popular representations of the village such as the radio serial The Archers or the best kept village competitions.[15] Bisley, Gloucestershire, a village in the Cotswolds Many villages in South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, North East Derbyshire, County Durham, South Wales and Northumberland are known as pit villages. These (such as Murton, County Durham) grew from hamlets when the sinking of a colliery in the early 20th century resulted in a rapid growth in their population and the colliery owners built new housing, shops, pubs and churches. Some pit villages outgrew nearby towns by area and population; for example, Rossington in South Yorkshire came to have over four times more people than the nearby town of Bawtry. Some pit villages grew to become towns; for example, Maltby in South Yorkshire grew from 600 people in the 19th century[16] to over 17,000 in 2007.[17] Maltby was constructed under the auspices of the Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Company and included ample open spaces and provision for gardens.[18] In the UK, the main historical distinction between a hamlet and a village was that the latter had a church,[1] and so usually was the centre of worship for an ecclesiastical parish. However, some civil parishes may contain more than one village. The typical village had a pub or inn, shops, and a blacksmith. But many of these facilities are now gone, and many villages are dormitories for commuters. The population of such settlements ranges from a few hundred people to around five thousand. A village is distinguished from a town in that: A village should not have a regular agricultural market, although today such markets are uncommon even in settlements which clearly are towns. A village does not have a town hall nor a mayor. If a village is the principal settlement of a civil parish, then any administrative body that administers it at parish level should be called a parish council or parish meeting, and not a town council or city council. However, some civil parishes have no functioning parish, town, or city council nor a functioning parish meeting. In Wales, where the equivalent of an English civil parish is called a Community, the body that administers it is called a Community Council. However, larger councils may elect to call themselves town councils.[19] Unlike Wales, Scottish community councils have no statutory powers.[20] There should be a clear green belt or open fields, as, for example, seen on aerial maps for Ouston surrounding its parish[21] borders. However this may not be applicable to urbanised villages: although these may not considered to be villages, they are often widely referred to as being so; an example of this is Horsforth in Leeds. France The village of Rougon in Provence Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (Lot) is one of "The Most Beautiful Villages in France". Same general definition as in the UK. An independent association named Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, was created in 1982 to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage. As of 2008, 152 villages in France have been listed in "The Most Beautiful Villages of France". Spain Spain has plenty of little villages around its territory. The concept of village and country life is really present and usual in the North of the country (Atlantic area), especially in Galicia where villages are similar to English ones. South of Barcelona is Spain's most romantic Mediterranean beach town, with a 2.5 km-long (1 1/2-mile) sandy beach and a promenade studded with flowers and palm trees. Sitges is a town with a rich connection to art; Picasso and Dalí both spent time here.[22] Mérida is an important Roman town with great tapas. Barcena Mayor (Cantabria) has houses that date back to the sixth century with simple two floors constructions and rectangular form. Salamanca, an ancient Celtic town, is also a Renaissance city with striking architecture. Its sandstones buildings have a beautiful lustre giving the city the nickname, La Ciudad Dorada.[23] Morella, Castellón is a medieval village located in the region of "Comunitat Valenciana" with huge castles with a rich renaissance history.[24] Rogueira pasturelands is one of the great ecological jewels of Galicia. Rivers, pools and springs abound in this verdant forest, as do underground water caves and caverns with a prehistoric past.[25] San Marti Vell is a charming small village well known for its Gothic spire. La Bisbal should be next on the list. The town is worth visiting for its Main Square and the castle. This Romanesque castle is situated in the middle of the town, giving it a romantic look. There is also Palafrugell, Palau-sator, Sant Julia and Sant Feliu de Boada. They are all very important because of their medieval patrimony. Castelló d'Empúries has 13th-century Gothic churches. Angles also possesses outstanding medieval constructions throughout its village.[26] All villages have a church or hermitage.[citation needed] Portugal Villages are more usual in the northern and central regions and in the Alentejo. Most of them have a church and a "Casa do Povo" (people's house), where the village's summer romarias or religious festivities are usually held. Summer is also when many villages are host to a range of folk festivals and fairs, taking advantage of the fact that many of the locals who reside abroad tend to come back to their native village for the holidays. Netherlands In the flood prone districts of the Netherlands, villages were traditionally built on low man-made hills called terps before the introduction of regional dyke-systems. In modern days, the term dorp (lit. "village") is usually applied to settlements no larger than 20,000, though there's no official law regarding status of settlements in the Netherlands. |
About us|Jobs|Help|Disclaimer|Advertising services|Contact us|Sign in|Website map|Search|
GMT+8, 2015-9-11 22:02 , Processed in 0.150201 second(s), 16 queries .