The village green in Comberton in Cambridgeshire, UK, with a pond, a village sign and a bench to enjoy the view

For the community in New York, see Village Green, New York.

A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. 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. Some may also have a pond, originally for watering stock. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x938, 205 KB) Comberton village green, Cambridgeshire, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x938, 205 KB) Comberton village green, Cambridgeshire, England. ... Comberton is a village in south Cambridgeshire, in East Anglia, England. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... Village Green is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in Onondaga County, New York. ... In England and Wales, a common is a piece of land over which other people -- often neighbouring landowners -- could exercise one of a number of traditional rights, such as allowing their cattle to graze upon it. ... Pastureland Pasture is land with lush herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulates as part of a farm or ranch. ...

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. May Day festivities are traditionally located at the green, with the Maypole erected at its centre. A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... May Day is a name for various holidays celebrated on May 1 (or in the beginning of May), ranging from several festivals to International Workers Day, its most famous action. ... Dancing around the maypole, in Ã…mmeberg, Sweden The maypole is a tall wooden pole (traditionally of hawthorn or birch), sometimes erected with several long colored ribbons suspended from the top, festooned with flowers, draped in greenery and strapped with large circular wreaths, depending on local and regional variances. ...

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.

Rarity

Greens are increasingly rare and are mainly to be found in the older villages of mainland Europe, and the United Kingdom. Inclosure, the agricultural revolution, and urban development have led to the loss of a number of village greens. 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 Open Spaces Society is the present-day UK national campaigning body which continues this movement. Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... Inclosure (also commonly enclosure), refers to the process of subdivision of common lands for individual ownership. ... In the Earths history there have been a number of agricultural revolutions. ... Urbanization is a natural expansion of an existing population, namely the proportion of total population or area in urban localities or areas (cities and towns), or the increase of this proportion over time. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001... Conservation can be confused with conversation and vice versa. ... The Kinks were a British rock group that rose to fame during the original British Invasion, and endured for over thirty years. ... The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is a pop-rock album released by the British music group The Kinks on November 22, 1968. ...

Town and village greens

The village green in Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, UK

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. 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: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (816x616, 143 KB)Stanford in the Vale village green, taken by Dan Huby 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (816x616, 143 KB)Stanford in the Vale village green, taken by Dan Huby 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The village green in Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, UK Stanford in the Vale is a large village with approximately 2,000 residents situated in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in south-east England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is a UK act of parliament which came into force on November 30, 2000. ...

1. which has been allotted by or under any Act for the exercise or recreation of the inhabitants of any locality
2. or on which the inhabitants of any locality have a customary right to indulge in lawful sports and pastimes
3. 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.

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, and a beach.

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 2.5 km²) respectively. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... An acre is an English unit of area, which is also frequently used in the United States and some Commonwealth countries. ...

Examples

View on the largest village green in Zuidlaren, the Netherlands

The village green in Dwingeloo, the Netherlands.

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." The green dominates the village, and slopes down to a duck pond, and is occasionally flooded when it has been raining too much. Image File history File linksMetadata The_large_green_village_of_Zuidlaren. ... Image File history File linksMetadata The_large_green_village_of_Zuidlaren. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2765x2044, 3124 KB) Description: The ‘Brink’ in Dwingeloo, although not clearly visible on the picture, between the two trees in the middle-left part of the picture, there is a pool, which used to be used in case of fire. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2765x2044, 3124 KB) Description: The ‘Brink’ in Dwingeloo, although not clearly visible on the picture, between the two trees in the middle-left part of the picture, there is a pool, which used to be used in case of fire. ... Westerveld is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. ... Finchingfield is a charming village situated in the county of Essex, in the south-east of England. ... This article is about the county of Essex in England. ...

There are two places in the United States called Village Green: Village Green-Green Ridge, Pennsylvania, and Village Green, New York. Some New England towns refer to their town square as a village green. Village Green-Green Ridge is a census-designated place located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. ... Village Green is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in Onondaga County, New York. ... Flag of New England The states of New England are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. ... A town square is an open area commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. ...

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. Zuidlaren is the village with the largest number of village greens in the Netherlands. Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. ... Zuidlaren (Drents: Zuudlaoren) is a village in the province of Drenthe in the Northern Netherlands, Europe. ...

External links

• The Open Spaces Society - gives UK information on how to claim a village green.