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Monday, 12 May 2008 |
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A brief history of the parish  Early civilisation in the area is indicated by traces of Bronze Age burial mounds and a later Roman road and tumulus. The Manor of Almshoe, the earlier settlement in the south of the parish, was recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086. An account roll records in 1358 expenses incurred by ‘the Queen and the Queen of Scotland, in the Park of Almeshoe’.
The traditional date for the church’s foundation is 1087. It was built under the patronage of Elstow Nunnery and is dedicated to St Hippolytus. The little village that grew up around the church naturally took its name but it was not until 1283 that it appears as S Yppollitus. There are still various spellings, although the 19th century parochial spelling of St Ippolyts is now the official one for both the parish and the village. In the 14th century the church was enlarged, arches were cut through the thick walls and the aisles were added. At the dissolution of the monasteries Henry VIII gave the patronage to his newly founded Trinity College, Cambridge. King Henry VIII inherited Maydencroft Manor and in his younger days he occasionally stayed there, using it as a hunting lodge. It is reputed that John Bunyan, the non-conformist, preached in Maydencroft Barn. In 1801, Revd William Lax had St Ibbs altered and created the park opposite with its lake and picturesque bridge. Considerable repairs to the church were carried out in 1839, followed by a reconstruction in 1878, carefully using the original materials. St Ippolyts School has always had close links with the church and was opened in 1847. The last extension including a new hall, which was opened in 2004 to cater for the needs of modern children. In 1907 Gosmore village green was established by the pond (now dry) that had given the name Goose Mere to the village. In 1921 the first council houses were built and piped water replaced the well-water. In 1931 electricity came and soon after the Second World War the Recreation Ground waslaid out.  In 1939 the Parish Hall was built. It was extended and refurbished in 1999 as a Millennium Project supported by funds from the National Lottery, District and Parish councils and local fundraising activities.
In 1970, following the demolition of the old cottages, St Ippolyts village green was created and a large area was set aside for an electricity substation. Dell Field a community area was also formed. By 2001 the population rose to 2014 (464 in 1801) and is still growing. |
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