Suburban development following the Second World War resulted in the area becoming almost contiguous with the Greater London conurbation, but the village is still surrounded by open farmland.

The village was not included in the Domesday Book of 1086, but the manor existed in the Middle Ages and was held in the 13th century by Simon de Montfort.

[2] On March 30th 2008, a Cessna Citation carrying 5 people onboard crashed into a house in the village.

All 5 people on board died, including former racers Richard Lloyd and David Leslie.

The film lasts just under two minutes, and follows the cortège into Saint Giles the Abbott Church, where the gravestone may still be found, very near to the war memorial.