Stansted Mountfitchet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stansted Mountfitchet |
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 Stansted Mountfitchet |
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 Stansted Mountfitchet
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| Population | 8,621 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | TL5124 |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STANSTED |
| Postcode district | CM24 |
| Dialling code | 01279 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
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Stansted Mountfitchet is a village in England, located in the Essex county. It's close to the Hertfordshire border, about 56 kilometers (35 miles) north of London. In 2021, about 8,621 people lived there. The village has grown quite a bit over the years. You can get there by train, as the village has its own railway station.
Stansted Mountfitchet is in the northwest part of Essex, just 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Bishop's Stortford. Stansted Airport is also very close, only 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) away from the village. The village has three primary schools: Bentfield Primary School, St Mary's (C of E) Primary School, and Magna Carta Primary Academy. It also has one high school, which was renamed the Forest Hall School in 2013.
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Village History and Origins
Stansted was originally a Saxon settlement. Its name means 'stony place' in Old English. This means it existed long before the Normans arrived in 1066. In the 1086 Domesday Book, Stansted was part of the ancient Uttlesford hundred.
It was one of many villages owned by a powerful Norman lord named Robert Gernon de Montfichet. He came from a place called Montfiquet in Normandy. By 1290, people started calling the village Stansted Mountfitchet. This helped to tell it apart from another place called Stansted, Kent.
The Norman Castle
A small part of Robert Gernon's castle still remains today. Around it, a reconstruction of an early Norman castle has been built. People believe that this spot was first used as a fort way back in the Iron Age. Later, the Romans and Vikings might have used it too. The Norman castle itself started being built in 1066. Lord Mountfitchet is also thought to have built Montfichet's Tower in London during the 11th century.
Churches and Halls
St Mary the Virgin's Church was built in the 1120s. It's now a historic church looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. A brick tower was added to it in 1692. Later, in 1889, a new church called Saint John the Evangelist was built closer to the village center. This is now the main village church. Stansted Hall is another important building, constructed in 1871 by William Fuller Maitland.
Local Attractions and Landmarks
Stansted Mountfitchet has some interesting places to visit. One of them is the House on the Hill Toy Museum. Its owners say it's the biggest toy museum in the world! It's located right next to Mountfitchet Castle and Norman Village of 1066. Both of these attractions are owned by Alan Goldsmith. The museum opened in 1991 and has more than 80,000 toys. Most of these toys are from the 1950s to the 1990s.
The village also has a working windmill that was built in 1787. You can visit it once a month.
Stansted Airport's History
During the Second World War, the US Air Force built an airfield near the village. After the war ended, the government took it over. They turned it into a commercial airport. Today, London Stansted Airport is a very busy place. You can reach it by road from Junction 8 of the M11 motorway. It's also easy to get there by train directly from London's Liverpool Street.
Economy and Businesses
In March 2013, Stansted Mountfitchet was recognized as one of the most internet-friendly towns in the UK. This was part of the Google eTown Awards. These awards celebrate places where businesses use the internet a lot to help their economy grow. Stansted ranked fourth, showing how much local businesses use the web. It was behind Richmond, Edinburgh, and Stratford upon Avon.
Several airlines have had their main offices at Stansted Airport. Titan Airways currently has its head office there. In the past, other airlines like AirUK, Buzz, AB Airlines, Lloyd International Airways, and Go Fly also had their main offices on the airport property.
Until 2006, Travelocity.co.uk had its headquarters in Stansted Mountfitchet. It employed about 60 local people from Essex and Hertfordshire. The office closed in 2006 when it merged with Lastminute.com.
Sports and Leisure Activities
The village has a football club called Stansted F.C.. They play at the Hargrave Park sports ground. This club even won the FA Vase in 1983-84, which is a big achievement for non-league teams. There is also a cricket club based at the same sports ground.
Notable People from Stansted Mountfitchet
- James Frain: An actor who grew up in Stansted Mountfitchet.
- Munroe Bergdorf: A well-known model and activist.
- Kate Johnson: A novelist who was raised in the village.
