Turville Tourist Information

Visitors to the tiny village of Turville, in Buckinghamshire may find themselves with a weird sense that they have been there before. In fact this village is better known as Dibley from the BBC TV series the Vicar of Dibley, and the delightful St Mary the Virgin Church is better known as St Barnabas!

The village has also featured in the films 101 Dalmatians, Goodnight Mr. Tom, Pride and Prejudice and various other TV series. The Cobstone Windmill at Turville featured in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Turville is situated in the Chilterns, close to exit 5 on the M40 and 65 km from London. It is a quintessential example of rural parish life and is situated five miles north of St Albans Abbey until the Dissolution of Monasteries in 1547. The manor house was eventually rebuilt as Turville Park, a beautiful stately home and the present owner is Lord Sainsbury, of supermarket fame.

For a small village, Turville has quite history. It was the home of Ellen Sadler who fell asleep in 1871 for nine years, a case which attracted a great deal of media attention. Local rumour has it that a member of the royal family visited her for a special “laying on of hands” for healing.

Present Day Turville

Turville has a population of 100 residents and is served by an infrequent weekday bus service and the railway station at Henley-on-Thames.

With its olde worlde charm and beauty, it has a collection of idyllic 16th century brick cottages lining the meandering main street. There is a small village green and a quaint half-timbered pub known in real life as the Bull and Butcher.

The pub is the ideal place to enjoy a pint of ale and a pub meal and it has been serving the locality since the 16th century. The name is derived from “Bullen Butcher” and refers to Anne Boleyn (Bullen) and King Henry VIII who ordered her execution. Visitors can see the restored well featured as a table in the Well Bar. It was used in World War II as an essential water supply for the village.

The 10th century stone built church with its squat tower and the cottages next door are frequently used for souvenir photographs by “Dibley” fans.

Things to do in Turville

There are several walking trails around Turville which cover the village itself and the surrounding area. Take the footpath between the church and the green and follow the line of the fence up the hill to the white Cobstone Windmill to admire views of the village and countryside from the top.

The windmill once supplied the village with flour and was converted into guest accommodation in the late 1970s.

Once visitors have exhausted the delights of Turville, nearby attractions include the lovely town of Henley-on-Thames, Stonor Park and Gardens (which is open to the public on limited days) and The National Trust owned West Wycombe estate with its magnificent Palladian villa.