Largest village in England
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Several villages claim to be the largest village in England. The claim is complicated by disputes over what exactly constitutes a village. Definitions can refer to population, a key building (e.g. school, retail outlet, church or village hall), a village nameplate or a minimum number of houses (e.g. 20).
One of the contenders for most people is Kidlington in Oxfordshire, which has a population of around 11,000.
Studley, near Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire has also been claimed as the largest village, though it has a population of 6624 in the 2001 census. Gnosall in Staffordshire also claims to be the largest village, though whether neighbouring Gnosall Heath is part of the village is disputed. Bembridge, Isle of Wight, makes the claim to one of the largest villages in Europe, though it has only a population of around 4600.
Cottingham, East Yorkshire once made the claim on the basis of including the 93 km² grounds of Cottingham manor.
- Reference to area of Cottingham (http://www.cottinghamuk.co.uk/history/history.htm)
- UK government definition (http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_027964.pdf)