History 1900 to 1950
The way of life in the Claydons was about to change with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and increasing numbers of the population found alternative employment on the railways, Calvert brick works and other sources of income.
However the majority stayed on the land.
The small tenant farms supplied milk in churns to the railway for the London market, and work remained tough. Most farms had only about 12-20 cows mostly hand milked twice a day. The average size of the farm would be only a few acres, so became increasingly uneconomic as the century progressed. The small farms with their land retained an open and spacious feel to the village. This land was to provide spaces for limited development in the second half of the century, but much still remains an essential feature of both villages.
It was in 1900 that the Verney family made two important contributions to the community when Lady Joan Verney opened the newly built public library. In 1909 the Verney family built the village school, designed with a strong Arts and Crafts influence.
In 1905 the family built a Arts and Crafts style house, the Emerald in East Claydon, for Sir Edmond Verney the Liberal MP.
The map of 1902 illustrates how few buildings had been built in Botolph Claydon compared to the present day.
In 1913 the library was extended and the Parish Council ran it as a Village Hall.
East Claydon Parish lies within the Aylesbury Vale in Buckinghamshire, two and a half miles south west of Winslow, eight miles from the historic larger market town of Buckingham.
Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village Competition - Awarded Merit 2023