Dagnall

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Dagnall as seen from the air

Dagnall Village Hall

Dagnall is a hamlet in the parish of Edlesborough, in Buckinghamshire, England.

The place name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Daegga's Knoll'. In manorial rolls of 1196 it was listed as Dagenhale.

Dagnall School, formerly Dagnall County First School, opened in 1909, and today educates local children from the ages of four to eight.^[1] Most students on leaving Dagnall School go on to nearby Edlesborough School. Dagnall School is a mixed, community, infant school, which has approximately 45 pupils. In 1989 the number of registered pupils had fallen to just 13 and the school was at risk of closure. This risk came partly from the Education Reform Act 1988 which would introduce a National Curriculum that the school might not have been able to meet. A dedicated campaign saved the school by 1990.

Dagnall Church has a congregation of both Anglicans and Methodists, and has clergy from both denominations.

Dagnall Under Fives playgroup was formed in 1975, and is run from the Village Hall. The preschool takes on children age 2½ to school age. For children in their last at preschool, they run rising fives sessions to prepare children for when they go to school.

Amenities include two public houses and two farm shops. The post office closed in 1985, the general convenience store closed more recently. There is little provision for public transport. School buses are provided for children that go to Edlesborough School and Secondary Schools such as The Cottesloe School in Wing. The nearest train station is in Berkhamsted. The nearest international airport is London Luton Airport which is very close to the village. The village is currently on the main landing flight path into the airport. The village also has a number of local attractions. They include:

Whipsnade Golf Club (0.2 miles)
Whipsnade Zoo (2.6 miles)
Ashridge Golf Club (2.6 miles)
Dunstable Downs (The Chilterns Gateway Centre: 4.5 miles)
Dunstable Downs Golf Club (4.6 miles)
Ashridge Estate (5.1 miles)
Ivinghoe Beacon

The picture above is an aerial view of Dagnall and shows the whole village. As can be seen there are five main road links into the village. Dagnall is close to six main towns, Hemel Hempstead, Dunstable, Luton, Berkhamsted, Leighton Buzzard and Milton Keynes. It is in between four of these. The road at the bottom of the photo leads to Whipsnade, Dunstable and further on, Luton. The road at the bottom on the left leads to Studham. The road at the top on the left is the main road to Hemel Hempstead. The road at the very top of the photo goes to Ashridge and Berkhamsted. The road on the right of the photo leads to Leighton Buzzard and further on, Milton Keynes.

Dagnall's claim to fame is Tim Sherwood, a former professional footballer, who once lived on the outskirts of the village. He played for Watford, Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth and Coventry City.