Wikipedia
Pitstone (formerly Pightelsthorn, with possible variation Pychelesthorn in 1399 ) is a village and civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, about seven miles east of Aylesbury and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard. It directly adjoins the village of Ivinghoe, and the two villages share a number of their facilities.
The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Picel's thorn tree'. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Pincelestorne.
Pitstone was given to the abbey at Ashridge by the Earl of Cornwall in 1283. In 1290 King Edward I spent Christmas in Pitstone at the estate that had been given to the abbey, and stayed for five weeks, during which time he held parliament in Ashridge. His stay caused great inconvenience to the local inhabitants of the village, who were legally obliged to keep the king and his court.
More recently Pitstone was the site of a cement works which closed in the 1990s. The site has now been demolished and has been redeveloped for housing and business use. The new housing district is named 'Castlemead' (after the Castle Cement Company who were the last operators of the site) and the business area already contains numerous units with construction ongoing.
A notable building nearby is Pitstone Windmill, which is owned by the National Trust. The windmill was formerly capable of rotating to face the prevailing wind, as evidenced by the wheel protruding from one side of the structure. Although it no longer retains this capacity, the wheel remains in place and the pivot point of the windmill is clearly visible.
Pitstone Green Museum provides some interesting insights into agricultural history and various supporting trades. The museum is located to the south of the village, on the site of a farm.
Pitstone Hill, above the village, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), designated for its botanical interest. The hill is crossed by the Ridgeway National Trail. A former chalk quarry has been converted to College Lake nature reserve, a flagship reserve of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, and the area east of the lake within the nature reserve is a geological SSSI, Pitstone Quarry.