Startop takes its namesake from Startop’s End, a hamlet, farm, nature reserve and reservoir – one of four that makes up ‘Tring Reserviors’, alongside Marsworth, Tringford and Wilstone. The area is believed to have expanded from Startop Farm, which in turn was likely named after its owners, members of the Startop family. The etymology of the surname can be traced back to ‘Startup’, from the Middle English styrtan-up (to leap up), denoting someone of haste and gusto, or a messenger. The hamlet grew with the construction of a blacksmith’s forge and farmhouse, overseen by the Rothschilds to service their nearby Tring Park Mansion.
Today, Startop’s End is known as the summit of the Grand Union Canal, the summit fed by the nearby reservoirs. The reservoirs, now a nature reserve, offer solace to wanderers and anglers alike – home to no less than 5 British angling records.
Historically, the skyline of the elevated reservoirs would have been dominated by Tringford Pumping Station, built in 1818 and now Grade-II listed. The structure’s chimney has since been removed but can be seen in early photographs of the site, towering above much else around it in its heyday.
Anvils, angling champions and lofty canal heights – Startop to a tee!
