The Great Train Robbers’ headquarters were at Leatherslade Farm in Brill and, more importantly, the arrested robbers were taken to the Magistrates Court in Brill to be charged.
Yes, in 1963 a village, with a population of less than a thousand, had a Magistrates Court. I remember it, but it closed in the 1970s. It is now residential properties like the old Brill Post Office, the old Brill mail sorting office, the Brill butcher and several Brill Pubs.
As for Midsomer Murders, the Brill Windmill, well over 350 years old (the village held a party for it when it was 350) appeared in “A Tale of Two Hamlets” as Sarah Proudie’s home.
In the episode, “Four Funerals and a Wedding”, Brill features significantly. All Saints Church, The Green, The Red Lion (now The Pointer) and Amazing Grace’s converted Methodist Chapel. It was first televised on my birthday and even includes a view of our home.
You can see and read about Brill in Exploring Midsomer published by The History Press.
Its back cover features a superb photograph of Brill Windmill at sunset.