Britain, Virginia | |
Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
Pushpin Map: | USA Virginia#USA |
Pushpin Label: | Britain |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Loudoun |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Population As Of: | 2000 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
Utc Offset: | -5 |
Timezone Dst: | EDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
Coordinates: | 39.2528°N -77.6969°W |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Britain is an unincorporated community village in Loudoun County, Virginia lying along Milltown Creek. It is located on the eastern flanks of Short Hill Mountain along Mountain Road (VA Route 690) at its junction with Britain Road.
Originally known as Guinea, the village of Britain—named after Michigan senator Calvin Britain—became the place of settlement for a free African American community in the mid 19th century. Mount Sinai Free Baptist Church was built here in 1880 and served as a school for the community until 1915. Unlike most of the black settlements in Loudoun County, Britain had a post office in operation. Its African American residents began to move elsewhere in the early 19th century with the last black families leaving Britain in the 1920s.