Everything about Buckinghamshire totally explained
Buckinghamshire (abbreviated
Bucks) is a
ceremonial and
non-metropolitan home county in
South East England. The
county town is
Aylesbury and the largest town in ceremonial Buckinghamshire is
Milton Keynes.
The area under the control of Buckinghamshire County Council, or
shire county, is divided into four districts -
Aylesbury Vale,
Chiltern,
South Bucks and
Wycombe.
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and forms part of the county for various functions such as
Lord Lieutenant but doesn't come under county council control. The ceremonial county, the area including Milton Keynes borough, borders
Greater London,
Berkshire,
Oxfordshire,
Northamptonshire,
Bedfordshire and
Hertfordshire.
History
The name Buckinghamshire is
Anglo Saxon in origin and means
The district (scire) of Bucca's home.
Bucca's home refers to
Buckingham in the north of the county, and is named after an Anglo-Saxon landowner. The county has been so named since about the 12th century; however, the county itself has existed since it was a subdivision of the
kingdom of
Mercia (585–919).
The history of the area though predates the Anglo Saxon period and the county has a rich history from the
Celtic through to
Roman periods though the Anglo Saxons did have perhaps the greatest impact on Buckinghamshire out of these groups: the geography of the rural county is largely as it was in the Anglo Saxon period. Later Buckinghamshire became an important political arena, with
King Henry VIII intervening in local politics in the 16th century and just a century later the
English Civil War was reputedly started by
John Hampden in mid-Bucks.
The biggest change to the county historically came in the 19th century when a combination of
cholera and
famine hit the rural county forcing many to migrate to larger towns to find work. Not only did this alter the local economical picture it meant a lot of land was going cheap at a time when the rich were more mobile and
leafy Bucks became a popular rural idyll: an image it still has today. Buckinghamshire is a very popular home for London commuters leading to greater local affluence however some pockets of relative deprivation remain.
Geography
The county includes the
Chiltern Hills to the South and the
Vale of Aylesbury to the north. At above sea level, the two highest points are
Coombe Hill near
Wendover, and Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire, near Wendover where a stone marks the summit.
Ceremonial county
The
ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire consists of the area administered by the Borough of Milton Keynes as well as that administered by Buckinhamshire County Council. The ceremonial county has a
Lord Lieutenant and a
High Sheriff. Currently the
Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire is
Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher and the
High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire is Amanda Nicholson. The
Custos rotulorum has been combined with the duties of Lord Lieutenant since 1702.
Politics
Buckinghamshire County Council
The county council was founded in 1889 with its base in new municipal buildings in Walton Street,
Aylesbury (which are still there). In Buckinghamshire, local administration is run on a two-tier system where public services are split between the county council and a series of district councils.
In the 1960s the council moved into new premises: a 15-storey tower block in the centre of Aylesbury (pictured) designed by
architect Thomas Pooley. Said to be one of the most unpopular and disliked buildings in Buckinghamshire it's now a Grade II
listed building.
In 1997 the northern part of Buckinghamshire in
Milton Keynes Borough separated to form a unitary authority, however for ceremonial and some other purposes Milton Keynes is still considered to be part of Buckinghamshire.
Buckinghamshire County Council is a large employer within the County and provides a great variety of functions including education (schools, adult education and youth services), social services, highways, libraries, County Archives and Record Office,
County Museum and
Roald Dahl Children's Gallery in Aylesbury, some aspects waste disposal, consumer services and some aspects waste disposal and planning.
Coat of arms
The
coat of arms for Buckinghamshire County Council features a white
swan in chains. This dates back to the Anglo Saxon period, when swans were bred in Buckinghamshire for the
king's pleasure. That the swan is in chains illustrates that
the swan is bound to the king, an ancient law that still applies to wild swans in the UK today. The herald was first used at the
Battle of Agincourt by the
Duke of Buckingham.
Above the swan is a gold band, in the centre of which is
Whiteleaf Cross, representing the many ancient landmarks of the county. The shield is mounted by a
beech tree, representing the
Chiltern Forest that once covered almost half the county. Either side of the shield are a
buck, for Buckingham, and a swan, the county symbol.
The motto of the shield says
Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum. This is
Latin and means 'no stepping back'.
The flag of Buckinghamshire, which flies outside County Hall in Aylesbury, comprises red and black halves with a white swan. The flag takes the county emblem which is on the county shield.
Demographics
Today Buckinghamshire is an ethnically diverse area, particularly in the larger towns. At the end of the nineteenth century some Welsh drover families settled in north Bucks and, in the last quarter of the twentieth century, a large number of Londoners (to Milton Keynes). Aylesbury has a sizeable Italian population, and Amersham has a large Polish community dating from
World War Two. Amersham is twinned with
Krynica in
Poland. High Wycombe is the most ethnically diverse town in the county, with large
Asian and
Afro-Caribbean populations. There is also a
Polish and
Eastern European community.
Economy
Buckinghamshire has a modern service-based economy and is part of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
NUTS-2 region, which was the seventh richest subregion in the
European Union in 2002 The southern part of the county is a prosperous section of the
London commuter belt. The county has fertile agricultural lands, with many
landed estates, especially those of the
Rothschild banking family of England in the 19th century (see
Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire). Manufacturing industries include
furniture-making (traditionally centred at
High Wycombe), pharmaceuticals and agricultural processing.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Buckinghamshire at current basic prices published by the
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling (except GVA index).
| Year |
Regional Gross Value Added |
Agriculture |
Industry |
Services |
VA index per person |
| 1995 |
6,008 |
60 |
1,746 |
4,201 |
118 |
| 2000 |
8,389 |
45 |
1,863 |
6,481 |
125 |
| 2003 |
9,171 |
50 |
1,793 |
7,328 |
118 |
In a recent nationwide survey, Buckinghamshire had the highest quality of life in the country, having the highest life expectancy and best education results.
Places of interest
The county is also home to the world famous
Pinewood Studios.
Transport
Roads
Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes) is served by four motorways, although two are on its borders:
M40 motorway - cuts through the south of the county serving towns such as High Wycombe and Beaconsfield
M1 motorway - serves Milton Keynes in the north
M25 motorway - passes into Bucks but has only one junction (J16-interchange for the M40)
M4 motorway - passes through the very south of the county with only J7 in Bucks
Also the A41(M) comes into Buckinghamshire from the east to Aston Clinton.
Road travel east–west is good in the county because of the commuter routes leaving London for the rest of the country. There are no major roads that run directly between the south and north of the county (for example between High Wycombe and Milton Keynes).
Rail
Bucks has several lines running through it, serving many parts of the county.
Settlements
This is a list of the towns in the shire county of Buckinghamshire. For the full list of towns, villages and hamlets in Buckinghamshire, see List of places in Buckinghamshire.
This is a list of the towns in the historic bounds of Buckinghamshire that after various local government reorganisations are no longer administered as part of it.
Eton and Slough (to Berkshire); Linslade (to Bedfordshire)
In the Borough of Milton Keynes: Milton Keynes (including Bletchley, Fenny Stratford, Stony Stratford and Wolverton), Newport Pagnell, Olney. (The Borough remains part of the Ceremonial County).
Education
Buckinghamshire LEA has a completely selective education system with either grammar schools or secondary modern schools. There are 9 independent schools and 34 state schools, not including sixth form colleges.
Notable people
Anciently Buckinghamshire is the birth place and/or final resting place of several notable individuals. Saint Osyth was born in Quarrendon and was buried in Aylesbury in the 7th century while at about the same time Saint Rumwold was buried in Buckingham. From the medieval period Roger of Wendover was, as the name suggests, from Wendover and Anne Boleyn also owned property in the same town. It is said that King Henry VIII made Aylesbury the county town over Buckingham because Boleyn's father owned property there and was a regular visitor himself. Other medieval residents included Edward the Confessor who had a palace at Brill and John Wycliffe who lived in Ludgershall.
From a slightly later period Buckinghamshire became home to some notable literary characters. Edmund Waller was brought up in Beaconsfield and served as Member of Parliament for both Amersham and Wycombe. Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary spent some time living in Marlow, attracted to the town by their friend Thomas Love Peacock who also lived there. John Milton lived in Chalfont St Giles and his cottage can still be visited there and John Wilkes served as Member of Parliament for Aylesbury. Much later literary characters include Jerome K. Jerome who lived at Marlow, T. S. Eliot who also lived at Marlow, Roald Dahl who lived in Great Missenden, Enid Blyton who lived in Beaconsfield and Edgar Wallace who lived in Bourne End and is buried in Little Marlow. Modern-day writers from Bucks include Terry Pratchett who was born in Beaconsfield, Tim Rice who is from Amersham and Andy Riley who is from Aylesbury.
During the Second World War a number of politicians and world leaders from Europe came to England to seek exile. Due to its proximity to London various locations in Buckinghamshire were selected to house dignitaries. President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia lived at Aston Abbotts with his family while some of his officials were stationed at nearby Addington and Wingrave. Meanwhile Władysław Sikorski, military leader of Poland, lived at Iver and King Zog of Albania lived at Frieth. Bucks is also notable for another exile, although this one much earlier: King Louis XVIII of France lived in exile at Hartwell House from 1809 to 1814.
Also on the local political stage Buckinghamshire has been home to Nancy Astor who lived in Cliveden, Frederick, Prince of Wales who also lived in Cliveden, Baron Carrington who lives in Bledlow, Benjamin Disraeli who lived at Hughenden Manor and was made Earl of Beaconsfield, John Hampden who was from Great Hampden and is revered in Aylesbury to this day and Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery who lived at Mentmore. Also worthy of note are William Penn who believed he was descended from the Penn family of Penn and so is buried nearby and the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who has an official residence at Chequers. Finally John Archdale colonial governor of North Carolina and South Carolina, although more notably American, was born in Buckinghamshire
Other natives of Buckinghamshire who have become notable in their own right include:
Errol Barnett, news reporter, was born in Milton Keynes
Nick Beggs, musician, is from Winslow
Lynda Bellingham, actress, is from Aylesbury
Emily Bergl, actress, born in Buckinghamshire, though her family moved to suburban Chicago a few years after her birth
Emmerson Boyce, Wigan Athletic footballer, was born in Aylesbury
Nick Bracegirdle aka Chicane, was born in Chalfont St Giles
Den Brotheridge, British Army Officer who died taking Pegasus Bridge in France was from Aylesbury
James Corden, actor, grew up in Hazlemere
Martin Grech, musician, is from Aylesbury
Howard Jones, musician, is from High Wycombe
Arthur Lasenby Liberty, merchant, was from Chesham
Richard Lee, footballer, attended Aylesbury Grammar School
Jonathon Lewis, England test cricketer, was born in Aylesbury
Al Murray, television / radio presenter also known as The Pub Landlord originates from Stewkley
John Otway, musician, is from Aylesbury
Simon Standage, baroque violinist, is from High Wycombe
Michael York, actor, born in Fulmer in South Bucks
Today Buckinghamshire is a very picturesque landscape and is home to numerous celebrities and has attracted its fair share in the past. These include:
Cilla Black, television presenter, lives in Denham
Fern Britton, television presenter, lives in Holmer Green
Melanie Brown, musician, lived in Little Marlow
John Craven, television presenter, lives in Princes Risborough
Tess Daly has a house in Fulmer
Iain Duncan Smith, politician, lives in Swanbourne
Ian Dury, musician, lived in Wingrave
Noel Edmonds, television presenter, once lived in Weston Turville
Andrew Fletcher, musician with Depeche Mode, has a home in Marlow
Noel Gallagher, musician with Oasis, lives in Little Chalfont
Sir John Gielgud, actor, was living in Wotton Underwood when he died
David Jason, actor, lives in Ellesborough
Angelina Jolie, actress, lives in Fulmer
Jason "Jay" Kay, musician and frontman of Jamiroquai, lives in Horsenden
Vernon Kay has a house in Fulmer
John Laurie, Actor, lived in Chalfont St Peter
Hayley Mills and Roy Boulting lived in Ibstone
John Mills, actor, lived in Denham
Mike Oldfield, musician, once lived in Little Chalfont
Nduka Onwuegbute, playwright, lives in Aylesbury
Ozzy Osbourne, musician, had a home in Jordans
Pauline Quirke, actress, lives in Beaconsfield
Steve Rothery, musician with Marillion, lives in Whitchurch
Rothschild family, bankers, had houses in Ascott, Aston Clinton, Eythrope, Halton, Mentmore and Waddesdon
Tiny Rowland, businessman, lived in Hedsor
Jackie Stewart, racing driver, lives in Ellesborough
Terry Wogan, radio and television broadcaster, lives in Taplow
In the 2005 movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt and her family lived in Buckinghamshire.Further Information
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