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Amersham

(Redirected fromAmersham on the Hill)

For other uses, seeAmersham plcandAmersham, Montserrat.
Not to be confused withAmsterdam.

Amersham(/ˈæmərʃəm/AM-ər-shəm) is amarket townandcivil parishinBuckinghamshire,England, in theChiltern Hills,27 miles (43 km) northwest ofcentral London,15 miles (24 km) south-east ofAylesburyand 9 miles (14 km) north-east ofHigh Wycombe.Amersham is part of theLondon commuter belt.

Amersham
Market townandcivil parish
King's Arms Hotel, Amersham Old Town
Amersham is located in Buckinghamshire
Amersham
Amersham
Location withinBuckinghamshire
Population15,189 (2021 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSU965985
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townAMERSHAM
Postcode districtHP6, HP7
Dialling code01494
PoliceThames Valley
FireBuckinghamshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Buckinghamshire
51°40′37″N0°36′11″W/ 51.677°N 0.603°W/51.677; -0.603

There are two distinct areas:

Geography

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Old Amersham occupies the valley floor of theRiver Misbourne.This is achalk streamwhich dries up periodically. The river occupies a valley much larger than it is possible for a river the size of the presentRiver Misbourneto cut, which makes it amisfit stream.The valley floor is at around 100 m (330 ft)OD,and the valley top is at around 165 m (541 ft)OD.It is likely that the valley was formed under conditions akin to those required to form adry valley.Amersham-on-the-Hill is built on the north side of the Misbourne valley on a smallplateauthat forms thewatershedbetween the Misbourne and the neighbouringRiver Chess.

History

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High Street, Old Amersham (1955)

The name "Amersham" is derived from theOld Englishfor 'Ealhmund's village (hām)'.[3]

Records date back toAnglo-Saxontimes when it was known asAgmodesham,and by the time that theDomesday Bookwas written in 1086, it had become known asElmodesham.Further spelling variations are seen in 1460 asAgmondyshamandAmytysham[4]

The Domesday entry reads:

Geoffrey de Mandevilleholds Amersham. It answers for7+1⁄2hides. Land for 16 ploughs; in lordship 2 hides; 3 ploughs there. 14 villagers with 4 smallholders have 9 ploughs; a further 4 possible. 7 slaves; meadow for 16 ploughs; woodland 400 pigs. The total value is and was £9; before 1066 £16.Queen Edithheld this manor.

Queen Edith was the wife ofEdward the Confessorand sister of KingHarold,and after her death in 1075, the land passed toWilliam the Conqueror,who granted it toGeoffrey de Mandeville(diedc. 1100).

In 1200, his descendant Geoffrey de Mandeville (who became theEarl of Essexin 1213) obtained acharterfor Amersham allowing him to hold a Friday market and a fair on 7 and 8 September. In 1613, another charter was granted toEdward, Earl of Bedford,changing the market day to Tuesday, and establishing a statute fair on 19 September.[5]

In 1521, sevenLollarddissenters(William Tylsworth, John Scrivener, Thomas Barnard, James Morden, Robert Rave, Thomas Holmes and Joan Norman) wereburned at the stakein Amersham. A memorial to them was built in 1931 and is inscribed as follows: "In the shallow of depression at a spot 100 yards left of this monument seven Protestants, six men and one woman were burned to death at the stake. They died for the principles of religious liberty, for the right to read and interpret the Holy Scriptures and to worship God according to their consciences as revealed through God's Holy Word". TheUniversal Magazinefor September 1749 (p. 139) quotes that 'William Tylesworth' was in fact burnt in 1506, and that Thomas Bernard and James Morden (a labourer), were burnt about two years later.[6]

The population in 1841 was 3,098.[7]

Architecture

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In 1931, the architectAmyas Connellcompleted the Grade II-listedart decohouse "High & Over" in Amersham.[8]It has been used as a filming location.[9]

Governance

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Amersham Market Hall

Parliamentary constituency

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Amersham sent twoMembers of Parliament(MPs) to theunreformed House of Commonsfrom 1625, and was considered arotten boroughuntil theReform Act 1832stripped it of its representation. The town was then part of thecounty constituencyofBuckinghamshire.From 1885 it was in theAylesburyconstituency, in 1950 it formed part of theSouth Buckinghamshireseat and in 1974 the currentChesham and Amershamconstituency was created. Since thenIan Gilmour(1974–1992) and thenCheryl Gillan(1992–2021) have represented the constituency on behalf of theConservative party.In the2019 General ElectionMs Gillan was returned with 55.4% of the vote. After her death on 4 April 2021,[10]the seat went to theLiberal Democratsfor the first time since its creation whenSarah Greenwon the ensuingby-electionon 17 June 2021.[11]

Local government

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Amersham Town Council, Flint Barn Court, Church Street

There are two tiers of local government in Amersham, at parish (town) and county level: Amersham Town Council andBuckinghamshire Council.The town council is based at Flint Barn Court on Church Street in the old town.[12]

From 1894 until local government reorganisation in 1974 the area was administered byAmersham Rural District Council,which was based at the Amersham Union Workhouse on Whielden Road until 1931 and at Elmodesham House at 42 High Street from 1931 to 1974.[13]Amersham Parish Council was also established in 1894 and initially met atAmersham Market Hall,a prominentneoclassical stylestructure in the High Street.[14]In 1974 Amersham Rural District Council merged withChesham Urban District Councilto formChiltern District Council,whilst Amersham Parish Council became Amersham Town Council. Chiltern District Council was abolished in 2020, merging withBuckinghamshire County Counciland the other Buckinghamshire district councils to form a newunitary authoritycalledBuckinghamshire Council.[15]

Transport

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Roads

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The town is located at the junction of theA355fromSloughandBeaconsfield,theA404linkingMaidenhead,High WycombeandRickmansworth,theA416fromCheshamandBerkhamstedand theA413.

Railway

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Amersham station

The area of the town now known as Amersham-on-the-Hill was referred to as Amersham Common until after the arrival of the railway in 1892. After this date the growth of the new area of the town gradually accelerated, with much work being done by the architect John Kennard. It is now known as "Amersham-on-the-Hill", "Amersham Town" or the "New Town". Amershamstation is aterminusof theMetropolitan line.Much of this route is shared with the mainline railway fromMarylebonetoAylesbury.Before electrification, the Metropolitan line ran via Aylesbury toVerney JunctionandBrill.London Transportabandoned plans to electrify beyond Amersham and the stations and line were sold toBritish Railwayson 11 September 1961. To this day, these Chiltern Railways stations display a characteristic Metropolitan line architecture.

The town features in the 1973John BetjemandocumentaryMetro-landabout the growth of suburban London in the 20th century. The construction of the railway line was controversial and objections from local landowners prevented its construction until 1892. The station was built a mile to the north of the old market town and has provided the focus of Amersham-on-the-Hill ever since.[16]Chiltern Railwaysshare the railway track with London Underground and run services from Marylebone toAylesbury Vale Parkway.

HS2

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In March 2010, the Government announced the route ofHS2,the proposed high-speed railway from London toBirmingham.[17]The line will cross theColne Valleyand theM25 motorwayon a viaduct, and then through a 10-mile (16 km) tunnel under theChiltern Hillsto emerge nearSouth Heath,northwest of Amersham. The route runs roughly parallel to the A413 and theLondon to Aylesbury Line.A campaign of opposition is co-ordinated by a protest group, Amersham Action Group, which with other protest groups is part of the HS2 Action Alliance.[18]

Economy

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Packaging radioactive pharmaceuticals at GE Healthcare's facility

Early trade at Amersham Market was in local grain, much of which was sold to Londonmerchants.During the 17th century and 18th century a key industry in the town was brewing. Giles Watkins (died 1636) built a brewery near St Mary's church in 1634. His brother Henry Watkins was a royal servant, a page of the robes toAnne of Denmark.[19]William Weller ofHigh Wycombepurchased a brewery in 1775. He, and his heirs, expanded the business by buying a number of localpublic housesduring the next 150 years. In 1929 Gerrard Weller sold the brewery and 133 tied public houses toBenskinsofWatfordfor £360,000, a move that led to the end of brewing in Amersham.[5]

In addition to brewing,tanning,lacemanufacture andbrickmakingall had a prominent place in the manufacturing past of the town. During theSecond World War,the Radiochemical Centre, a scientific research establishment, arrived in the town. This becameAmersham International,thenAmersham plc,and now, after a number of changes of ownership and name, is part ofGE Healthcare.[20]Halma,specialists in hazard and life protection products and headquartered in Old Amersham, is now a member of the FTSE 100 index.

Places of worship

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St Mary's Church, Old Amersham

Amersham-on-the-Hill has afree churchwhich is United Reformed and Baptist, theMethodist churchSt. John's and theChurch of EnglandSt Michael & All Angels.[citation needed]

In Old Amersham stands theGrade I listedChurch of EnglandSt Mary's Church,a 13th-century building that has been altered over the years. The present exterior is largelyVictorianbut the building contains a 14th-century font, 17th-century glass from Lamer Manor inHertfordshire,and monuments in thechanceland in the Drake Chapel to 17th- and 18th-century notables.[21][22]

Also in the town there is the Grade II* listedAmersham Meeting House(aQuakermeeting house),[23]twoMethodist churches,St John's in Woodside Road and another in the High Street,[24]and King's Church Amersham, a free church.[25]

Education

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There are two secondary schools located in Amersham:Dr Challoner's Grammar Schoolfor boys, andAmersham School,a non selective co-educationalacademy.Additionally, Amersham is included in the catchment areas of bothDr Challoner's High School,a girls' grammar school in Little Chalfont, andChesham Grammar School,a co-educational grammar school in Chesham.

Original building for Dr Challoners Grammar School

The Dr Challoner's schools share a common foundation dating back to 1624 when the grammar school (then for boys only) started in Old Amersham. Dr Challoner's Grammar School moved to its present site in Amersham-on-the-Hill in 1905 when it became co-educational. In 1937 the school was incorporated into the state system. After rapid growth it was decided to establish Dr Challoner's High School for Girls in nearbyLittle Chalfontin 1962 and Dr Challoner's Grammar School reverted to being for boys only. In 2015 Dr Challoner's Grammar School once again welcomed girls into its Sixth Form.

Amersham School opened on its current site in 1964 as the Brudenell County Secondary School (for girls). Following the closure of the Raans County Secondary School (for boys) in 1988,[26]Brudenell became co-educational and was renamed Amersham School.

Amersham is served by several primary schools, including Our Lady'sRoman CatholicPrimary, Chestnut Lane School, Elangeni School, Chesham Bois Church of England School,St. Mary's Church of England Primary School,St. George's Church of EnglandInfant Schooland WoodsideJunior School.

There are two privatepreparatory schools:The Beacon School (boys) and Heatherton House (girls).

The Henry Allen Nursery School is Amersham's only state maintained nursery school.

Amersham is also served byAmersham & Wycombe Collegeforfurther education.

Sport and recreation

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Amersham Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1897. The club continued until the onset of theFirst World War.[27]

Amersham has aKing George's Fieldin memorial toKing George V.Near the playing field is the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre, which contains anindoor climbingwall, two swimming pools, a gym, four badminton courts, two squash courts, a library, a cafe, a children's nursery, two spas and a community centre.

Amersham Town F.C.playfootballat Spratley's Meadow in Old Amersham, while various football teams use council facilities at Hervines Park in Amersham-on-the-Hill and Barn Meadow in Old Amersham. Also at the Barn Meadow site is the 61 Judo Club.

Hervines Park and Barn Meadow host some cricket in the summer, but the main cricket club in the town is Amersham Cricket Club, which plays in the grounds ofShardeloes.Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Football Clubplayrugby unionat Weedon Lane in Amersham-on-the-Hill. The Chiltern Harriers Athletics Club is the local athletics club. Amersham and Chalfont Hockey Club is the local hockey club with its own playing facility on the Amersham Campus of the Buckinghamshire College Group (formerly Amersham & Wycombe College).

Media and communications

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Local newspapers

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The local newspaper covering Amersham and the surrounding area was theBuckinghamshire Examiner,founded in 1889, until its closure in 2019.[28]Another Buckinghamshire newspaper with a circulation area covering Amerham is theBucks Free Press.[29]

Local radio

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The Ofcom-licensed community radio station for the Chilterns isChiltern Voice,[30]which broadcasts on 107.4 FM.

TV and mobile phone signals

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Due to its position in a fold in the hill, TV and radio reception in Amersham can be poor and the town now has its own TV mast (at Chesham Bois). In the 1970s, Amersham was one of the last towns in the south-east to receiveBBC2,and parts of it still cannot receiveChannel 5.Houses taking their TV reception from the Chesham Bois transmitter[31]have vertically polarised aerials, whilst those in a good enough position receive their signal from theCrystal Palace Transmitterin London with horizontally polarised aerials – they always could receive BBC2 (and indeed Channel 4 & Channel 5).Digital terrestrial televisioncoverage is patchy for much the same reason. Mobile phone reception can be poor in the steeper parts of Chesham and outlying villages.

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The town has been used in a number of films, including:

Notable people

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Twinning

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See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom

Amersham istwinnedwith:

References

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  1. ^ONS,Census 2021 Parish Profiles
  2. ^Google Books Library Project – An enhanced card catalog of the world's books.Retrieved26 January2015.
  3. ^Field, John (1980).Place-names of Great Britain and Ireland.Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. p. 24.ISBN0389201545.OCLC6964610.
  4. ^http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no798/bCP40no798dorses/IMG_0983.htm;third entry from the bottom
  5. ^abHunt, J (2001).A History of Amersham.Phillimore.ISBN1-86077-187-4.
  6. ^But see: S. McSheffreyGender and heresy: women and men in Lollard communities, 1420–1530,(University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995), pp.97, 215.
  7. ^The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge,Vol.III, (1847), London, Charles Knight, p.898.
  8. ^Welch, Adrian (4 May 2014)."High & Over, Amersham House, Buckinghamshire".e-architect.
  9. ^"On Location with Poirot – The King of Clubs".tvlocations.net.
  10. ^"Dame Cheryl Gillan, Welsh Secretary under David Cameron and staunch opponent of HS2 – obituary".The Telegraph.5 April 2021.Retrieved20 April2021.
  11. ^"Chesham and Amersham by-election won by Lib Dems".BBC News.18 June 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2021.Retrieved18 June2021.
  12. ^"Amersham Town Council".Retrieved4 June2022.
  13. ^"40-44 High Street".Amersham Museum.Retrieved6 June2021.
  14. ^Historic England."Market Hall (1221420)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved6 June2021.
  15. ^"The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019".Legislation.co.uk.Retrieved6 June2021.
  16. ^Coppock, JT (1962).The Chilterns.The Geographical Association.
  17. ^High Speed RailDepartment of Transport,Retrieved 25 November 2010
  18. ^Table HS2 Action Alliance Affiliated Groups,Retrieved 25 November 2010
  19. ^Julian Hunt,History of Amersham(Stroud, 2019), p. 41.
  20. ^Britain's richest towns: 10 – 1Telegraph online19 April 2008Retrieved, 10 July 2009
  21. ^"St. Mary's Church & new Rectory".Amersham Museum.Retrieved18 September2019.
  22. ^Historic England."Church of St Mary (1124855)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved18 September2019.
  23. ^"Amersham Quakers".Chiltern Quakers. Archived fromthe originalon 21 November 2015.Retrieved4 March2017.
  24. ^"Amersham Methodist Circuit".Amersham Circuit.Retrieved18 December2021.
  25. ^King's Church Amersham:https:// kca.church/our-history
  26. ^"Raans Secondary School - GOV.UK".
  27. ^"Amersham Golf Club","Golf's Missing Links".
  28. ^"Buckinghamshire Examiner".Archived fromthe originalon 25 May 2009.Retrieved19 May2009.
  29. ^Bucks Free PressArchived22 May 2009 at theWayback Machine
  30. ^Chiltern Voice
  31. ^Chesham transmitterArchived26 September 2007 at theWayback Machine
  32. ^Shalam, Sally (13 March 2010)."The Crown, Amersham, Buckinghamshire".The Guardian.Retrieved2 January2012.
  33. ^"Amersham Museum - 89-95 High St".amershammuseum.org.Retrieved8 September2023.
  34. ^Dessau, Bruce (19 October 2007)."Is Katy Brand the new Catherine Tate?".London Evening Standard.Retrieved26 April2012.
  35. ^"England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007".ancestry.co.uk.Retrieved10 December2022.
  36. ^"Simon Church: Wales striker leaves MK Dons for Roda JC".BBC Sport.24 August 2016.Retrieved23 March2018.
  37. ^Charity, Royal Variety."Giles Cooper – biography | Royal Variety Charity".royalvarietycharity.org.
  38. ^Soodin, Vince (11 December 2003)."Time to put Ruth Ellis murder case to rest".Bucks Free Press.Retrieved10 September2022.
  39. ^Hay, Malcolm (25 September 2006)."Paul Foot: Interview".Time Out London.Time Out Group.Retrieved28 June2016.
  40. ^"Cindy Gallop Make Love Not Porn founder on destigmatising sex and why Emma Watson is wrong".
  41. ^Bucks Free Press
  42. ^Allan Gray biography, Amersham Museum
  43. ^Geldard, Suzanne (24 May 2011)."The Eddie Howe story: Part two".Lancashire Telegraph.Retrieved26 April2012.
  44. ^Haines, Catharine M. C. (2001).International women in science: a biographical dictionary to 1950.Internet Archive. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-1-57607-090-1.
  45. ^Cannane, Steve (3 August 2019)."Singer, soccer commentator, yoga teacher: Celibate Rifles frontman Damien Lovelock dies".ABC News.Retrieved4 August2019.
  46. ^Stanley, Richard (30 October 2004)."Pan's people".The Guardian.Retrieved26 April2012.
  47. ^Barker, Dennis (27 May 2013)."Bill Pertwee obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved23 March2018.
  48. ^Pickthall, Barry (21 February 2017)."Eileen Ramsay obituary".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 26 August 2022.Retrieved26 August2022.
  49. ^"Sir Tim Rice – English lyricist".britannica.Retrieved23 March2018.
  50. ^"Sir Tim Rice – The Theatre Workshop".thetheatreworkshop.Retrieved23 March2018.
  51. ^"Obituary: Jennifer Worth".The Daily Telegraph.29 July 2011.Retrieved26 April2012.
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