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Buckingham

Coordinates:51°59′42″N0°59′10″W/ 51.995°N 0.986°W/51.995; -0.986
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Buckingham
Buckingham High Street
Buckingham is located in Buckinghamshire
Buckingham
Buckingham
Location withinBuckinghamshire
Population12,890 {2011 Census}[1]
OS grid referenceSP695335
•London55 miles (89 km)SE
Civil parish
  • Buckingham
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBUCKINGHAM
Postcode districtMK18
Dialling code01280
PoliceThames Valley
FireBuckinghamshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteBuckingham Town Council
List of places
UK
England
Buckinghamshire
51°59′42″N0°59′10″W/ 51.995°N 0.986°W/51.995; -0.986

Buckingham(/ˈbʌkɪŋ(h)əm/BUK-ing-(h)əm) is amarket townin northBuckinghamshire,England, close to the borders ofNorthamptonshireandOxfordshire,which had a population of 12,890 at the2011 Census.The town lies approximately 12 miles (19 km) west ofCentral Milton Keynes,19 miles (31 km) south-east ofBanbury,and 24 miles (39 km) north-east ofOxford.

Buckingham was thecounty townof Buckinghamshire from the 10th century, when it was made the capital of the newly formed shire of Buckingham,[2]untilAylesburytook over this role in the 18th century.[3]

Buckingham has a variety of restaurants and pubs, typical of a market town. It has a number of local shops, both national and independent. Market days are Tuesday and Saturday which take over Market Hill and the High Street cattle pens. Buckingham istwinnedwithNeukirchen-Vluyn,Germany andMouvaux,France.

History

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Buckingham and the surrounding area has been settled for some time with evidence of Roman settlement found in several sites close theRiver Great Ouse,including a temple south of the A421 at Bourton Grounds which was excavated in the 1960s and dated to the 3rd century AD. A possible Roman building was identified at Castle Fields in the 19th century. Pottery,kiln furnitureand areas of burning found at Buckingham industrial estate suggest the site of some early Roman pottery kilns here.[4]

Old County Gaol in Buckingham, built 1748. It is now theBuckingham Old GaolMuseum.

In the 7th century, Buckingham (literally "hemmed in land of Bucca's people"[5]) is said to have been founded byBucca,the leader of the firstAnglo Saxonsettlers.[6]The first settlement was located around the top of a loop in theRiver Great Ouse,presently the Hunter Street campus of theUniversity of Buckingham.Between the 7th century and the 11th century, the town of Buckingham regularly changed hands between theSaxonsand theDanes,in particular, in 914 KingEdward the Elderand a Saxon army encamped in Buckingham for four weeks forcing local DanishVikingleaders to surrender.[6]Subsequently, a fort was constructed at the location of the present Buckinghamparish church.[6]Buckingham is mentioned in theBurghal Hidage,a document commonly ascribed to the early tenth century, but more probably of the period 878–9, which describes a system of forts set up by King Alfred (d.899) over the whole of the West Saxon kingdom. When King Edward encamped at Buckingham with his army in 914, he was therefore restoring a fort which had already existed for more than a generation. This tactical move was part of aputschagainst the Danish Vikings who controlled what had been southern Mercia, and which involved the taking of control of Viking centres at Bedford, Northampton, Cambridge and eventually the whole of East Anglia by the end of 917.

Buckingham is the first settlement referred to in the Buckinghamshire section of theDomesday Bookof 1086.[7]Buckingham was referred to as Buckingham withBourton,and the survey makes reference to 26burgesses,11 smallholders and 1mill.

The town received itscharterin 1554 whenQueen Marycreated the freeBorough of Buckinghamwith boundaries extending fromThornborowe Bridge(nowThornborough) to Dudley Bridge and fromChackmoreBridge toPadburyMill Bridge. The designated borough included abailiff,twelve principalburgessesand asteward.[8]Yeomanry House,the offices and home of the commanding officer of theBuckinghamshire Yeomanry,was built in the early 19th century.[9]

The town suffered from a significant fire that raged through the town centre on 15 March 1725,[10]with the result that many of the main streets of the town were destroyed including Castle Street, Castle Hill and the north side of Market Hill. The result was 138 dwellings (out of a total of 387 in the town at that time) being consumed in the fire. The current fine range ofGeorgian architecturein these streets today is as a direct result of that fire, but the immediate aftermath was difficult for the town. Collections were made in surrounding towns such as Aylesbury and Wendover to help those made homeless and by 1730, only a third of the homes had been rebuilt. Due to many buildings being considered to be of historic interest, a number of them have been granted 'listed building' status. These include the Grade I listed Castle House on West Street, which dates back to the 15th century.[11]Buckingham Town Hall,which is Grade II* listed, dates back to the late 18th century.[12]

The town was connected to theLondon and North Western Railwayby theBuckinghamshire Railwayin 1850.[13]

The municipal borough had a population of 1,816 in 1841.[14]

In 1971,Buckinghamshire County Councilset up the Buckingham Development Company with other local councils, and undertook a significant project to grow the town and provide a bypass, mainly to the south and east of the historic town centre. The population rose from just over 5,000 to 9,309 in 1991.[15]

Saint Rumbold

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SS Peter and Paul, Buckingham viewed from the south west

The town is said to be the final resting place ofSt Rumbold(also known as Saint Rumwold), a little-knownSaxonsaintand the grandson ofPenda King of Mercia;theparish churchatStrixton(Northamptonshire) is dedicated to him and the small northern town ofRomaldkirkis also thought to be named after him. He was apparently born atKing's Sutton,Northants,where he died just three days later. During his short life, he repeatedly professed his Christian faith and asked forbaptism.He is now most often referred to as St Rumbold,[16] the latter being the most common, as it can be found being used on a local road name and recent booklets about the subject.

Geography

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The town is centred on the historicmarketplace and contains many 18th century buildings. There are three main roads crossing Buckingham, namely theA413,theA421(the southern bypass) and theA422.Capability Brown's historic formal garden design atStowe(on the A422 westbound) is an important attraction in the care of theNational Trust.

There is amedievalwellknown asSt Rumbold's Wellon the south side of the dismantled railway which borders the town. The well, which is now dry for much of the year, was positioned to exploit thespring linebelow the crest of a north facing slope overlooking the town.

Suburbs of Buckingham include Mount Pleasant, Page Hill, Bourton, Badgers, Linden Village, Castle Fields, Tingewick Road Estate and Lace Hill.Maids Moreton,a village on the north eastern borders of the town has becomecontiguouswith the Buckingham urban area. Nearby (10 miles radius) settlements includeWinslow,Bicester,Brackley,Milton KeynesandSilverstone.Local villages in the immediate vicinity includePadburyandGawcottto the south,Chackmoreto the north andShalstoneto the north west. It is also very nearStowe,the location ofStowe House,Stowe GardensandStowe School.

There is adegree confluence pointon the edge of the town, at exactly52°00′00″N01°00′00″W/ 52.00000°N 1.00000°W/52.00000; -1.00000.

Bourton

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Bourtonwas ahamletin the parish of Buckingham. The hamlet name is Old English in origin, and means 'fortified enclosure'. It is now an integral part of the town of Buckingham, with a road and old mill named Bourton still visible to visitors.

Bourton was once the location of a great house that belonged to the Minshull family. In theEnglish Civil Warthe house was plundered byParliamentarianforces.[2]The house has long since disappeared.

Population

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At the 2011 Census, the population of the Buckinghambuilt-up area,which includesMaids Moretonbut excludes Lace Hill, was 12,890.[1]The population of the Buckinghamcivil parish(which excludes Maids Moreton but includes Lace Hill) was 12,043.[17]The town has continued to grow since 2011 and thus the figures at the prospective 2021 Census are expected to be significantly greater. As of October 2019,the Town Council estimates the population of its civil parish at 15,700.[18]

Education

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The town is home to theUniversity of Buckingham,the oldest of the UK's sixprivate universities.Like other UK universities, a large proportion of its students are from overseas.

The Buckinghamshire Council operates theTripartite Systemof state secondary education. The local statesecondary schoolsare theRoyal Latin School(aGrammar School) and theBuckingham School(asecondary modern).Stowe SchoolandAkeley Wood School,just outside the town, areprivate schools.

There are four primary schools, one acommunity schooland the other threeacademies,serving different areas of the town: Buckingham Primary School is the community primary, and the three academies (Bourton Meadow Academy, George Grenville Academy and Lace Hill Academy) are all operated by Campfire Education Trust.[19]

Industry and business

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The town is home to a number ofindustrial estatesandtechnology parkshousing high tech companies in the pharmaceutical, electronic, foods and composite materials fields, includingRacelogicandWipac.

Buckingham was home to theThomas Rickettsteam car,an innovative vehicle from 1860, though considered ahead of its time and only two are thought to have been made.

Most retail is located in the town centre with a variety of independent stores, cafes and restaurants as well as national chains. The Hidden Quarter, located mainly in Well Street and Bridge Street, hosts a number of independent retailers selling everything from handmade home wares to retro wooden toys. Currently, there are two banks in the town centre - Barclays and Lloyds.

Town markets

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Buckingham's historic street market has been in the town for over 600 years and dates from the Charters granted by Queen Mary in 1554 and Charles II in 1664, giving the markets a unique heritage.

Street marketsare held every Tuesday and Saturday. Regular and casual market traders offer a wide variety of products, including fish, fruit and veg, award-winning bread, household goods, tools, flowers and clothes. There is aflea marketheld every Saturday on the site of the town's former cattle pens, offering a wide selection of antiques, collectables and jewellery.

Governance

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See also:Municipal Borough of Buckingham
Buckingham Centre, Verney Close: Offices of Buckingham Town Council, area office of Buckinghamshire Council, and town's library.

There are two tiers of local government in Buckingham, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Buckingham Town Council andBuckinghamshire Council.The town council is based at the Buckingham Centre on Verney Close in the town.[20]

Buckingham Town Hall

Historically, Buckingham was anancient borough,and it became amunicipal boroughin 1836.Buckingham Borough Councilwas based atBuckingham Town Halluntil 1965, when it moved to Castle House on West Street. The borough was abolished in 1974 to become part ofAylesbury Valedistrict, with Buckingham Town Council being established as asuccessor parishcovering the former borough.Aylesbury Vale District Councilin turn was abolished in 2020, merging withBuckinghamshire County Counciland the county's other districts to become Buckinghamshire Council.

Transport

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Road

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Buckingham stands at the crossroads of theA413(north-south),A421andA422(east-west) roads. The town was by-passed in the early 1980s by creating a new section of the A421 to the south.

Bus

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Buckingham is linked to Milton Keynes, Winslow and Aylesbury by the regular X60 bus. An inter-citycoachservice, theX5,links the town to bothBedford(viaMilton Keynes) andOxford(viaBicester). Some surrounding villages are connected to Buckingham by a market day bus and there is a community bus scheme called Bart.[21]

Canal

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Buckingham was served by theBuckingham Armof theGrand Junction Canalfrom 1801 until the end of the 19th century. In 1928, the Grand Junction Canal Company offered to re-open the canal if a minimum income of tolls could be guaranteed,[22]but this was not forthcoming, with only occasional use reported up to 1932, and the canal was finally abandoned in 1964. The canal ran fromCosgrove, Northamptonshireto the centre of Buckingham to awharf.A short section of the canal to the east of the town has now been restored.[23]

Rail

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Buckingham had arailway stationon theBanbury to Verney Junction Branch Line,which opened in 1850 and closed to passengers in 1964 and freight in 1966.Finmere railway stationon theGreat Central Main Linewas originally called "Finmere for Buckingham" when it opened in 1899, despite being 5 miles (8.0 km) from Buckingham. Finmere station dropped the "for Buckingham" from its name in the early 1920s, and closed in 1963. The closest stations to Buckingham are nowWolvertonandMilton Keynes Centralto the east andBicester NorthandBicester Villageto the south west. The newEast West rail linkwill have a stop at nearbyWinslow,scheduled to start running by the end of 2025.[24]

Leisure and wellbeing

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Buckingham Town Cricket Club's ground

Sport

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There are two localfootballteams, and arugby unionclub including teams for women and young women. These areBuckingham Athletic F.C.based at Stratford Fields, Buckingham United F.C based at Lace Hill and Buckingham RUFC based at Floyd Field,Maids Moreton.Moretonville Junior Football Club also has boys and girls teams from u7s – u16s. The town used to be home toBuckingham Town F.C.founded in 1883 until their relocation toFenny Stratfordin 2019; they played at Ford Meadow from 1883 until being evicted in 2011.

The town also has the Buckingham Town Cricket Club, based at Bourton Road and the Buckingham Hockey Club which plays atStowe School.Since 2014, Buckingham has been host to a weekly 5 km (3 mi)Parkrun.[25]

The town has several public sports facilities including the Swan Leisure Centre with an indoor swimming pool, climbing wall, an all weather sports pitch, squash courts.[26]There are two bowls pitch and tennis courts managed by clubs and several private golf clubs in the vicinity of the town.

Culture

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Buckingham Old Gaolis the town's museum which was established in 1993 in the historic town centre Old Gaol building. It also houses temporary exhibitions and theTourist Information Centre.

The Chandos Cinema was in operation from 1934 and closed in 1987,[27]but in 2005 an independent community cinema opened in the university called the Film Place.[28]Live music events are regularly held in the Radcliffe Centre.[29]

A library is located in the town centre, operated by Buckinghamshire County Council.

The town is home to numerous clubs and associations including the Buckingham Society, a civic amenity society linked withCivic Voice,a largeU3Awith over 900 members,[30]and many music, photography and arts clubs.

The town holds an annual CharterFair.It is held in October over two successive Saturdays starting on the first Saturday after the 11th of the month. During the 19th century it was called the Statute Fair.[31]The public roasting of an ox, sheep and pig often took place at the same time.[32]

Tourism

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Chantry Chapel,owned by the National Trust, previously owned by theRoyal Latin School

The town's tourist attractions include theChantry Chapel,theBuckingham Old Gaolmuseum, theSir George Gilbert Scottdesigned St.Peter & St Paul Church and a number of picturesque Georgian streetscapes. Nearby to Buckingham includeStowe School,Stowe Landscape GardensandSilverstone Circuit.

Buckingham has a number of hotels including the Villiers Hotel and White Hart in the town centre, and Best Western Buckingham Hotel and Travelodge on the outskirts.

Healthcare

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Buckingham is served by oneGPsurgery (The Swan Practice) and acommunity hospital.A minor injuries unit at the hospital was closed in 2009 and the nearest major hospital with anaccident & emergencydepartment is inMilton Keynes.

Media

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The town is served by theBuckingham & Winslow Advertiserweekly newspaper.

Local radio stations areBBC Three Counties Radio,Heart Four Counties(nowHeart East), independent radioMix 96and 3Bs Radio, a community based station that broadcast to the town as well as toBicesterandBrackley.

The town sits between two television transmitters, with residents able to choose betweenOxford(ITV Meridian/BBC South) andSandy Heath(ITV Anglia/BBC East).

Places of worship

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Notable people

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Twin towns

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Buckingham has beentwinnedwithJoinville,inFrance,since 1963.[33]

In 2002, Buckingham became twinned with the French town ofMouvaux.[34]

In 2020, Buckingham formalised its links with the German town ofNeukirchen-Vluyn,Mouvaux's twin town inGermany,and the three towns (Buckingham, Mouvaux and Neukirch-Vluyn)[35]became officially twinned.[36]

See also

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Citations

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  1. ^abUK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Buckingham (built up area) (E34000850)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved20 October2019.
  2. ^ab"The borough of Buckingham".A History of the County of Buckingham.Victoria History of the Counties of England.Vol. 3.Constable & Co. Ltd.1925. pp. 471–489.
  3. ^"The borough of Aylesbury: Introduction and borough".A History of the County of Buckingham.Victoria History of the Counties of England. Vol. 3. Constable & Co. Ltd. 1925. pp. 1–11.A new County Hall, a red brick building with stone dressings, said to have been designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, at the south-east end of the Market Square [Aylesbury], was built about 1727
  4. ^"Buckingham".Unlocking Buckinghamshire's Past.Buckinghamshire County Council.Retrieved13 November2015.
  5. ^"Key to English place names: Buckingham".Institute for Name-Studies,University of Nottingham.Retrieved30 July2023.
  6. ^abc"Buckingham then: The beginning to the Norman Conquest".University of Buckingham.Archived fromthe originalon 21 August 2001.Retrieved30 August2010.
  7. ^Morris, John (editor).Domesday Book 13: Buckinghamshire (translation).Phillimore, 1978
  8. ^1911 Encyclopædia BritannicaBuckingham
  9. ^"Yeomanry Hall and Attached Building Bordering Yard to South yeomanry House".British Listed Buildings.Retrieved2 December2017.
  10. ^M Vernon & D BonnerBuckingham A History of a Country Market Town(1984). Grillford Ltd
  11. ^Historic England."Castle House, West Street, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire (1282698)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved30 July2021.
  12. ^Historic England."Old Town Hall (1282685)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved13 August2021.
  13. ^EB(1878).
  14. ^The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge,Vol.III, London, (1847), Charles Knight, p.895
  15. ^Buckinghamshire.Yale University Press. 1994. p. 194.ISBN0300095848.Retrieved2 March2015.
  16. ^Shirley, Rodney."St Rumbold of Buckingham".The University of Buckingham.Archived fromthe originalon 18 February 2010.Retrieved21 September2006.
  17. ^UK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Buckingham Civil Parish (E04001465)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved20 October2019.
  18. ^"About us".buckingham-tc.gov.uk.Buckingham Town Council.Retrieved20 October2019.
  19. ^"Councillors' anger at new school views being 'brushed aside'".Buckingham Advertiser.16 July 2014.Retrieved16 July2014.
  20. ^"Buckingham Town Council".Retrieved28 May2022.
  21. ^"Buckingham rural transport scheme looking for volunteer drivers".Buckingham & Winslow Advertiser.31 August 2018.Retrieved16 April2020.
  22. ^"Move to re-open closed arm of junction".Northampton Mercury.6 April 1928. p. 8.Retrieved1 February2015– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
  23. ^"Raise a glass at Buckingham canal section re-opening".Buckingham Advertiser.22 October 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 25 March 2016.Retrieved1 February2015.
  24. ^"Winslow".eastwestrail.co.uk.
  25. ^http://www.parkrun.org.uk/buckinghamBuckingham Parkrun
  26. ^"Buckingham Leisure Centre Shows Off £2.6m Makeover".Mix 96.6 February 2016.Retrieved11 March2017.
  27. ^"Chandos Cinema".Cinema Treasures.Retrieved23 February2012.
  28. ^"Film director to appear at local cinema".Buckingham Today.Retrieved23 February2012.
  29. ^"Professional orchestra in Buckingham concert".Buckingham & Winslow Advertiser.Retrieved23 February2012.
  30. ^"Buckingham & District U3A".University of the Third Age.Retrieved14 August2014.
  31. ^"Buckingham Statute Fair".The Morning Post.22 October 1827.Retrieved23 November2014– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
  32. ^"Buckinghamshire".Luton Times and Advertiser.20 September 1907.Retrieved23 November2014– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
  33. ^"British towns twinned with French towns".Archant Community Media Ltd.Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.Retrieved11 July2013.
  34. ^"Jumelage de Mouvaux et Buckingham: la consécration de dix ans d'amitié".La Voix du Nord(in French).Retrieved22 August2020.
  35. ^"Making friends with German town".Buckingham Advertiser.20 July 2012.Retrieved4 February2015.
  36. ^"Buckingham formalises twinning arrangement with Neukirchen-Vluyn in Germany".Buckingham Advertiser.9 January 2020.Retrieved28 March2020.

General references

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toBuckingham.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forBuckingham.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buckingham&oldid=1239784229#Geography"