| Buckingham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Buckingham Town Hall | |
  Buckingham Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 12,890 {2011 Census}[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP695335 |
| • London | 55 miles (89 km) SE |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BUCKINGHAM |
| Postcode district | MK18 |
| Dialling code | 01280 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Buckingham Town Council |
| |
Buckingham (/ˈbʌkɪŋəm/BUK-ing-əm) is amarket town in northBuckinghamshire, England, close to the borders ofNorthamptonshire andOxfordshire, 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 town of Buckinghamshire from the 10th century, when it was made the capital of the newly formed shire of Buckingham,[2] untilAylesbury took 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 istwinned withNeukirchen-Vluyn, Germany andMouvaux, France.
Buckingham and the surrounding area has been settled for some time with evidence of Roman settlement found in several sites close to 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 furniture and areas of burning found at Buckingham industrial estate suggest it was the site of some early Roman pottery kilns.[4]
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 Saxon settlers.[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 theSaxons and theDanes, in particular, in 914 KingEdward the Elder and a Saxon army encamped in Buckingham for four weeks forcing local DanishViking leaders 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 aputsch against 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 Book of 1086.[7] Buckingham was referred to as Buckingham withBourton, and the survey makes reference to 26burgesses, 11 smallholders and 1mill.
The town received itscharter in 1554 whenQueen Mary created the freeBorough of Buckingham with boundaries extending fromThornborowe Bridge (nowThornborough) to Dudley Bridge and fromChackmore Bridge toPadbury Mill Bridge. The designated borough included abailiff, twelve principalburgesses and 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 a significant fire that raged through the town centre on 15 March 1725,[10] with the result that many 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 currentGeorgian architecture on these streets today is a consequence of the 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, 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 to the late 18th century.[12]
The town was connected to theLondon and North Western Railway by theBuckinghamshire Railway in 1850.[13]
The municipal borough had a population of 1,816 in 1841.[14]
In 1971,Buckinghamshire County Council set 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]
The town is said to be the final resting place ofSt Rumbold (also known as Saint Rumwold), a little-knownSaxonsaint.[16] He is now most often referred to as St Rumbold,[17]the latter being the most common, as it can be found being used on a local road name and recent booklets about the subject.
The town is centred on the historicmarket place 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 amedievalwell known asSt Rumbold's Well on 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 line below 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 becomecontiguous with the Buckingham urban area. Nearby (10 miles radius) settlements includeWinslow,Bicester,Brackley,Milton Keynes andSilverstone. Local villages in the immediate vicinity includePadbury andGawcott to the south,Chackmore to the north andShalstone to the north west. It is also very nearStowe, the location ofStowe House,Stowe Gardens andStowe School.
There is adegree confluence point on the edge of the town, at exactly52°00′00″N01°00′00″W / 52.00000°N 1.00000°W /52.00000; -1.00000.
Bourton was ahamlet in 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 War the house was plundered byParliamentarian forces.[2] The house has long since disappeared.
At the 2011 Census, the population of the Buckinghambuilt-up area, which includesMaids Moreton but excludes Lace Hill, was 12,890.[1] The population of the Buckinghamcivil parish (which excludes Maids Moreton but includes Lace Hill) was 12,043.[18] 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[update], the Town Council estimates the population of its civil parish at 15,700.[19]
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 System of state secondary education. The local statesecondary schools are theRoyal Latin School (aGrammar School) and theBuckingham School (asecondary modern).Stowe School andAkeley Wood School, just outside the town, areprivate schools.
There are four primary schools, one acommunity school and 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.[20]
The town is home to a number ofindustrial estates andtechnology parks housing high tech companies in the pharmaceutical, electronic, foods and composite materials fields, includingRacelogic andWipac.
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.
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 markets are 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 market held every Saturday on the site of the town's former cattle pens, offering a wide selection of antiques, collectables and jewellery.
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.[21]
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Historically, Buckingham was anancient borough, and it became amunicipal borough in 1836.Buckingham Borough Council was based atBuckingham Town Hall until 1965, when it moved to Castle House on West Street. The borough was abolished in 1974 to become part ofAylesbury Vale district, with Buckingham Town Council being established as asuccessor parish covering the former borough.Aylesbury Vale District Council in turn was abolished in 2020, merging withBuckinghamshire County Council and the county's other districts to become Buckinghamshire Council.
Buckingham stands at the crossroads of theA413 (north-south),A421 andA422 (east-west) roads. The town was by-passed in the early 1980s by creating a new section of the A421 to the south.
Buckingham is linked to Milton Keynes, Winslow and Aylesbury by the regular X60 bus. An inter-citycoach service, 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.[22]
Buckingham was served by theBuckingham Arm of theGrand Junction Canal from 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,[23] 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, Northamptonshire to the centre of Buckingham to awharf. A short section of the canal to the east of the town has now been restored.[24]
Buckingham had arailway station on theBanbury to Verney Junction Branch Line, which opened in 1850 and closed to passengers in 1964 and freight in 1966.Finmere railway station on theGreat Central Main Line was 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 nowWolverton andMilton Keynes Central to the east andBicester North andBicester Village to the south west. The newEast West rail link will have a stop at nearbyWinslow, scheduled to start running by the end of 2025.[25]
There are two localfootball teams, and arugby union club 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 Stratford in 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.[26]
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.[27] There are two bowls pitch and tennis courts managed by clubs and several private golf clubs in the vicinity of the town.
Buckingham Old Gaol is 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,[28] but in 2005 an independent community cinema opened in the university called the Film Place.[29] Live music events are regularly held in the Radcliffe Centre.[30]
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 largeU3A with over 900 members,[31] 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.[32] The public roasting of an ox, sheep and pig often took place at the same time.[33]
The town's tourist attractions include theChantry Chapel, theBuckingham Old Gaol museum, theSir George Gilbert Scott designed St.Peter & St Paul Church and a number of picturesque Georgian streetscapes. Nearby to Buckingham includeStowe School,Stowe Landscape Gardens andSilverstone 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.
Buckingham is served by oneGP surgery (The Swan Practice) and acommunity hospital. A minor injuries unit at the hospital was closed in 2009 and the nearest major hospital with anaccident & emergency department is inMilton Keynes.
The town is served by theBuckingham & Winslow Advertiser weekly newspaper.
Local radio stations areBBC Three Counties Radio,Heart East,Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts and 3Bs Radio, a community based station that broadcast to the town as well as toBicester andBrackley.
The town sits between two television transmitters, with residents able to choose betweenOxford (ITV Meridian/BBC South) andSandy Heath (ITV Anglia/BBC East).
Buckingham has beentwinned withJoinville, inFrance, since 1963.[34]
In 2002, Buckingham became twinned with the French town ofMouvaux.[35]
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)[36] became officially twinned.[37]
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
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