Buckinghamshire

Towns & Villages

AYLESBURY

Aylesbury Church - Photo: MYM CCL

Although now a commuter town serving the London area, Aylesbury has ancient roots pre-dating the Saxon period and grew up around the busy trade route Akeman Street.
Lying north of the Chiltern Hills, it is Buckinghamshire’s county town and has many interesting old buildings, often separated by narrow Tudor alleyways. Among them is a Victorian clocktower and the King’s Head tavern, one of only two working pubs to be owned by the National Trust. The Prebendal House was home to the 18th century satirist John Wilkes, a local MP who was twice removed from the House of Commons for lambasting King George III.

The town’s square has a statue of John Hampden (1594-1643) who helped to spark the Civil War by angrily refusing to pay Charles l’s Ship Money tax. The local church dates to the 13th century and boasts a Norman tower.

There are many reasons to visit the town’s museum but the surrounding area should not be overlooked. Here are a number of true old-world villages as well as places that have appeared in the TV detective series ‘Midsomer Murders’.

Nether Winchendon House is a medieval/Tudor manor house with a superb garden. It was altered in the 18th century but still retains many older features. Boarstall Tower is a stone gatehouse dating to the 14th century. It has fine gardens surrounded by a moat. Nearby is Boarstall Duck Decoy dating from the 17th century.

Aylesbury Market Square - Photo: Steve Cook CCL