Buckinghamshire
Flag of Buckinghamshire County Council
Geography
Status	Ceremonial and (smaller) non-metropolitan county
Origin	Historic
Region	South East England
Area - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 32nd 1,874 km2 (724 sq mi) Ranked 33rd 1,565 km2 (604 sq mi)
Admin HQ	Aylesbury; Milton Keynes
ISO 3166-2	GB-BKM
ONS code	11
NUTS 3	UKJ13
Demography
Population - Total (2010 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 30th 739,600 395 /km2 (1,020 /sq mi) Ranked 25th 498,100
Ethnicity	91.7% White 4.3% S. Asian 1.6% Black
Politics
Buckinghamshire County Council; Borough of Milton Keynes http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/ ; http://www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Steve Baker (C) John Bercow (S) Cheryl Gillan (C) Dominic Grieve (C) Mark Lancaster (C) David Lidington (C) Iain Stewart (C)
Districts
South Bucks Chiltern Wycombe Aylesbury Vale Borough of Milton Keynes (Unitary)

Buckinghamshire ( /ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃər/ or /ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃɪər/; archaically the County of Buckingham; abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe.

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 does not come under county council control. The ceremonial county, the area including Milton Keynes borough, borders Greater London (to the south east), Berkshire (to the south), Oxfordshire (to the west), Northamptonshire (to the north), Bedfordshire (to the north east) and Hertfordshire (to the east).

Sections of the county closer to London are part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, which limits development. It is the location of the nationally important Pinewood Studios and Dorney Lake, which will be holding the rowing events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is also well known for the new town of Milton Keynes and the Chiltern Hills area of outstanding natural beauty.

History[link]

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 starting from the Celtic and Roman periods, though the Anglo-Saxons perhaps had the greatest impact on Buckinghamshire: 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.^[1]

Historically, the biggest change to the county 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 economic situation, 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 popular home for London commuters, leading to greater local affluence; however, some pockets of relative deprivation remain.^[2]

Geography[link]

The county can be split into two sections geographically. The south leads from the River Thames up the gentle slopes of the Chiltern Hills to the more abrupt slopes on the northern side leading to the Vale of Aylesbury, a large flat expanse of land, which includes the path of the River Great Ouse.

Waterways[link]

Rivers[link]

The county includes two of the four longest rivers in England. The River Thames forms the southern boundary with Berkshire, which has crept over the border at Eton and Slough so that the river is no longer the sole boundary between the two counties. The River Great Ouse rises just outside the county in Northamptonshire and flows east through Buckingham, Milton Keynes and Olney.

• River Thames

Canals[link]

The main branch of the Grand Union Canal passes through the county as do its arms to Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover (disused) and Buckingham (disused). The canal has been incorporated into the landscaping of Milton Keynes.

Landscape[link]

The southern part of the county is dominated by the Chiltern Hills. The two highest points in Buckinghamshire are Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods (a stone marks its summit) at 267 metres (876 ft) above sea level, and Coombe Hill near Wendover at 260 metres (850 ft).

Demography[link]

The ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire consists of the area administered by Milton Keynes Borough Council as well as that administered by Buckinghamshire 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 office of Custos rotulorum has been combined with that of Lord Lieutenant since 1702.

Population figures for 2006 are from the Office for National Statistics^[4] as are the 2007^[5] and 2008.^[6] estimates. See List of English districts by population for a full list of every English district.

As can be seen from the table, the Vale of Aylesbury and the Borough of Milton Keynes have been identified as growth areas, with a projected population surge of almost 50,000 in Aylesbury Vale between 2006 and 2026 and 100,000 in Milton Keynes within the same twenty years. The population of Milton Keynes is expected to reach almost 350,000 by 2031, whilst the urban population of the county town of Aylesbury is expected to exceed 100,000.

Buckinghamshire is split into civil parishes.

Today Buckinghamshire is ethnically diverse, particularly in the larger towns. At the end of the 19th century some Welsh drover families settled in north Bucks and, in the last quarter of the 20th century, a large number of Londoners in Milton Keynes. Between 6 and 7% of the population of Aylesbury are of Asian or Asian British origin.^[7] Likewise Chesham has a similar-sized Asian community,^[8] and High Wycombe is the most ethnically diverse town in the county,^[2] with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean populations.^[2] During the Second World War there were many Polish settlements in Bucks, Czechs in Aston Abbotts and Wingrave, and Albanians in Frieth. Remnants of these communities remain in the county.

Politics[link]

At present, the county has two top-level administrations: Buckinghamshire County Council, which administers about four fifths of the county (see map above) and the Borough of Milton Keynes, a unitary authority, which administers the remaining fifth. There are four district councils that are subsidiary to the county council: Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe districts.

Buckinghamshire County Council[link]

Bucks County Council's County Hall

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 is now a Grade II listed building.

In 1997 the northernmost^[9] part of Buckinghamshire, then Milton Keynes District, was separated to form a unitary authority, the Borough of Milton Keynes; however for ceremonial and some other purposes Milton Keynes is still considered in law to be part of Buckinghamshire.^[10]

Buckinghamshire County Council is a large employer in the County and provides a great variety of services, including education (schools, adult education and youth services), social services, highways, libraries, County Archives and Record Office, the County Museum and the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery in Aylesbury, consumer services and some aspects of waste disposal and planning.

Coat of arms[link]

The coat of arms of 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 monarch, an ancient law that still applies to wild swans in the UK today. The arms were first borne 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 surmounted 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 is Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum. This is Latin and means 'no stepping back'.

Flag[link]

The traditional 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.

Economy[link]

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.^[11] As well as the highest GDP per capita outside Inner London, Buckinghamshire has the highest quality of life, the highest life expectancy and the best education results in the country.^[12] 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 England). 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).^[13]

Places of interest[link]

Buckinghamshire is notable for its open countryside and natural features, including the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the River Thames.^[19] The Ridgeway Path, a long-distance footpath, passes through the county. The county also has many historic houses. Some of these are opened to the public by the National Trust, such as Waddesdon Manor, West Wycombe Park and Cliveden.^[20] Other historic houses are still in use as private homes, such as the Prime Minister's country retreat Chequers.^[21]

Buckinghamshire is the home of various notable people in connection with whom tourist attractions have been established: for example the author Roald Dahl who included many local features and characters in his works.^[22][23]

Sports facilities in Buckinghamshire include Adams Park in the south and the National Hockey Stadium and stadium:mk in the north, and the county is also home to the world famous Pinewood Studios. For a full list of tourist attractions and places of interest see Places of interest in Buckinghamshire.

Transport[link]

Roads[link]

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

Four important A roads also enter the county (from north to south):

• A5: serves Milton Keynes
• A41: cuts through the centre of the county, serving Aylesbury
• A40: parallels M40 through south Bucks and continues to Central London
• A4: serves Taplow in the very south

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 (e.g. between High Wycombe and Milton Keynes).

Rail[link]

Buckinghamshire has four main lines running through it:

• West Coast Main Line: in the north, with stations serving Milton Keynes
• Great Central Main Line: now the London to Aylesbury Line, it serves Aylesbury and other settlements along the A413 towards London
• Chiltern Main Line: serves the towns along the M40 motorway including High Wycombe and Beaconsfield
• Great Western Main Line: runs through Slough. Slough is now in Berkshire, but the line enters Bucks twice, on either side of Slough, with Taplow and Iver both having stations in Buckinghamshire. The South Wales Main Line being part of the Great Western Main Line sees 125s racing through the county at 125 mph.

There are the following additional lines:

• Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line: a single track branch, it connects the Chiltern Main Line to the Aylesbury Line.
• Marston Vale Line: between Bletchley and Bedford
• Marlow Branch Line: between Marlow, Bourne End and Maidenhead.
• Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway which is a preserved railway.

The county once had an extensive network of Metropolitan Railway services, from the current Amersham terminus right into central Bucks at Verney Junction. That station is now closed but may one day re-open as part of the Varsity Line scheme for trains between Oxford and Bedford and then to Sandy and Cambridge.

The main train operating companies are Chiltern Railways, Virgin Trains and London Midland, First Great Western and London Underground. From 2017, Iver will have Crossrail services.

Settlements[link]

For the full list of towns, villages and hamlets in Buckinghamshire, see List of places in Buckinghamshire. Throughout history, there have been a number of changes to the Buckinghamshire boundary.

Education[link]

The Gateway Building, Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe.

Education in Buckinghamshire is governed by two Local Education Authorities. Buckinghamshire County Council has a completely selective education system: pupils transfer either to a grammar school or to a secondary modern school depending on how they perform in the 11 plus test and on their preferences. Pupils who do not take the test can only be allocated places at secondary modern schools. There are 9 independent schools and 34 maintained (state) secondary schools, not including sixth form colleges, in the county council area. The unitary authority of Milton Keynes operates a comprehensive education system: there are 8 maintained (state) secondary schools in the borough council area. Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes are also home to the University of Buckingham, Buckinghamshire New University, the Open University and the University Centre Milton Keynes.

Notable people[link]

Buckinghamshire is the birthplace and/or final resting place of several notable individuals. St Osyth was born in Quarrendon and was buried in Aylesbury in the 7th century^[25] while at about the same time Saint Rumwold was buried in Buckingham.^[26] In the medieval period Roger of Wendover was, as the name suggests, from Wendover^[27] and Anne Boleyn also owned property in the same town.^[28] It is said that King Henry VIII made Aylesbury the county town in preference to Buckingham because Boleyn's father owned property there and was a regular visitor himself.^[29] Other medieval residents included Edward the Confessor, who had a palace at Brill,^[30] and John Wycliffe who lived in Ludgershall.^[31]

Buckinghamshire later 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.^[32] Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary lived for some time in Marlow, attracted to the town by their friend Thomas Love Peacock who also lived there.^[33] John Milton lived in Chalfont St Giles and his cottage can still be visited there^[34] and John Wilkes was MP for Aylesbury.^[35] Later authors include Jerome K. Jerome who lived at Marlow,^[36] T. S. Eliot who also lived at Marlow,^[37] Roald Dahl who lived at Great Missenden,^[38] Enid Blyton who lived in Beaconsfield^[39] and Edgar Wallace who lived at Bourne End^[40] and is buried in Little Marlow.^[41] Modern-day writers from Bucks include Terry Pratchett who was born in Beaconsfield,^[42] Tim Rice who is from Amersham^[43] and Andy Riley who is from Aylesbury.

During the Second World War a number of European politicians and statesmen were exiled in England. Many of these settled in Bucks as it is close to London. President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia lived at Aston Abbotts with his family while some of his officials were stationed at nearby Addington and Wingrave.^[44] Meanwhile Władysław Sikorski, military leader of Poland, lived at Iver^[45] and King Zog of Albania lived at Frieth.^[46] Much earlier, King Louis XVIII of France lived in exile at Hartwell House from 1809 to 1814.^[47]

Also on the local political stage Buckinghamshire has been home to Nancy Astor who lived in Cliveden,^[48] Frederick, Prince of Wales who also lived in Cliveden,^[49] Baron Carrington who lives in Bledlow,^[50] Benjamin Disraeli who lived at Hughenden Manor and was made Earl of Beaconsfield,^[51] John Hampden who was from Great Hampden and is revered in Aylesbury to this day^[1] and Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery who lived at Mentmore.^[52] Also worthy of note are William Penn who believed he was descended from the Penn family of Penn and so is buried nearby^[53] 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.^[54]

Other notable natives of Buckinghamshire 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
• Lucinda Dryzek, actress, born in High Wycombe in South Bucks
• Emma Ferreira English contemporary artist, sculptor, photographer, entrepreneur and philanthropist
• Martin Grech, musician, is from Aylesbury
• Howard Jones, musician, is from High Wycombe
• Prince Michael of Kent, member of the British Royal Family, born in Iver in South Bucks
• 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
• Leigh-Anne Pinnock, singer and member of 2011 X-Factor winning girl group Little Mix, born in High Wycombe
• Steve Redgrave, five-time Olympic gold medallist rower is from Marlow Bottom
• Simon Standage, Baroque violinist, is from High Wycombe
• Justin Sullivan, musician with New Model Army
• Michael York, actor, born in Fulmer in South Bucks

Celebrities living in Bucks include:

• Cilla Black, television presenter, lives in Denham^[55]
• Fern Britton, television presenter, lives in Holmer Green^[56]
• 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
• Barry Gibb, musician from Bee Gees, lives in Beaconsfield
• Sir John Gielgud, actor, was living in Wotton Underwood when he died
• Sir David Jason, actor, lives in Ellesborough
• Peter Jones, businessman, lives in Beaconsfield
• 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
• Veruca Salt during the 2005 movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Tiny Rowland, businessman, lived in Hedsor
• Chris Standring, jazz guitarist and musician
• Jackie Stewart, racing driver, lives in Ellesborough
• Andrew Strauss, England cricket captain, lives in Marlow
• Dave Vitty, BBC Radio 1 DJ, lives in Fulmer
• Mark Webber, Formula 1 racing driver, lives in Aston Clinton
• Terry Wogan, radio and television broadcaster, lives in Taplow

See also[link]

Buckinghamshire portal

• Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
• High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire
• Architecture of Aylesbury
• Bucks County, Pennsylvania
• Wendover Woods
• Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies—Archives, Record Office, Local History and Family History
• Safety Centre

References[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Buckinghamshire.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buckinghamshire

• Buckinghamshire County Council
• Buckinghamshire County Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery
• Buckinghamshire Libraries
• Buckinghamshire Tourist Guide
• Bucks County and District Councils Portal
• Photographic Archive of Buckinghamshire
• Sharing Wycombe's Old Photos – A Photographic Archive of part of Buckinghamshire mostly High Wycombe and surrounding area

Neighbouring counties

	Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	Bedfordshire
	Oxfordshire		Bedfordshire Hertfordshire
		Buckinghamshire    East
	Oxfordshire	Berkshire	Greater London

The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007. The Vicar of Dibley is set in a fictional small Oxfordshire village called Dibley, which is assigned a female vicar following the 1992 changes in the Church of England that permitted the ordination of women. The main character was an invention of Richard Curtis, but he and Dawn French extensively consulted the Rev. Joy Carroll, one of the first female priests,^[1] and garnered many character traits and much information.

In ratings terms, the programme is among the most successful in the digital era, with the various Christmas and New Year specials in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 all entering the top 10 programmes of the year.^[2] The Vicar of Dibley received multiple British Comedy Awards, two International Emmys, and was a multiple British Academy Television Awards nominee. In 2004, it placed third in Britain's Best Sitcom.