Beaconsfield

The A40 passes through the towns, providing easy access to High Wycombe and beyond; nearby, the M40 links to the capital and the M25, as well as to Oxford and Birmingham. Mainline rail connections are available to London Marylebone and Birmingham, while Heathrow and Gatwick Airports are both accessible by motorway. A network of bus/coach routes provide links to neighbouring localities as well as to major destinations.

Shopping:
Shopping facilities in both Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross consist of a selection of high street names together with smaller, independent retailers. Principal retail areas in Beaconsfield are located in the New Town adjacent to the railway station, while its picturesque Old Town features a number of traditional retailers. Amenities at Gerrards Cross are centred around the pleasant High Street. Both town centres enjoy a good selection of restaurants and historic pubs, together with ample parking. For more extensive shopping facilities, Slough and High Wycombe are within easy reach.

Entertainment:
A variety of arts and entertainment facilities are also on offer. Beaconsfield' s 200+ capacity Beacon Theatre provides the setting for drama, music and occasional cinema, attracting both local and touring talent. Live music is on offer in several local pubs, while movie fans can catch up with latest releases at a two-screen cinema in Gerrards Cross, or alternatively, at a complex in nearby High Wycombe. The Memorial Centre in Gerrards Cross provides a home for many community groups, while numerous clubs and organisations based in both towns organise a wide range of social activities. Additional arts events, many featuring the participation of local talent, take place in local schools, community halls and other public centres.

A number of other attractions figure prominently in the cultural calender. Beaconsfield still retains its ancient rights to hold an annual fair , a popular family event held in May. Also in Beaconsfield is Bekonscot, the world' s oldest model village. Created in the 1930s, it includes an airport, a zoo and racecourse, together with a working scale railway. Attractions within easy reach of either town include the Slough Ice Arena, and a wide range of purpose-built arts facilities at nearby High Wycombe.

Sport:
Both towns enjoy facilities for a wide number of sports. The multi-purpose Beacon Hall in Beaconsfield features resources for football, badminton, basketball and gymnastics, together with a well-equipped fitness suite. Swimming pools are located within easy reach at Amersham, High Wycombe and Slough, while facilities for sailing are available at nearby Taplow Sailing Club on the Thames. Fans of racquet sports are well catered for with private squash facilities at Shepherds Lane, Beaconsfield, together with excellent public tennis courts at the Beaconsfield Oval. The site is also home to a renowned lawn tennis school, which provides professional coaching to hundreds of students. Gerrards Cross Common features a popular bowling green, while additional open spaces in and around both towns provide an opportunity to practice a number of outdoor sports. Keen golfers are particularly well catered for with an abundance of local clubs and courses. These include an 18-hole course at Seer Green, Beaconsfield, and a further 18-hole course at Burnham Beeches. Gerrards Cross Golf Club Ltd owns a course at nearby Chalfont Park and a large number of additional courses are situated within easy reach of both town centres. For those in search of an activity with a difference, f lying lessons are available at nearby Denham Aerodrome .

In addition, both towns boast an abundance of green, open spaces and beautiful countryside. Beaconsfield is surrounded by magnificent woods, while Gerrards Cross enjoys the beautiful spaces of its extensive common. To the west of the town, 400 acres of grounds are a feature of magnificent Bulstrode Park . A short distance from both town centres, the primaeval woodland known as Burnham Beeches provides a home to a rich variety of wildlife and has inspired generations of artists and musicians alike.

HISTORY: Beaconsfield was first mentioned in the Pope Rolls of 1185 where it is spelt Bekensfeld, a name believed to mean ' a clearing in the beeches' . Beaconsfield Manor, originally part of the manor of Burnham, was subdivided at the time into three estates: Hall Barn, Gregories, and Whiltones, now known as Wilton Park.

In 1624 Anne Waller and her son Edmund acquired the lands of Hall Barn. Edmund became a famous poet and politician of the commonwealth, and due to his involvement in the Civil War, was forced into exile. He is believed to have built Hall Barn, the estate residence, on his return. In subsequent years, the house was bought by Sir Edward Levy-Lawson, later Lord Burnham, and remains in the family to this day.

In 1768, the Gregories estate was bought by Edmund Burke, the great philosopher and political thinker. He died in 1797, and shortly after his death, his house (renamed Burkes Court) was burnt to the ground. It was rebuilt on a slightly different site in 1891.

Wilton Park was the home of the Du Pre family from 1779 until 1950. During the Second World War, it was used as a centre for the interrogation of senior prisoners of war. The house was demolished in 1968.

Throughout the centuries, Beaconsfield thrived as a market town. Markets and fairs were held at the old town crossroads, while a covered market hall stood for nearly 700 years at Aylesbury End. In the 17th Century, the growth of the coaching trade created a new industry, with Beaconsfield providing a convenient stopping point en route to the West Country. The constant arrival of rich travellers also meant good business for highwaymen, who frequented surrounding areas. The coaching trade continued to prosper throughout the 18th Century but quickly became outdated when a new method of transport - the railway - began to make its appearance in the mid 19th Century. Nevertheless, Beaconsfield itself was not connected to the mainline network until the construction of the Great Central Railway in 1906. Workers came from as far away as Ireland, Norfolk and Cumberland, and many settled in the town on completion of the line. Commuters also moved to Beaconsfield, attracted by the convenient rail connection to London, and as a result of this sudden increase in population, the New Town evolved around the station.

Famous former residents include two well-loved writers: G.K. Chesterton, of the Father Brown stories, and Enid Blyton, the children' s author.

It is almost certain that an Iron Age fortified settlement was home to the first inhabitants of Gerrards Cross. The site, known today as The Camp, remains a distinctive local feature. The later development of Gerrards Cross in many ways mirrored that of neighbouring Beaconsfield. The village was agricultural in character, dominated by the common where locals grazed their animals and by a few large estates. Bulstrode Park, one of the most important, was once owned by the infamous Judge Jeffreys, who, in 1686, built a mansion on the site of the present house. As coaching grew in importance throughout the 17th Century, trade passed through Gerrards Cross on its way to the West Country, with pubs such as the Bull Inn catering to travellers. Highwaymen too were in operation, with Gerrards Cross Common particularly notorious for attacks and robberies.

In the mid 19th Century the town' s distinctive parish church was built in Italian-Byzantine style to a design by William Tite. As in Beaconsfield, the arrival of the Great Central Railway marked a new era in the town' s prosperity, and the population \endash which in 1887 had numbered only 638 - expanded rapidly as commuters moved to the town.

During the 20th Century, the South Bucks area has been closely associated with the British film industry. Beaconsfield Studios were set up in 1922 and continued to produce films until 1964, after which they were used as a warehouse for the Gas Board. In 1993 they were bought by the National School of Film and Television, which remains on the site. Denham Studios, now demolished, produced the country' s first ever Technicolor film, while Pinewood Studios, located a short distance from both towns in Black Park Country Park, was home to the famous ' Carry On' series. Scenes from many well known films were shot on location in local areas such as Burnham Beeches.

LINKS:
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