Amersham

The town consists of two linked areas: Old Amersham and Amersham-on-the-Hill. Transport connections are excellent, with major roads leading directly into the heart of the capital or providing convenient links to the M40 and M25. Mainline rail services run to London Marylebone, while London Underground's Metropolitan Line provides rapid access to destinations throughout the capital. Heathrow and Gatwick Airports can both be reached via the M25.

As well as offering a comprehensive range of outdoor sports facilities, Amersham's abundant parks and open spaces also provide a perfect setting in which to simply relax. The town's lovely Memorial Gardens are situated in the Broadway, while Barn Meadow, idyllically situated beside the River Misbourne, gives a panoramic view of the Old Town and its valley. Nearby Parsonage Wood is located beside St Mary' s Cemetery, and further woodlands surround Hervines Park. Beyond the town itself, acres of farmland and protected Green Belt land are perfect for walks, riding and quiet recreation, with the beautiful landscapes of the Chiltern Hills also within easy reach.

Shopping:
The town's most extensive shopping facilities are located in Amersham-on-the-Hill, where a good range of high street names are available together with a selection of traditional, independent stores. Old Amersham High Street offers a smaller, though comprehensive, retail location, and a Tesco superstore is situated in the London Road. The Charter Market is held every Tuesday in Amersham-on-the-Hill's Sycamore Road, while a variety of stalls trade beneath the Old Town' s Market Hall on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For those who enjoy eating out, a good selection of pubs and restaurants are located throughout the town, with Old Amersham in particular enjoying a growing reputation as a centre for fine cuisine.

Entertainment:
Arts and entertainment are catered for at several local venues. The recently refurbished Market Hall provides the setting for a varied programme of exhibitions and events, and is also a focus of the town' s August Arts Festival. Nearby, The Amersham Museum features fascinating displays recounting the town's development from prehistory to its most recent past. The museum is housed in part of a restored 15th Century Hall, and boasts its own herb garden.

Music is on offer at the Parish Church of St Mary, which serves as a perfect venue for a programme of top-class concerts and recitals. A wide range of additional events - many showcasing the talents of local arts societies take place at community centres and halls, while the ancient Amersham Fair provides a particular annual highlight. Held on the 19th and 20th of September, the fair stretches the whole length of the town and caters for all the family with stalls, rides and live entertainment.

Sport:
Comprehensive sports amenities are available in the town's Leisure Centre at Amersham-on-the-Hill. The complex includes a swimming pool, flumes and separate diving pool as well as a gymnasium, climbing centre, boules and tennis facilities.

HISTORY: Amersham consists of two distinct town centres: Old Amersham, the site of the original village, and Amersham-on-the-Hill, which came into being with the arrival of the railway in the 1890s.

Old Amersham is steeped in history. The area was first populated during the Bronze Age and was also briefly settled by the Romans. One of the earliest references to the town appears in a charter of 796 AD, when it was named ' Ealhmund' , meaning homestead. In 1066, Edward the Confessor presented ' Agmodesham' to Westminster Abbey, and in the Doomsday Book of 1086 the manor is recorded as occupying an area of approximately 1,200 acres. In 1200, King John granted a charter for an annual fair and weekly market which, along with milling, came to play a major role in the village economy. Other important local industries included woodturning, brickmaking, brewing, lacemaking and straw plaiting for hats.

The manor passed through a long succession of owners before it was finally sold to the Drakes of Shardeloes in the 16th Century. To this day the Lordship belongs to their ancestors, the Tyrrwhit Drakes, who also possess the charter rights to the market and fair. Shardeloes, their former home, still stands outside Amersham, although it has been converted into luxury flats.

Old Amersham's unusually wide High Street boasts a rich variety of historic buildings. Of these, the most striking is the Market Hall, presented to the town by the Drake family in 1682. An abundance of picturesque pubs are an inheritance from the days when Amersham served as a staging post on the coach route from London to Aylesbury and Princes Risborough. Just off the High Street, the ancient Parish Church of St Mary dates back to the 12th Century. A stone obelisk accessible from a path in the cemetery commemorates the Amersham Martyrs, Protestants who were burnt at the stake in the early 16th Century.

Amersham-on-the-Hill owes its existence to the arrival of the railway in 1892. Due to opposition from local landowners, the line was prevented from passing through the valley into the Old Town, but was forced instead to traverse the surrounding hills.