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Chalfont St Peter is a large village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in southeastern
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and
Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in southwest Hertfordshire, England, about northwest of central London and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) and t ...
. Chalfont St Peter is one of the largest villages, with nearly 13,000 residents. The urban population for Chalfont St Peter and
Gerrards Cross Gerrards Cross is a town and civil parish in south Buckinghamshire, England, separated from the London Borough of Hillingdon at Harefield by Denham, south of Chalfont St Peter and north bordering villages of Fulmer, Hedgerley, Iver Heath and St ...
is 19,622, the two villages being considered a single area by the
Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for th ...
. Gerrards Cross was once a
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
in the parish of Chalfont St Peter, but became a village and civil parish in its own right and is now a town. Chalfont St Peter is west-north-west of
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
, central
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and is also in close proximity to
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
, Pinewood and
Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...
film studios, and the motorway network ( M25, M40, M1 and M4).


History


Early history

At the time of the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
'' in 949 there was no distinction made between the three separate villages: the whole area was known as ''Ceadeles funtan'', meaning ''chalk springs''. The villages were however separated by 1237 when in
manorial Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...
rolls Chalfont St Peter was referred to as ''Chalfund Sancti Petri''. The suffix St Peter is taken from the dedication of the church in the village. Chalfont St Peter was described in 1806 in '' Magna Britannia'' as follows: :"Chalfont St Peter, in the hundred and
deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...
of Burnham, lies about five miles from
Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. ...
, on the road to London, and nearly six miles from
Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...
in
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
. The manor, which belonged to
Missenden Abbey Missenden Abbey (also referred to as Great Missenden Abbey) is a former Arrouasian (Augustinian) monastery, founded in 1133 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. The abbey was dissolved in 1538, and the abbey church demolished. I ...
, was granted in 1536 to Robert Drury, esquire, whose descendants sold it in 1626 to the Bulstrodes: in 1646 it was conveyed to Thomas Gower esq. of whom, in 1650, it was purchased by Mr. Richard Whitchurch, ancestor of Mrs. Anne Whitchurch, the present proprietor. :"An ancient manor in this parish takes its name from the family of
Brudenell Brudenell is a community in the township of Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan, Ontario, Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. History The history of Brudenell is most often presented as a "boom and bust" narrative in which ...
, (collateral ancestors of the Earl of Cardigan), who formerly possessed it; from them it descended by female heirs to the Drurys and Osbornes. It afterwards came into the Duke of Portland's family, of whom it was purchased by Charles Churchill esq. the late proprietor; it is now the property of Thomas Hibbert esq. Mr. Hibbert's seat, which is called Chalfont-house, was a distinct property; and before it came into Mr. Churchill's hands, was in the families of Wilkins and Selman. :"Newlands, in this parish, the seat of
Sir Henry Thomas Gott Sir Henry Thomas Gott (c. 1710 – 14 November 1809), born Henry Thomas Greening was the son of Thomas Greening (died February 1757), gardener to King George II. Thomas (died September 1757) had held royal contracts from the 1720s onward. Henry T ...
, was purchased by its present possessor about the year 1770, of Mr. Croke of Beaconsfield: it had been formerly in the family of Saunders, and was sold by Sir John Saunders to Mr. Hopkins, of whom it was purchased by Mr. Croke. :"In the church are memorials for the family of Whitchurch. The advowson and impropriation which belonged formerly to Missenden abbey, and afterwards to the Drurys, was given by Sir Thomas Allen to the president and scholars of St. John's college in Oxford, who present the vicar and grant him a lease of the great tithes. :"The
Earl of Portland Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...
built a school at Gerrard's Cross, in this parish, adjoining the road from London to High Wycombe. It has no endowment, but has always been supported by the Portland family: the duke appoints the master, and allows him a salary for teaching a number of boys of this and some of the neighbouring parishes. :"William Courtnay, who died in 1770, gave a loaf of bread weekly to each of eleven unmarried poor women of this parish, and one to the clerk."


Modern history

Today, Chalfont St Peter is one of the largest villages in the United Kingdom partly due to the proximity to Gerrards Cross railway station which lies between
London Marylebone Marylebone station ( ) is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network it is also known as London Marylebone an ...
and Birmingham Snow Hill on the
Chiltern Main Line The Chiltern Main Line is a railway line which links London () and Birmingham ( Moor Street and Snow Hill), the United Kingdom's two largest cities, by a route via High Wycombe, Bicester, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Solihull. It is one of tw ...
. Modern buildings and urbanisation now dominate the village centre and very little historic architecture remains. The first major development of the village were rows of
Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
shops (some of which still remain). Much larger developments came in the late 1920s and these shops that run up the main street towards Gold Hill common now comprise most of the village centre. Modernisation and urbanisation continued up until the 1960s when most of the Georgian shops were demolished in favour of a concrete development of flats, offices and shops fronts surrounding a central car park.


Population

Since the building of Gerrards Cross railway station in the late 19th century, the population of Chalfont St Peter has risen dramatically. From 1801 to 1901, the populations of the village only saw a 700-person rise – giving a population of 1700. But from 1901 to the present, it has become one of the largest villages in the United Kingdom, with nearly 13,000 inhabitants.


Tourist attractions

Chalfont St Peter is often described as the Gateway to the Chiltern Hills. It is not a major tourist centre but has many places to stay, the most notable being The Greyhound (former local court house where hangings took place), which is situated at the foot of the village on the banks of the River Misbourne. Nearby there are several manor houses of note, as well as many museums, cottages and parks. Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, the Colne Valley regional park, Bekonscot Model Village, Chenies Manor House, the
Chiltern Open Air Museum Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) is an independent open-air museum of vernacular buildings and a tourist attraction located near Chalfont St Peter and Chalfont St. Giles in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. Its collection consist ...
, Odds Farm Park, Cliveden,
Dorney Court Dorney Court is a Grade I listed early Tudor manor house, dating from around 1440, located in the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England. It is owned and lived in by the Palmer family. Early history Dorney Manor is recorded in the Domesd ...
, Harrow Museum & Heritage Centre, Royal Windsor Racecourse and Hughenden Manor are the nearest attractions to the village itself. The Chiltern Open Air Museum is situated mainly within the village.


Education

*Robertswood Combined and Nursery School *Maltman's Green School - Private girls *Chalfont St Peter Infant School *Chalfont St. Peter Church of England Academy *Gayhurst - Private Co-ed. *Thorpe House - Private boys *St. Joseph's Combined Catholic School *
Chalfonts Community College Chalfonts Community College is a co-educational Secondary education#England, Wales and Northern Ireland, secondary school in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire. It takes children from the age of 11 through to 18 and has approximately 1,481 pupils ...
*Holy Cross Convent – Private Girls (Closed summer 2006)


Churches


Chalfont St Peter Parish ChurchGold Hill Baptist ChurchThe Gospel HallSt. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Austenwood


Hamlets

Hamlets in Chalfont St Peter include: *Austenwood *
Chalfont Common Chalfont Common is a hamlet in the parish of Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, approximately one mile to the north east of Chalfont St Peter village centre. Chalfont Common is west-north-west of ...
*Gravel Hill *Layters Green *Horn Hill


Featuring in the media

Chalfont St Peter occasionally appears in media, the most recent being in
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's '' Derren Brown: Apocalypse'' on 26 October 2012. Several local landmarks featured in the programme including The Village Hall pub, since returned to its former name, the Jolly Farmer, on Goldhill Common and Mr. Crusty on the high street. Chalfont St Peter also appeared in the media after
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's near fatal quad bike accident on his property in 2003.


Sport and leisure

Chalfont St Peter has a
Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
team
Chalfont St Peter A.F.C. Chalfont St Peter Association Football Club is a football club based in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England. They are currently members of the Combined Counties Premier Division North and play at Mill Meadow. History The club was estab ...
who play at Mill Meadow.


Transport

Bus routes 104, 105, 335 and 337 run through the main village and the more suburban areas. These bus routes include connections with Slough, Amersham, Chesham, High Wycombe and Uxbridge. It is served by Gerrards Cross railway station, south, which has links to
London Marylebone Marylebone station ( ) is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network it is also known as London Marylebone an ...
and High Wycombe,
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. The village lies north west of London's
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
.


Chalfont Centre

The Chalfont Centre, on Chesham Lane, is a 100-acre site established in 1894. It exists as both the headquarters for the Epilepsy Society and exists to provide residential care for 100 patients with high-level
epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...
. In 1972 the NHS established the Special Assessment Unit, specially designed to treat patients with severe and complicated epilepsy.Chalfont Centre
Duncan, JS & G Faulkner. ''Seizure''. 2003. Retrieved 13/04/18


Other institutions

The
British Forces Broadcasting Service The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselv ...
is based at Arqiva's Chalfont Grove Teleport in the west of the village on the border with Chalfont St Giles. The National Lottery Draws were filmed at Arqiva's facilities between 2006 and 2012. The headquarters of Bradt Travel Guides, founded by
Hilary Bradt Hilary Bradt MBE (born 17 July 1941) is the founder of Bradt Travel Guides, a publisher which became an increasingly visible presence in the travel guide book world starting in the mid-1970s. From 1972, Bradt spent 18 months backpacking from Col ...
in 1974, was also located in Chalfont St Peter, until the company moved to Chesham in 2019. RWS Group, one of the world's largest language service providers is headquartered at Chiltern Park, in the village centre.


Notable residents

* Lewis Collins (1946–2013) – actor, best known for his role as
Bodie Bodie ( ) is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States. It is about southeast of Lake Tahoe, and east-southeast of Bridgeport, California, Bridgepo ...
in the LWT action series ''
The Professionals A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession. Professional or professionals may also refer to: * Professional sports Music *The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979 * ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...
''. He lived at Mopes Farmhouse from the early 1980s until he moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in the early 1990s. *
Ben Gill Benjamin David Gill (born 4 October 1987) is an English footballer. He plays either as a central midfielder or central defender and most recently played for Chalfont St Peter. Career Born in Harrow, Gill started his career as a youth player ...
– former professional footballer for Watford F.C. and
Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
and current
Chalfont St Peter A.F.C. Chalfont St Peter Association Football Club is a football club based in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England. They are currently members of the Combined Counties Premier Division North and play at Mill Meadow. History The club was estab ...
player lives in Chalfont St Peter. * John Laurie (1897–1980) – actor, best known for his role as
Private James Frazer Private James Frazer is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and undertaker, first portrayed by John Laurie in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. He is noted for his catchphrases "We're doomed!" and "Rubbish!" Personality Frazer was bo ...
, in the BBC sitcom '' Dad's Army'' * Patrick O'Brian (1914–2000) – author of the
Aubrey–Maturin series The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of nautical historical novels—20 completed and one unfinished—by English author Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centring on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Roy ...
of novels was born here *
Dame Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film. She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's ''Blithe Spirit (1945 film), ...
(1892–1972) – actress, best known for her role as Miss Marple in several films loosely based on
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's novels *
Len Worley Leonard Francis Worley (born 26 June 1937) is a former amateur footballer who played for Wycombe Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, Chesham United, Wealdstone, Slough Town, Hayes and represented England at amateur level on seven o ...
– amateur footballer *
Alan Nunn May Alan Nunn May (sometimes Allan) (2 May 1911 – 12 January 2003) was a British physicist and a confessed and convicted Soviet spy who supplied secrets of British and American atomic research to the Soviet Union during World War II. Early life ...
(1911–2003) – physicist and spy * Thalissa Teixera - Actress lived here from the age of 8 until leaving school


References


Further reading

*"A History of Chalfont St Peter and Gerrards Cross", C G Edmonds, 1964 and "The History of Bulstrode", A. M. Baker, 2003 published as one book by Colin Smythe Ltd, 2003 *'The Famous and Infamous of The Chalfonts and District', DJ Kelly, 2014 published by Titanic Press. *'The Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross at War', DJ Kelly, 2014 published by Titanic Press


External links


Chalfont St Peter Church of England AcademyChalfont St Peter Parish CouncilChalfont St Peter community siteUK and Ireland Genealogy
{{authority control Villages in Buckinghamshire Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire