At the weekend i headed back down to Buckinghamshire, and the Princes Risborough area again (well it is one of my favourite parts of the world so i am not complaining!) I wanted to visit the two stations either side of Aylesbury which took the number of new stations i stopped at in 2025 up to 50, my target.
Firstly, i went to Aylesbury Vale Parkway then two stops down the line to Stoke Mandeville, where i also had a look around the village. You can see my photos here.
At the weekend i headed back down to Buckinghamshire to revisit a couple of my favourite places, Monks and Princes Risborough. I took the train to Monks Risborough then walked back to Princes Risborough, going via the fine medieval church of St Dunstan's which was open. Unlike last year when i did this trip, the weather was dry and fine.
You can see my Monks Risborough photos here and Princes Risborough here.
Denham is an interesting place, the original village is now a fair walk from other parts of Denham (such as Higher Denham and Denham Green) which have grown up in the last hundred and fifty years or so after the opening of the railways. I have been to Denham twice before but not visited the original village, so on my third trip yesterday decided to finally right that wrong. Unfortunately, i picked a day with heavy rain and i got soaked! Still, it was still lovely to see the original village at last, you can see my photos here.
Let us revisit the lovely little church of All Saints in Little Kimble, Buckinghamshire. On my second visit to the church a few weeks ago it was open so i could have a look inside. I do prefer a simple nave and chancel layout church to be honest. The church has traces of painting on the walls, a reminder that medieval churches usually did not have white washed walls but instead vivid depictions of Biblical stories.
At the weekend i headed down to Buckinghamshire for the first time in a while. I visited Little Kimble again, which is one of my favourite places in the world. This time though i also walked the mile to the neighbouring village of Ellesborough. On returning to Little Kimble, i was able to go inside the church of All Saints for the first time. You can see my photos here.
The parish church of St Giles in Cheddington, Buckinghamshire dates from the 1130s. The church was rebuilt in the 14th century in the Gothic style. In the 15th century it was enlarged, the north aisle was added, the nave extended (to three bay) and the tower was built. The church was restored in the 19th century, and gained a vestry.
The church is built from coursed rubble limestone.
The parish church of St Michael and All Angels in Horsenden (near Princes Risborough) in Buckinghamshire dates from the 15th century. It was built on the site of an earlier church from the early 13th century. The nave and tower were demolished in 1765, the current west tower was built in it's place and the chancel extended to become the replacement nave.
The rector of the church from 1737, Edward Stone, is best known by being the discoverer of aspirin! He is buried in the churchyard.
A pleasant surprise while i was waiting for my train at High Wycombe, Royal Scot brings a rail tour through.
Cheddington is a village at the eastern edge of the county, north east of Aylesbury. The village is listed in the Domesday Book as Cetendone which means Cetta's Hill in Old English. There has been settlement in the area since at least the Iron Age with the remains of a fort found near the village.
Cheddington has remained a small-ish village in a mainly agricultural area. The parish church of St Giles has Norman origins. Cheddington railway station opened in 1838 on what is now known as the West Coast Main Line.
In more recent times Cheddington has become known due to crime. Cheddington was close to the location of the Great Train Robbery in 1963. A couple of decades later in 1984, Cheddington was the location of the first attack by the violent rapist known as The Fox. In happier news, in more recent times Cheddington has won awards for the best kept village in Buckinghamshire!
The town of Woburn Sands is near Milton Keynes and is also on the county's border with Bedfordshire. The name is derived from nearby Woburn in Bedfordshire and local sandy soil in the area. This name is a fairly recent change though as the original name of the village was Hogsty End but by Victorian times the name was considered inappropriate!
Settlement has been in the area since the Iron Age at least, remains of a fort from about 500BC having been found nearby. The settlement grew very slowly, and was not mentioned in the Domesday Book. For most of Woburn Sands' history the mining of Fullers earth was the major industry in the area.
Woburn Sands (or rather Hogsty End) was a hamlet of nearby Wavendon and became a separate parish in 1867. It became a town in the early 1970s. The church of St Michael is over the county border in the area known as Aspley Heath and was consecreted in 1868. Woburn Sands railway station was opened in 1846.
For this week's trip, and for the third week in a row, i headed off down to Buckinghamshire. This time i went somewhere new, the rather lovely village of Great Missenden. This is a jolly place full of nice looking (and no doubt very expensive) houses and cottages as well as a rather fine church. You can see my photos here.
Last weekend i headed down to Buckinghamshire again, but this time the weather wasn't too bad. I went to Denham to visit Denham Golf Club railway station for the first time, and then i walked (mostly public footpaths) to Denham Green and the other Denham station (though this one i have been to before). You can see my photos here.
The village of Saunderton is near to Princes Risborough, though also occupies an area a few miles away where Saunderton railway station is located. The village was listed in the Domesday Book as Santesdune which may mean the name is derived from the Old English for Saint's Hill. The oldest settlements in the area date from the Iron Age such as on Lodge Hill. Traces of a Roman villa have also been discovered near to the parish church.
The oldest building in the village is the parish church which dates from 1227. The church was dedicated to St Mary with a second parish church dedicated to St Nicholas. The other church fell into decay and was demolished in 1452, St Mary's was rededicated to St Mary and St Nicholas.
A workhouse was established in Saunderton in the 18th century, this became the main workhouse for the Union of High Wycombe in Victorian times.
Saunderton railway station was opened in 1901. It was opened over two miles away from the centre of the village, housing has now been built around the station. The station's main building was burned down by the Suffragettes in 1913.
On Saturday i headed down to Buckinghamshire. Its been some time since i last visited Monks Risborough, so i did. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible with heavy rain at times but never mind, i was still able to get some photos in both Monks and Princes Risboroughs! You can see my photos here.
