BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AREA GUIDES

(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold recently,
scroll down to the bottom of this page)


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Stoke Poges, Marlow, Bourne End, Chalfont St. Giles, Aylesbury, Amersham and High Wycombe.

Buckinghamshire has very good links to the north and west end of London via road and rail and is correspondingly popular with commuters.

Buckingham in the north is a market town with a good range of shops and a university. Heading east towards the Wadden Chase, there are some attractive villages until the outskirts of Milton Keynes 'no beauty spot' begins to adversely influence the landscape.

South of Milton Keynes lies the Aylesbury Vale which is dominated by Quainton Hill and Pitchcott Hill at its centre. Close to these hills is the electricity substation at East Claydon from which five lines of pylons run to different parts of the county. Allied with the large aerial mast site at Whitchurch, this makes picking the right spot more important than ever.

Aylesbury is a large expanding market town of no particular architectural merit. The country south and west of here back towards the M40 is far more undulating than it is further north. Houses are generally more expensive as they are in the vicinity of the small towns of Long Crendon and Haddenham. London on the M40 is approximately 1 hour away with trains taking under an hour from Haddenham to Marylebone. Although convenient, north Buckinghamshire lacks the beauty and charm of its neighbour Oxfordshire.

The county splits easily in two with most of south Buckinghamshire being the hub for commuters into north and west London. There is a small pocket of countryside between the M4 and M40, north of Slough, which is surprisingly villagey yet minutes from London. Houses tend to be few and far between in this area and, consequently, sell well, often privately. North of the M40 on to the edge of the Chiltern Hills, areas such as Beaconsfield, Amersham and the Chalfonts are excellent for commuting into northern London; the Chalfonts, Amersham and Chesham are remarkable in the fact that you can step straight on to the Metropolitan line tube. Further west, the villages and towns are easily commutable with surrounding pretty countryside. The riverside town of Marlow arguably enjoys one of the prettiest stretches of the Thames with excellent access to both M4 and M40 motorways.

Like Berkshire, Buckinghamshire can be divided into two for the country-house buyer: this time, north and south. In between lie the sweeping hills of the Chilterns, acting as a dramatic natural barrier between the commuting towns and villages of the south, easily reached from London, and the more rural but less accessible countryside of the north.

The south tends to have a more fluid population than the north, and a better supply of country houses, but prices are inevitably higher; the completion of the M40 has, however, seen prices in the north rise. The new town of Milton Keynes has also boosted the economy of the north, and has a commuter market of its own.

Buckinghamshire's diverse countryside gives rise to an unusual variety of soils and building materials, including brick, flint and timber. The county crosses the agricultural Vale of Aylesbury, renowned for its duck, rises over the Chilterns and drops down into the Thames Valley; on the fringes of London, the scenery is gentler.

The areas most in demand are in the south, with good commuting links to the capital; they include the Hambledon Valley and the riverside areas of Marlow.

Major towns

Buckingham, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Stokenchurch, Chesham, Beaconsfield, Amersham.

Transport links

Train: Marylebone to High Wycombe 30min, Network StayAway £12 return; Aylesbury 53min, Network StayAway £13.70 return; Milton Keynes 36min, Network AwayBreak £15.20 return.

Car: High Wycombe is 27 miles from central London, via the M40; Aylesbury 36 miles, via the A41; Milton Keynes 52 miles, via the M1.

Schools

Beaconsfield High School (01494 673043). Girls only, age range 11-18, day. www.beaconsfieldhigh.bucks.sch.uk

Caldicott School, Farnham Royal (01753 646214). Boys only, age range 7-13, day and boarding. www.caldicott.com

Pipers Corner, Great Kingshill (01494 718255). Girls only, age range 4-18, day and boarding. www.piperscorner.co.uk

Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe (01494 524955). Boys only, age range 11-18, day and boarding. Assosiated preparatoryschool. www.rgshw.com

St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross (01753 883370). Girls only, age range 3-18, day. www.stmarys-gx.org

Stowe School,near Buckingham (01280 813164). Co- educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.stowe.co.uk

Wycombe Abbey, High Wycombe (01494 520381). Girls only, age range 11-18, boarding. www.wycombeabbey.com

Leisure

Golf courses: Gerrards Cross (01753 883263); Denham (01895 832022); Harewood Downs, Chalfont St Giles (01494 762308); Ellesborough, Aylesbury (01296 622114).

Hunts: The Vale of Aylesbury, the Oakley.

Fishing: river Thames.

THE BEST BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTRY HOUSES FOR SALE
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)

Ridgewood, Knotty Green, Beaconsfield (new mansion): £6m

The Manor, Little Marlow (12,000 sq ft manor, 8.75 acres): £4.95m

Old Rectory, Amersham (7 bedroom Old Rectory, 14 acres): £3m

Vale Farm, Kimble Wick (renovated country house, 31 acres): £2.3m

Sources: Land Registry data in the public domain, our own research via contacts (selling agents, buyers, solicitors etc.) and information published in Country Life magazine. Where a private sale/exchange of trust took place (i.e. no registration at The Land Registry) figures stated are asking prices. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this information. Sands does not guarantee or accept responsibility for its accuracy. E&OE.

To benefit from impartial and expert advice when buying a prime UK country or London property contact leading Property Search Agents, Sands Home Search.

Telephone: 01425 462549 (+44 1425 462549)

Website: www.sandshomesearch.com

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