Buckingham is a Town in the county of Buckinghamshire.
Grade II* listed The Old Gaol at Buckingham was built in 1748 was the former gaol for the town.
The Old Gaol was modified in the 19th and 20th Centuries, which included remodelling and the addition of the Gaoler’s house. The building is now used as a museum, with displays about the history of Buckingham and its people.
Buckingham is an historic town in Buckinghamshire, England with a rich history and many attractions. Located close to Milton Keynes, it’s just a short drive from London and can be reached easily by train from other parts of the country.
The town itself dates back to before the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Buckeham. It has been home to many famous people over the years, including JRR Tolkien who wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy partly in a cottage in Buckinghamshire.
Buckingham is well known for its impressive architecture, which includes buildings such as the Old Gaol and Stowe House, an 18th century country house. It is also home to a number of shops, restaurants and pubs where you can find traditional English fare as well as international cuisine.
The town has plenty of outdoor activities too, including walking and cycling trails in the nearby Chiltern Hills. There are also several golf courses in Buckinghamshire, making it an ideal destination.
Buckingham postcode: MK18 1
There are great places to visit near Buckingham including some great villages, towns, parks, lakes, shopping centres, historic buildings, country parks and airports.
The area around Buckingham features a number of interesting villages including Haddenham, Caldecotte, Blue Bridge, New Bradwell, Tathall End, Castlethorpe, and Weston Underwood.
There are a several good towns in the Buckingham area like Milton Keynes, Olney, High Wycombe, Buckingham, and Aylesbury.
Don't miss Willen Lake, and Campbell Park's parks if visiting the area around Buckingham.
Buckingham has some unmissable lakes nearby like Willen Lake, and Thorney Country Park.
Buckingham's best nearby shopping centres can be found at The Centre:mk, and Eden Shopping Centre.
Buckingham's best nearby historic buildings can be found at Church of St Simon and St Jude, St Peter and St Paul - Olney, Weston Underwood, Church of St James the Great - Hanslope, The Old Gaol, and Waddesdon Manor.
Thorney Country Park is a great place to visit close to Buckingham if you like country parks.
The area close to Buckingham boasts some of the best airports including Wycombe Air Park.
Buckingham History
There are some historic monuments around Buckingham:
Places to see near Buckingham
History of Buckingham
In the 7th century, Buckingham, literally “meadow of Bucca’s people” is said to have been founded by Bucca, the leader of the first Anglo Saxon settlers. The first settlement was located around the top of a loop in the River Great Ouse, presently the Hunter Street campus of the University of Buckingham. Between the 7th century and the 11th century, the town of Buckingham regularly changed hands between the Saxons and the Danes, in particular, in 914 King Edward the Elder and a Saxon army encamped in Buckingham for four weeks forcing local Danish Viking leaders to surrender. Subsequently, a fort was constructed at the location of the present Buckingham parish church. Buckingham is mentioned in the Burghal Hidage, a document commonly ascribed to the early tenth century, but more probably of the period 878-9, which describes a system of forts set up by King Alfred (d.899) over the whole of the West Saxon kingdom. When King Edward encamped at Buckingham with his army in 914, he was therefore restoring a fort which had already existed for more than a generation. This tactical move was part of a putsch against the Danish Vikings who controlled what had been southern Mercia, and which involved the taking of control of Viking centres at Bedford, Northampton, Cambridge and eventually the whole of East Anglia by the end of 917.
