View source for Buckinghamshire

{{Short description|County of England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox English county
| official_name           = Buckinghamshire
| other_name              = 
| image_main              = {{multiple images |border=infobox |perrow=1 2 |total_width=270px
 | image1 = Chiltern Hills - geograph.org.uk - 4531979.jpg
 | image2 = Temples and Follys Stowe landscape gardens 19.jpg
 | image3 = Peace pagoda in autumn cropped.jpg
 }}
| image_caption           = The [[Chiltern Hills]], the Rotunda in [[Stowe Gardens]] (bottom left), and the [[Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda|Peace Pagoda]] in [[Milton Keynes]] (bottom right)
| locator_map             = Buckinghamshire UK locator map 2010.svg
| map_caption             = Buckinghamshire shown within England
| coordinates             = {{coord|51|50|N|0|50|W|region:GB_type:adm1st|display=title, inline}}
| region                  = [[South East England|South East]]
| established_date        = [[Historic counties of England|Ancient]]
| established_by          = 
| preceded_by             = 
| origin                  = 
| MPs                     = [[Parliamentary constituencies in Buckinghamshire|8 MPs]]
| police                  = [[Thames Valley Police]]
| largest_city            = [[Milton Keynes]]
<!-- Ceremonial county fields -->
| lord_lieutenant_office  = Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
| lord_lieutenant_name    = [[Elizabeth Curzon, Countess Howe]]
| high_sheriff_office     = High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire
| high_sheriff_name       = Pippa Kirkbridge (2025–26)
| ethnicity               = {{Unbulleted list
 | 77.2% [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]
 | 12.4% [[British Asians|Asian]]
 | 5.0% [[Black British people|Black]]
 | 3.7% [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|mixed]]
 | 1.7% [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|other]]
 }}
| ethnicity_year          = [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]]
| ethnicity_footnotes     = <ref>{{NOMIS2021 |id=E06000060 |title=Buckingham UA |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{NOMIS2021 |id=E06000042 |title=Milton Keynes UA |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref>
<!-- Local government fields -->
| unitary_council1 = [[Buckinghamshire Council]]
| unitary_council2 = [[Milton Keynes City Council]]
<!-- Districts map -->
| districts_map           = [[File:Buckinghamshire numbered districts 2020.svg|150px]]
| districts_key           = {{Colorsample|#FFFF99}} Unitary
| districts_list          =
# [[Buckinghamshire (district)|Buckinghamshire]]
# [[City of Milton Keynes|Milton Keynes]]
}}

'''Buckinghamshire''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ʌ|k|ɪ|ŋ|ə|m|ʃ|ər|,_|-|ʃ|ɪər}},<!--has an /r/ even in non-rhotic dialects--> abbreviated ''Bucks''){{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} is a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] in [[South East England]] and one of the [[home counties]]. It is bordered by [[Northamptonshire]] to the north, [[Bedfordshire]] to the north-east, [[Hertfordshire]] to the east, [[Greater London]] to the south-east, [[Berkshire]] to the south, and [[Oxfordshire]] to the west. The largest settlement is the city of [[Milton Keynes]], and the county town is [[Aylesbury]].

The county has an area of {{Convert|1874|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and had a population of 840,138 at the 2021 census.<ref name="Nomis 2021">{{NOMIS2021|id=E06000060 |title=Buckingham UA |access-date=7 December 2023}} '''''plus''''' {{NOMIS2021 |id=E06000042 |title=Milton Keynes UA |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> Besides Milton Keynes, which is in the north-east, the largest settlements are in the southern half of the county and include Aylesbury, [[High Wycombe]], and [[Chesham]]. For [[Local government in England|local government]] purposes Buckinghamshire comprises two [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]], [[Buckinghamshire Council]] and [[Milton Keynes City Council]]. The [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] had slightly different borders, and included the towns of [[Slough]] and [[Eton, Berkshire|Eton]].

The [[Chiltern Hills]], an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]], occupy the south of the county and contain its highest point, Haddington Hill ({{Convert|267|m|ft|abbr=on}}). The Chilterns are the source of the [[River Ouzel]], which flows across the lowland [[Aylesbury Vale|Vale of Aylesbury]] in the north of the county and through Milton Keynes before meeting the [[River Great Ouse]] at [[Newport Pagnell]]. The [[River Thames|Thames]] forms part of the county's southern boundary.

Notable service amenities in the county are [[Pinewood Film Studios]], [[Dorney Lake|Dorney rowing lake]] and part of [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone race track]] on the Northamptonshire border. Many national companies have head offices or major centres in Milton Keynes. [[Heavy industry]] and quarrying is limited, with agriculture predominating after service industries.

==History==
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2023}}
{{Main|History of Buckinghamshire}}
[[File:Buckingham-215x334.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Bucks (1904)]]
The name Buckinghamshire is [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] in origin and means ''The district (scire) of Bucca's home''. ''Bucca's home'' refers to [[Buckingham]] in the north of the county, and is named after the Anglo-Saxon landowner, ''[[Bucca (founder of Buckingham)|Bucca]]''. The county has been so named since about the 12th century; however, the county has existed since it was a subdivision of the kingdom of [[Mercia]] (585–919).

The history of the area predates the Anglo-Saxon period and the county has a rich history starting from the [[Celtic Britons|Brittonic]] and [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] periods,{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}  though the Anglo-Saxons perhaps had the greatest impact on Buckinghamshire: the geography of the rural county is largely as it was in the Anglo-Saxon period. Later, Buckinghamshire became an important political arena, with [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]] intervening in local politics in the 16th century, and just a century later the [[English Civil War]] was reputedly started by [[John Hampden]] in mid-Bucks.<ref name="Biography of John Hampden">{{Cite web |title=Biography of John Hampden |url=http://www.johnhampden.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100908134006/http://www.johnhampden.org/ |archive-date=8 September 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Johnhampden.org }}</ref>

Historically, the biggest change to the county came in the 19th century, when a combination of [[cholera]] and [[famine]] hit the rural county, forcing many to migrate to larger towns to find work. Not only did this alter the local economic situation, it meant a lot of land was going cheap at a time when the rich were more mobile, and leafy Bucks became a popular rural idyll: an image it still has today. Buckinghamshire is a popular home for London commuters, leading to greater local affluence; however, some pockets of relative deprivation remain.<ref name="WLAP">{{Cite web |date=October 2008 |title=High Wycombe Local Community Area Profile |url=http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/research/area_profiles/Wycombe2008.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606165628/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/research/area_profiles/Wycombe2008.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2012 |publisher=[[Buckinghamshire County Council]] }}</ref>

The expansion of London and coming of the railways promoted the growth of towns in the south of the county such as [[Aylesbury]], [[Amersham]] and [[High Wycombe]], leaving the town Buckingham itself to the north in a relative backwater.<ref name="About Buckingham UoB">{{Cite web |title=About Buckingham |url=http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/about/history/town |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910190131/http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/about/history/town |archive-date=10 September 2015 |access-date=15 December 2015 |website=University of Buckingham }}</ref> As a result, most county institutions are now based in the south of the county or [[Milton Keynes]], rather than in Buckingham.

==Geography==
The county can be split into two sections geographically. The south leads from the [[River Thames]] up the gentle slopes of the [[Chiltern Hills]] to the more abrupt slopes on the northern side leading to the [[Vale of Aylesbury]] and the City of Milton Keynes UA, a large and relatively level expanse of land that is the southern [[drainage basin|catchment]] of the [[River Great Ouse]].

===Waterways===
====Rivers====
The county includes parts of two of the four longest rivers in England. The Thames forms the southern boundary with [[Berkshire]], which has crept over the border at [[Eton, Berkshire|Eton]] and [[Slough]] so that the river is no longer the sole boundary between the two counties. The Great Ouse rises just outside the county in [[Northamptonshire]] and flows east through Buckingham, Milton Keynes and [[Olney, Buckinghamshire|Olney]].

====Canals====
[[File:Medmenham River Thames geograph-4090549-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|The River Thames at [[Medmenham]]]]
The main branch of the [[Grand Union Canal]] passes through the county as do its arms to [[Slough Arm|Slough]] and [[Aylesbury Canal Society|Aylesbury]], as well as the disused arms to [[Wendover Arm Canal|Wendover]] and [[Buckingham Arm|Buckingham]]. The canal has been incorporated into the landscaping of Milton Keynes.

===Landscape===
The southern part of the county is dominated by the Chiltern Hills. The two highest points in Buckinghamshire are [[Haddington Hill]] in Wendover Woods (a stone marks its summit) at {{convert|267|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level<ref>{{cite book |last= Bathurst |first= David |year= 2012 |title= Walking the county high points of England |location= Chichester |publisher= Summersdale |isbn= 978-1-84-953239-6 |pages= 105–110}}</ref> and [[Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire|Coombe Hill]] near [[Wendover]] at {{convert|260|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

====Mineral extraction====
Quarrying has taken place for chalk, clay for brickmaking and gravel and sand in the river valleys. Flint, also extracted from quarries, was often used to build older local buildings. Several former quarries, now flooded, have become nature reserves.<ref name="College Lake">{{Cite web |title=College Lake |url=http://www.bbowt.org.uk/college-lake/about-college-lake |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024012611/http://www.bbowt.org.uk/college-lake/about-college-lake |archive-date=24 October 2015 |access-date=12 November 2015 |publisher=BBOWT }}</ref>

==Demography==
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|+ Buckinghamshire unitary authorities
|- 
!Authority
!Main towns
!Population<br>(2011)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 July 2010 |title=2011 Census: KS101EW Usual resident population, local authorities in England and Wales |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262 |archive-date=5 January 2016 |access-date=11 December 2012 }}</ref>
!Area<br>(km<sup>2</sup>)
!Population<br>density<br>(2011)
!Projected<br>population<br>(2026)
|-
![[Buckinghamshire Council]]
|[[Aylesbury]], [[Buckingham]], [[High Wycombe]], [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]], [[Amersham]], [[Chesham]], [[Beaconsfield]], [[Burnham, Buckinghamshire|Burnham]]||style="text-align:center"|505,283||style="text-align:center"|1564.95||style="text-align:center"|323/km<sup>2</sup>||style="text-align:center"|530,800{{0}}{{0}}
|-
![[Milton Keynes City Council]]
|[[Milton Keynes urban area]] (includes towns of [[Bletchley]], [[Central Milton Keynes]], [[Fenny Stratford]], [[Newport Pagnell]], [[Stony Stratford]], [[Woburn Sands]] and [[Wolverton]]), [[Olney, Buckinghamshire|Olney]] ||style="text-align:center"|248,821||style="text-align:center"|{{0}}308.63||style="text-align:center"|806/km<sup>2</sup>||style="text-align:center"|323,146<ref>{{Cite web |title=Milton Keynes intelligence Observatory |url=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk/webview/index.jsp?v=2&mode=cube&cube=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk:80/obj/fCube/PE097_C1&study=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk:80/obj/fStudy/PE097&context=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk:80/obj/cServer/MKi&top=yes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701155340/http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk/webview/index.jsp?v=2&mode=cube&cube=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk:80/obj/fCube/PE097_C1&study=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk:80/obj/fStudy/PE097&context=http://analysis.mkiobservatory.org.uk:80/obj/cServer/MKi&top=yes |archive-date=1 July 2012}}</ref>
|- 
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left"|Total for ceremonial county!!754,104!!1873.58!!402/km<sup>2</sup>!!853,946{{0}}{{0}}
|}
[[File:CheshamPondParkView.jpg|thumb|Suburban housing, Chesham]]

The administration of Buckinghamshire is further sub-divided into civil parishes.

<!--The info here can easily be sourced from Census data. Please cite it -->
Today Buckinghamshire is ethnically diverse, particularly in the larger towns. At the end of the 19th century some Welsh drover families settled in north Bucks and, in the last quarter of the 20th century, a large number of Londoners in Milton Keynes. Between 6 and 7% of the population of Aylesbury are of Asian or Asian British origin.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 2007 |title=Aylesbury Local Community Area Profile |url=http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/research/area_profiles/Aylesbury.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606165604/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/research/area_profiles/Aylesbury.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2012 |publisher=[[Buckinghamshire County Council]]}}</ref> Likewise Chesham has a similar-sized Asian community,<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2009 |title=Profile of Chesham |url=http://www.chesham.gov.uk/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=609FA5F5-A1FD-43D5-94BD-63A4A69D4B13&ei=Y-zgTs2mCMOC8gPHqMjBBA&usg=AFQjCNHq6b5BqQf0-mFgaL_4pRYx3Qqz-g |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420194942/http://www.chesham.gov.uk/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=609FA5F5-A1FD-43D5-94BD-63A4A69D4B13&ei=Y-zgTs2mCMOC8gPHqMjBBA&usg=AFQjCNHq6b5BqQf0-mFgaL_4pRYx3Qqz-g |archive-date=20 April 2012 |access-date=8 December 2011 |publisher=Chesham Town Council }}</ref> and High Wycombe is the most ethnically diverse town in the county,<ref name="WLAP" /> with large Asian and [[British African-Caribbean community|Afro-Caribbean]] populations.<ref name="WLAP" /> During the Second World War there were many Polish settlements in Bucks, Czechs in Aston Abbotts and Wingrave, and Albanians in Frieth. Remnants of these communities remain in the county.

==Politics==
{{see also|List of Parliamentary constituencies in Buckinghamshire}}
[[File:CountyHallAylesbury.jpg|thumb|Bucks County Council's [[County Hall]]]]
[[File:Wendover Dean.jpg|thumb|Wendover Dean]]

===Ceremonial===
{{Main|Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire|High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire|Ceremonial counties of England}}
The [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] of Buckinghamshire consists of both unitary authority areas combined. The ceremonial county has a [[Lord Lieutenant]] and a [[High Sheriff]]. Since November 2020, the [[Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire]] is <!-- Do not link to [[Elizabeth Howe]], who was an American -->The Countess Howe<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lord-Lieutenant {{!}} Buckinghamshire Lieutenancy |url=https://www.buckslieutenancy.org/about |website=Buckinghamshire Lieutenancy}}</ref> and the [[High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire]] is  Dame [[Ann Limb|Ann Geraldine Limb]], DBE of [[Stony Stratford]]<ref name="LonGaz 100323">{{London Gazette|issue=63990|page=4634|date=10 March 2023}}</ref> The office of ''[[Custos rotulorum]]'' has been combined with that of Lord Lieutenant since 1702.

The ceremonial county has two top-level administrations{{snd}} both are unitary authorities{{snd}} [[Buckinghamshire Council]], which administers about four-fifths of the county and two-thirds of its population, and [[Milton Keynes City Council]], which administers the remainder.

===Buckinghamshire County Council (1889–1997)===
[[Buckinghamshire County Council]] was founded in 1889 with its base in new municipal buildings in Walton Street, Aylesbury (which are still there).

In 1966, the council moved into new premises: a 15-storey tower block in the centre of Aylesbury (pictured) designed by county architect [[Fred Pooley]]. It is now a Grade II [[listed building]].

From 1974 (following the [[Local Government Act 1972]]<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref>) local administration was run on a two-tier system where public services were split between the county council and five district councils ([[Aylesbury Vale]], [[Chiltern District|Chiltern]], [[City of Milton Keynes|Milton Keynes]], [[South Bucks]] and [[Wycombe District|Wycombe]]).

===Buckinghamshire County Council (1997–2020)===
In 1997, the northernmost part of Buckinghamshire, until then Milton Keynes District, was separated to form a unitary authority, the Borough of Milton Keynes;<!-- Leave this as "Borough", since that is how it was at the time --> for ceremonial purposes Milton Keynes remains part of Buckinghamshire.<ref>{{Cite legislation UK 
  | type = act
  | year = 1997
  | chapter = 23
  | act = Lieutenancies Act 1997
}}</ref> The administration of the remainder of the county continued to be called Buckinghamshire County Council.

Buckinghamshire County Council was a large employer in the county and provided a variety of services, including education (schools, adult education and youth services), social services, highways, libraries, County Archives and Record Office, the [[Buckinghamshire County Museum|County Museum]] and the [[Roald Dahl Children's Gallery]] in Aylesbury, consumer services and some aspects of waste disposal and planning.

===Buckinghamshire Council (2020 onwards)===
[[Buckinghamshire Council]] is a unitary authority covering most of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 March 2020 |title=Bucks County Council takes final curtain call after 131 years |url=https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/politics/council/bucks-county-council-takes-final-curtain-call-after-131-years-2451714 |access-date=28 March 2020 |website=Bucks Herald |first1=Sam |last1=Dean }}</ref> It was created in April 2020 from the areas that were previously administered by [[Buckinghamshire County Council]] and the district councils of South Bucks, Chiltern, Wycombe, and Aylesbury Vale.

===Milton Keynes City Council===
[[File:Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes.jpg|thumb|City Council building in [[Central Milton Keynes]]]]
A [[local authority]] for North Buckinghamshire was formed by the Local Government Act 1972, styled as the "Milton Keynes District Council" and subordinate to Buckinghamshire County Council. Its (district) council was first [[1973 United Kingdom local elections|elected in 1973]], a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the [[City of Milton Keynes|District of Milton Keynes]] on 1 April 1974. The council was granted [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] on its foundation, entitling it to be known as "Milton Keynes Borough Council" and to annually appoint a (ceremonial) Mayor of Milton Keynes.<ref name="hans74">{{Cite web |date=28 March 1974 |title=District Councils and Boroughs |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225201114/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |archive-date=25 December 2012 |access-date=16 January 2012 |website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] }}</ref><ref name="guide">{{Cite book |title=Local Government in England and wales. a Guide to the New System. |publisher=[[HMSO]] |year=1974 |isbn=0117508470 |location=London |pages=15–109 |chapter=Table III(a)}}</ref> On 1 April 1997, the Borough became a self-governing [[unitary authority]], independent of the County Council. Following award of [[Letters Patent]] in 2022, the Borough became the [[City of Milton Keynes]],  and its council became [[Milton Keynes City Council]]. The remit of the City Council extends beyond the [[Milton Keynes urban area]], encompassing a significant rural area with villages, hamlets, and the market town of Olney.

===Flag===
[[File:Flag of Buckinghamshire.svg|thumb|The flag of the historic county of Buckinghamshire]]
The traditional [[flag of Buckinghamshire]] comprises a chained swan on a bicolour of red and black. The flag was registered with the [[Flag Institute]] on 20 May 2011.

===Coat of arms===
[[File:Neolithic Barrow Whiteleaf Hill ed.jpg|thumb|Neolithic Barrow, [[Monks Risborough|Whiteleaf Hill]]]]
The [[coat of arms]] of the former [[Buckinghamshire County Council]] features a white [[mute swan]] in chains. This dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, when swans were bred in Buckinghamshire for the king's pleasure. That the swan is in chains illustrates that [[Swan upping|the swan is bound to the monarch]], an ancient law that still applies to wild swans in the UK today. The arms were first borne at the [[Battle of Agincourt]] by the [[Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham|Duke of Buckingham]].

Above the swan is a gold band, in the centre of which is [[Whiteleaf Cross]], representing the many ancient landmarks of the county. The shield is surmounted by a [[beech]] tree, representing the Chiltern Forest that once covered almost half the county. Either side of the shield are a [[Deer|buck]], for Buckingham, and a swan, the county symbol.

The motto of the shield is ''Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum''. This is [[Latin]] and means 'no stepping back' (or 'no steps backwards').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pine |first=L.G. |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmott00tion/page/249 |title=A dictionary of mottoes |date=1983 |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |isbn=0-7100-9339-X |edition=1 |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmott00tion/page/249 249] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Ashton House, Milton Keynes - geograph.org.uk - 1208078.jpg|thumb|Offices, Milton Keynes]]
[[File:Princes Risborough, ercol workshop and showroom - geograph.org.uk - 749399.jpg|thumb|Ercol furniture factory, Princes Risborough]]
Buckinghamshire has a modern service-based economy and is part of the [[Berkshire]], Buckinghamshire and [[Oxfordshire]] [[NUTS-2]] region, which was the seventh richest subregion in the [[European Union]] in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 January 2005 |title=''Regional GDP per capita in the EU25 GDP per capita in 2002 ranged from 32% of the EU25 average in Lubelskie to 315% in Inner London'' |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=STAT/05/13&format=HTML&aged=0&language=en&guiLanguage=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206184743/http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=STAT%2F05%2F13&format=HTML&aged=0&language=en&guiLanguage=en |archive-date=6 February 2009 |access-date=19 September 2010 |website=Europa (web portal) }}</ref> As well as the highest GDP per capita outside Inner London, Buckinghamshire has the highest quality of life, the highest life expectancy and the best education results in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burridge |first=Nicky |date=29 March 2008 |title=Buckinghamshire is best county |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/buckinghamshire-is-best-county-802353.html |url-status=live |access-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820205831/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/buckinghamshire-is-best-county-802353.html |archive-date=20 August 2009 }}</ref> The southern part of the county is a prosperous section of the [[London commuter belt]]. The county has fertile agricultural lands, with many [[landed estate]]s, especially those of the [[Rothschild banking family of England]] in the 19th century (see [[Rothschild properties in England]]). The county has several annual agricultural shows, with the [[Bucks County Show]] established in 1859. Manufacturing industries include furniture-making (traditionally centred at [[High Wycombe]]), pharmaceuticals and agricultural processing. [[Pinewood Studios]] in [[Iver Heath]] is a principal centre of operations for film and TV production in the UK.

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Buckinghamshire at current basic prices published by the [[Office for National Statistics]] with figures in millions of [[Pounds sterling]] (except GVA index).<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf Office for National Statistics] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525140007/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf |date=25 May 2006 }} (pp.240–253)</ref>{{update needed |reason=These are 2006 figures|date=December 2023}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Figures in £ millions
! Year || Regional Gross<br>Value Added{{efn|Components may not sum to totals due to rounding}} || Agriculture{{efn|includes hunting and forestry}} || Industry{{efn|includes energy and construction}} || Services{{efn|includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured}} ||GVA index<br />per person{{efn|1=UK average index base = 100}}   
|-
| 1995 || 6,008 || 60 || 1,746 || 4,201 || 118
|-
| 2000 || 8,389 || 45 || 1,863 || 6,481 || 125
|-
| 2003 || 9,171 || 50 || 1,793 || 7,328 || 118
|}

==Places of interest==
{{main|Places of interest in Buckinghamshire}}
[[File:Lake at Stowe Landscape Garden with Temple in distance - geograph.org.uk - 77696.jpg|thumb|Stowe Landscape Garden]]
[[File:The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre - geograph.org.uk - 1264147.jpg|thumb|The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Great Missenden]]
Buckinghamshire is notable for its open countryside and natural features, including the [[Chiltern Hills]] [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]], [[Stowe House|Stowe Landscaped Gardens]] near [[Buckingham]], and the [[River Thames]].<ref name="Visit">{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Buckinghamshire! |url=http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822180730/http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/ |archive-date=22 August 2010 |access-date=19 August 2010 |publisher=Visit Buckinghamshire }}</ref> The Ridgeway Path, a long-distance footpath, passes through the county. The county also has many historic houses. Some of these are opened to the public by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], such as [[Waddesdon Manor]], [[West Wycombe Park]] and [[Cliveden]].<ref name="NatTrust">{{Cite web |title=The National Trust |url=http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/site/great-days-out/the-national-trust-p197481 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723152810/http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/site/great-days-out/the-national-trust-p197481 |archive-date=23 July 2010 |access-date=19 August 2010 |publisher=Visit Buckinghamshire}}</ref> Other historic houses are still in use as private homes, such as the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]'s country retreat [[Chequers]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Savage |first=Mike |date=12 March 2010 |title=View from the new 250mph rail route |work=The Independent |location=UK |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/view-from-the-new-250mph-rail-route-1920103.html |url-status=live |access-date=19 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315132855/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/view-from-the-new-250mph-rail-route-1920103.html |archive-date=15 March 2010 }}</ref>

[[Claydon House]] (near [[Steeple Claydon]]), [[Hughenden Manor]] (near High Wycombe), Stowe Landscaped Gardens, and [[Waddesdon Manor]] (near Aylesbury) are in the care of the [[National Trust]].

[[Mentmore Towers]], a 19th-century [[English country house]] built by the [[Rothschild family|Rothschilds]] is located the village of [[Mentmore]]. It is the largest of the English Rothschild houses and is known for its Jacobean-styled architecture designed by [[Joseph Paxton]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mentmore Towers, Buckinghamshire, England {{!}} Rothschild Family |url=https://family.rothschildarchive.org/estates/42-mentmore-towers |access-date=13 October 2020 |website=family.rothschildarchive.org}}</ref>

[[Bletchley Park]] in Milton Keynes is the site of [[World War II]] British codebreaking and [[Colossus computer|Colossus]], the world's first programmable electronic [[digital computer]]. Together with the co-located [[National Museum of Computing]], it is a nationally important visitor attraction.

Examples of historical architecture in the Chiltern region are preserved at the [[Chiltern Open Air Museum]], an [[open-air museum|open-air]] [[folk museum]] near [[Chalfont St Giles]]. The {{convert|45|acre|m2|adj=on}} site contains reconstructed buildings which might otherwise have been destroyed or demolished as a result of redevelopment or road construction.<ref name="coam-historic-buildings">{{cite web |title=Historic Buildings |url=https://coam.org.uk/museum-buckinghamshire/historic-buildings/ |website=coam.org.uk |publisher=Chiltern Open Air Museum |access-date=27 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128075733/https://coam.org.uk/museum-buckinghamshire/historic-buildings/ |archive-date=28 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Matthews">{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=Helen |last2=Matthews |first2=Neil |title=Slow Travel: The Chilterns & the Thames Valley |date=15 February 2019 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-78477-613-8 |pages=103–104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_OJDwAAQBAJ&dq=Chiltern%20Open%20Air%20Museum&pg=PA103 |access-date=27 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

The market town of [[Olney, Buckinghamshire|Olney]], in the Milton Keynes UA, is home to [[Cowper and Newton Museum]] which celebrates the work and lives of two famous figures: [[William Cowper]] (1731–1800) a celebrated 18th-century poet; and [[John Newton]], a prominent [[Abolition of slavery timeline|slave trade abolitionist]] who was curate in the local church. Together, Cowper and Newton wrote the ''[[Olney Hymns]]'', including one of the world's most popular hymns, [[Amazing Grace]]''.

Buckinghamshire is the home of various notable people in connection with whom tourist attractions have been established: for example the author [[Roald Dahl]] who included many local features and characters in his works.<ref name="Roald">{{Cite web |title=Roald Dahl Trail |url=http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/site/great-days-out/roald-dahl-trail-p619901 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724053807/http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/site/great-days-out/roald-dahl-trail-p619901 |archive-date=24 July 2010 |access-date=19 August 2010 |publisher=Visit Buckinghamshire}}</ref> Artists [[William Callow]] and [[Harriet Anne Smart]] Callow produced many paintings of the area in the late 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Callow|first=William|title=Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust – Member of The Gardens Trust|url=https://bucksgardenstrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/William-Callow-final.pdf|access-date=24 February 2022|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Sports facilities in Buckinghamshire include half of the international [[Silverstone Circuit]] which straddles the Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire border, the [[Adams Park]] Stadium in the south and [[Stadium MK]] in the north, and [[Dorney Lake]] (named 'Eton Dorney' for the event) was used as the rowing venue for the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].

==Media==
The county is covered by three overlapping TV regions
* [[BBC South]] and [[ITV Meridian]] (for the Thames Valley) covering the western side of the county,
* [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]], covering the north and east of the county, and
* [[BBC London]] & [[ITV London]], covering the south of the county.

Local radio stations are [[BBC Three Counties Radio]], [[BBC Radio Berkshire]] (covering [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]]), [[Heart Thames Valley]] (now [[Heart South]]), [[Heart Four Counties]] (now [[Heart East]]), [[Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts]] (formerly Mix 96) and [[Wycombe Sound]] (covering [[High Wycombe]]).

==Transport==
{{Main|Transport in Buckinghamshire}}

===Roads===
[[File:M40 - Chiltern Cutting - Stokenchurch - geograph.org.uk - 94271.jpg|thumb|The M40 in the Chilterns]]
[[File:Arriva 5434 on route 359 at Amersham Running Day 2013 (14096696112).jpg|thumb|Local bus, Amersham]]
Buckinghamshire is served by four motorways, although two are on its borders:
* [[M1 motorway]]: serves Milton Keynes in the north via junctions 13 and 14 (although the former is just outside the county boundary in Bedfordshire).
* [[M4 motorway]]: passes through the very south of the county with only J7 in Bucks.
* [[M25 motorway]]: passes into Bucks but has only one junction (J16-interchange for the M40).
* [[M40 motorway]]: cuts through the south of the county serving towns such as High Wycombe and Beaconsfield.

Six important A roads also enter the county (from north to south):
* [[A428 road|A428]]: has a very small section through the county, serving the northern villages of [[Lavendon]] and [[Cold Brayfield]].
* [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]]: serves Milton Keynes.
* [[A421 road|A421]]: serves Milton Keynes and Buckingham; links the M1 to the M40.
* [[A40 road|A40]]: parallels M40 through south Bucks and continues to [[Central London]].
* [[A41 road|A41]]: cuts through the centre of the county from Watford to Bicester, serving [[Aylesbury]].
* [[A4 road (England)|A4]]: serves [[Taplow]] in the very south.

Also less important primary A roads enter the country:
*[[A404 road|A404]]: serves Marlow and High Wycombe.
*[[A509 road|A509]]: serves the north of the county, starting at the A5 near Central Milton Keynes, heading north-east towards Olney via M1 J14, eventually leaving the county at [[Warrington, Buckinghamshire|Warrington]] for Wellingborough and Kettering.
*[[A4010 road|A4010]]: runs from M40 J4 (High Wycombe) to Stoke Mandeville.
*[[A4146 road|A4146]]: runs from Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire) to Milton Keynes.

The county is poorly served with internal routes, with the [[A413 road|A413]] and [[A418 road|A418]] linking the south and north of the county.

===Rail===
[[File:Little Kimble railway station 1.jpg|thumb|[[Little Kimble railway station]], a typical rural village halt on the [[Aylesbury–Princes Risborough line]] ]]
[[File:MKcentralplatforms.JPG|thumb|[[Milton Keynes Central railway station]] provides intercity and commuter services on the West Coast Main Line]]

As part of the [[London commuter belt]], Buckinghamshire is well connected to the national rail network, with both local commuter and inter-city services serving some destinations.

[[Chiltern Railways]] is a principal [[train operating company]] in Buckinghamshire, providing the majority of local commuter services from the centre and south of the county, with trains running into {{rws|London Marylebone}}. [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western]] operates commuter services from {{rws|Taplow}} and {{rws|Iver}} into [[Paddington railway station|London Paddington]]. [[West Midlands Trains]] provides these services from {{rws|Milton Keynes Central}} into {{rws|Euston}} or {{rws|Birmingham New Street}}, and [[Southern (train operating company)|Southern]] operates commuter services via the [[West London Line]] from Milton Keynes Central to [[East Croydon railway station|East Croydon]].

[[Avanti West Coast]] operates inter-city services from Milton Keynes Central to Euston, [[North West England]], the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]], the Scottish [[Central Belt]], and [[North Wales]]. Great Western operates non-stop services through the south of the county from Paddington to [[South West England]] and [[South Wales]].

There are four main lines running through the county:

*The [[West Coast Main Line]] in the north of the county serves stations in Milton Keynes
*[[London to Aylesbury Line]] serves [[Aylesbury]] and other settlements along the A413 towards London. Once part of the [[Metropolitan line]] of [[London Underground]], which now runs to Amersham
*[[Chiltern Main Line]]: serves the towns along the M40 motorway including [[High Wycombe]] and [[Beaconsfield]]
*[[Great Western Main Line]]: runs through [[Slough]]. Slough is now in [[Berkshire]], but the line enters Bucks twice, on either side of Slough, with [[Taplow]] and [[Iver]] both having stations in Buckinghamshire.

There are the following additional lines:

*[[Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line]]: a single track branch that connects the Chiltern Main Line to the London to Aylesbury Line.
*[[Marston Vale Line]]: between [[Bletchley railway station|Bletchley]] and [[Bedford railway station|Bedford]]. This is a remnant of the former [[Varsity Line]] between {{rws|Oxford}} and {{rws|Cambridge}}
*[[Marlow Branch Line]]: between [[Marlow railway station|Marlow]], [[Bourne End railway station|Bourne End]] and [[Maidenhead railway station|Maidenhead]].
* [[Metropolitan line]]: between {{rws|Amersham}} and {{rws|Chesham}} to London
*[[Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway]], a preserved railway.
* The new [[Elizabeth line]] (constructed as [[Crossrail]]) serves [[Iver railway station|Iver]].

{{as of|2021}}, [[East West Rail#Engineering and construction works|contractors are working]] on behalf of the [[East West Rail]] Company to reinstate the route between {{rws|Oxford}} and Bletchley via {{rws|Winslow}}, enabling services to Milton Keynes Central from 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Oxford to Bedford: the Western Section of East West Rail is already being delivered |url=https://eastwestrail.co.uk/the-project/western-section |access-date=23 January 2020 |publisher=East West Rail Ltd}}</ref> The line between Aylesbury and [[Claydon railway station#Claydon LNE Junction|Claydon Junction]] may also be reinstated in the same programme, enabling services between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, but this option is not programmed. Construction of [[High Speed 2]] is also underway and is planned to run non-stop through the county at some future date.

==Settlements==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Largest built-up areas in ceremonial Buckinghamshire (2011 census)
! Built-up area !! Population (2011)<ref>{{Cite web |title=2011 Census – Built-up areas |url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921045319/http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |archive-date=21 September 2013 |access-date=4 July 2013 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] }}</ref>!! width=120px|Local Authority !!class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
! [[Milton Keynes urban area|Milton Keynes]] <!-- this format is correct. See column heading. -->
| style="text-align:right;"|229,941 || City of Milton Keynes || Includes the [[History of Milton Keynes#1960s plans for a new city in North Buckinghamshire, 1967 designation of Milton Keynes|1967 'designated development area']] of [[Milton Keynes]] in addition to the towns of [[Newport Pagnell]] and [[Woburn Sands]] (which were outside the 1967 boundary), as well as [[Bletchley]], [[Fenny Stratford]], [[Wolverton]] and [[Stony Stratford]] (which were within it). [[Central Milton Keynes]], the city centre, is a civil parish with a town council. The built-up area extends into [[Bedfordshire]] via the contiguous civil parishes of [[Aspley Guise]] and [[Aspley Heath]].<ref>{{NOMIS2011 |id=E34005056 |title=Milton Keynes Built-up area |access-date=29 March 2019 }} (see map)</ref>
|-
! [[High Wycombe]]
|style="text-align:right;"|133,204
|Buckinghamshire
|Includes suburbs of [[Downley]] and [[Hazlemere]].<ref name="WLAP" />
|-
! [[Aylesbury]]
|style="text-align:right;"|74,748
|Buckinghamshire
|[[County town]] of Buckinghamshire. Population of Aylesbury built-up area includes [[Stoke Mandeville]] and [[Bierton]]
|-
! [[Amersham]]/[[Chesham]]
|style="text-align:right;"|46,122
|Buckinghamshire
|The Amersham/Chesham built-up area includes both Amersham and Chesham.<ref>{{NOMIS2011 |id=E34004892 |title=Amersham/Chesham Built-up area |access-date=15 February 2022 }} (see map)</ref>
|-
![[Gerrards Cross]]
|style="text-align:right;"|20,633
|Buckinghamshire
|Includes [[Chalfont St Peter]]. The area lacks town status but is the 5th largest conurbation in the county.
|-
! [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]]
|style="text-align:right;"|18,261
|Buckinghamshire
|
|-
! [[Beaconsfield]]
|style="text-align:right;"|13,797
|Buckinghamshire
|
|-
! [[Buckingham]]
|style="text-align:right;"|12,890
|Buckinghamshire
|Historically the county town of Buckinghamshire
|-
! [[Princes Risborough]]
|style="text-align:right;"|8,231
|Buckinghamshire
|
|-
! [[Wendover]]
|style="text-align:right;"|7,702
|Buckinghamshire
|
|-
! [[Olney, Buckinghamshire|Olney]]
|style="text-align:right;"|6,477
|City of Milton Keynes
|
|-
! [[Chalfont St Giles]]
|style="text-align:right;"|7,957
|Buckinghamshire
|Built-up area includes [[Seer Green]] and [[Jordans, Buckinghamshire|Jordans]]
|-
! [[Prestwood]]
|style="text-align:right;"|7,501
|Buckinghamshire
|Built-up area includes [[Great Missenden]]
|-
! [[Winslow, Buckinghamshire|Winslow]]
|style="text-align:right;"|4,407
|Buckinghamshire
|
|}

For the full list of towns, villages and [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]] in Buckinghamshire, see [[List of places in Buckinghamshire]]. Throughout history, there have been [[List of Buckinghamshire boundary changes|changes to the Buckinghamshire boundary]].

==Education==
[[File:Gateway building BNU.jpg|thumb|The Gateway Building, [[Buckinghamshire New University]], [[High Wycombe]].]]
{{Further|List of schools in Buckinghamshire|List of schools in Milton Keynes}}

Artist and composer [[Harriet Anne Smart]] started a school in Buckinghamshire in the 1850s to teach local labourers how to read.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Callow|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gcZLAQAAIAAJ&dq=harriet+callow+composer&pg=PA94|title=An Autobiography|date=1908|publisher=A. and C.Black|language=en}}</ref> Today, education in Buckinghamshire is governed by two [[Subdivisions of England|Local Education Authorities]], Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council. Buckinghamshire Council is one of the few remaining [[Local Education Authority|LEA]]s still using the [[Tripartite system of education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland|tripartite system]], albeit with some revisions such as the abolition of [[secondary technical school]]s. It has a completely selective education system: pupils transfer either to a [[grammar school]] or to a [[secondary modern school]] or [[Free school (England)|free school]] depending on how they perform in the [[Eleven-Plus exam]] and on their preferences. Pupils who do not take the test can only be allocated places at secondary modern schools or free school. There are 9 independent schools and 34 maintained (state) secondary schools, not including [[sixth form college]]s, in the county council area. There is also the [[Buckinghamshire University Technical College]] which offers secondary education from age 14. The unitary authority of Milton Keynes operates a [[comprehensive education]] system: there are 8 maintained (state) secondary schools in the City Council area.

Buckinghamshire is also home to the [[University of Buckingham]], [[Buckinghamshire New University]], the [[National Film and Television School]], and the [[Open University]]. The [[University of Bedfordshire]] has a campus in Milton Keynes.

==Notable people== <!-- Please do not add anyone who does not already have a wikipedia article, which means that their notability has already been verified -->
[[File:John Milton's cottage.jpg|thumb|John Milton's cottage, Chalfont]]
[[File:House from rear (9058754955).jpg|thumb|[[Cliveden]]]]
[[File:Buckingham Church - geograph.org.uk - 715502.jpg|thumb|Buckingham church seen from across the [[River Great Ouse|Ouse]]]]
Buckinghamshire is the birthplace and/or final resting place of several notable individuals. St [[Osyth]] was born in [[Quarrendon (village)|Quarrendon]] and was buried in [[Aylesbury]] in the 7th century<ref>[http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6F032F83-3E6A-4D07-BAC5-D3AACF60B27E/1908/StOsyth.pdf Tendring District Council Conservation Area Review] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703121332/http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6F032F83-3E6A-4D07-BAC5-D3AACF60B27E/1908/StOsyth.pdf |date=3 July 2007 }} (pdf)</ref> while at about the same time [[Rumwold of Buckingham|Saint Rumbold]] (or Rumwald) was buried in [[Buckingham]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 August 2008 |title=Biography of St Rumwold, University of Buckingham |url=http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/life/buck/bucktown/rumbold.html  |publisher=University of Buckingham}}</ref> In the medieval period, [[Roger of Wendover]] and [[Anne Boleyn]] also owned property in the same town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Medieval Sourcebook: Roger of Wendover |url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/wendover1215.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204154832/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/wendover1215.html |archive-date=4 December 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Fordham.edu }}</ref><ref>[http://cgi.www.chilternweb.co.uk/wendover/picturetour/bolyn.htm Picture Tour at Chiltern Web] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914120709/http://cgi.www.chilternweb.co.uk/wendover/picturetour/bolyn.htm |date=14 September 2007 }}</ref> It is said that King [[Henry VIII]] made Aylesbury the county town in preference to Buckingham because [[Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire|Boleyn's father]] owned property there and was a regular visitor himself.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aylesbury Tourist Information |url=http://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/aylesbury.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909202338/http://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/aylesbury.asp |archive-date=9 September 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Aboutbritain.com }}</ref> Other medieval residents included [[Edward the Confessor]], who had a palace at [[Brill, Buckinghamshire|Brill]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genuki guide to Brill |url=http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Brill/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912214039/http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Brill/index.html |archive-date=12 September 2011}}</ref> and [[John Wycliffe]] who lived in [[Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire|Ludgershall]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography of John Wycliffe |url=http://www.tlogical.net/biowycliffe.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203183252/http://www.tlogical.net/biowycliffe.htm |archive-date=3 February 2012 |access-date=8 December 2011 }}</ref>

Buckinghamshire later became home to some notable literary characters. [[Edmund Waller]] was brought up in [[Beaconsfield]] and served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for both [[Amersham (UK Parliament constituency)|Amersham]] and [[Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)|Wycombe]]. [[Mary Shelley]] and her husband [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]] lived for some time in [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]], attracted to the town by their friend [[Thomas Love Peacock]] who also lived there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=James Mulvihill (University of Alberta) |date=13 January 2005 |title=Biography of Thomas Love Peacock |url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3513 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228151010/http://litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3513 |archive-date=28 December 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Litencyc.com }}</ref> [[John Milton]] lived in [[Chalfont St Giles]] and his cottage can still be visited there<ref>{{Cite web |title=Milton's Cottage website |url=http://www.miltonscottage.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617235757/http://www.miltonscottage.org/ |archive-date=17 June 2007 |access-date=30 May 2007 }}</ref> and [[John Wilkes]] was [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] for [[Aylesbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Aylesbury]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Review of a biography of John Wilkes |url=http://www.aylesburytowncouncil.gov.uk/newspage.asp?newsid=25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717161614/http://www.aylesburytowncouncil.gov.uk/newspage.asp?newsid=25 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Aylesburytowncouncil.gov.uk}}</ref> Later authors include [[Jerome K. Jerome]] who lived at Marlow,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Literary guide to Marlow |url=http://www.marlowtown.co.uk/marlbook.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514214159/http://www.marlowtown.co.uk/marlbook.html |archive-date=14 May 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Marlowtown.co.uk }}</ref> [[T. S. Eliot]] who also lived at Marlow,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tourist guide to Marlow |url=http://www.riverthames.co.uk/thingstodo/4971.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105084148/http://www.riverthames.co.uk/thingstodo/4971.htm |archive-date=5 January 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Riverthames.co.uk }}</ref> [[Roald Dahl]] who lived at [[Great Missenden]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Britain.com |url=http://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/great-missenden.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914052716/http://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/great-missenden.asp |archive-date=14 September 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=About Britain.com }}</ref> [[Enid Blyton]] who lived in [[Beaconsfield]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guide to Beaconsfield |url=http://www.beaconsfield.co.uk/townguide/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202230547/http://www.beaconsfield.co.uk/townguide/ |archive-date=2 February 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Beaconsfield.co.uk }}</ref> and [[Edgar Wallace]] who lived at [[Bourne End, Buckinghamshire|Bourne End]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bourne End online |url=http://www.bourneend.org.uk/news/news0110.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726025838/http://www.bourneend.org.uk/news/news0110.shtml |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Bourneend.org.uk }}</ref> and is buried in [[Little Marlow]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography of Edgar Wallace |url=http://www.online-literature.com/edgar-wallace/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820081852/http://www.online-literature.com/edgar-wallace/ |archive-date=20 August 2010 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Online-literature.com }}</ref> Modern-day writers from Bucks include [[Terry Pratchett]] who was born in Beaconsfield,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography of Terry Pratchett |url=http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/biography.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514010253/http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/biography.html |archive-date=14 May 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Lspace.org }}</ref> [[Tim Rice]] who is from Amersham<ref>{{IMDb name|id=0005358|name=Tim Rice}}</ref> and [[Andy Riley]] who is from Aylesbury.

During the Second World War a number of European politicians and statesmen were exiled in England. Many of these settled in Bucks as it is close to London. President [[Edvard Beneš]] of [[Czechoslovakia]] lived at [[Aston Abbotts]] with his family while some of his officials were stationed at nearby [[Addington, Buckinghamshire|Addington]] and [[Wingrave]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Czechs in Exile at Aston Abbotts |url=http://www.czechsinexile.org/places/astonabbottsabbey-en.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515154330/http://www.czechsinexile.org/places/astonabbottsabbey-en.shtml |archive-date=15 May 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Czechsinexile.org}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Władysław Sikorski]], military leader of Poland, lived at [[Iver]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish government comparison |url=http://www.czechsinexile.org/govtinexile/exilecomparison-en.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515154344/http://www.czechsinexile.org/govtinexile/exilecomparison-en.shtml |archive-date=15 May 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Czechs in Exile}}</ref> and King [[Zog of Albania]] lived at [[Frieth]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110514204047/http://www.albanians-in-exile.org/ Court of King Zog Research Society]}}</ref> Much earlier, King [[Louis XVIII]] of France lived in exile at [[Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire|Hartwell House]] from 1809 to 1814.

Also on the local political stage Buckinghamshire has been home to [[Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor|Nancy Astor]] who lived in [[Cliveden]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guide to Cliveden |url=http://www.thames-search.com/cliveden.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416211302/http://www.thames-search.com/cliveden.html |archive-date=16 April 2008 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Thames-search.com}}</ref> [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]] who also lived in Cliveden,<ref>{{Cite web |last=John Darnton |date=4 August 1996 |title=Travel Supplement |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/04/travel/at-play-in-the-rooms-of-the-lords.html?sec=travel&pagewanted=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728003247/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/04/travel/at-play-in-the-rooms-of-the-lords.html?sec=travel&pagewanted=3 |archive-date=28 July 2018 |access-date=19 September 2010 |website=New York Times |location=Buckinghamshire (Eng) }}</ref> [[Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington|Baron Carrington]] who lives in [[Bledlow]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bledlow |url=http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/site/midsomer-murders/bledlow |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726030622/http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/site/midsomer-murders/bledlow |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=19 September 2010 |publisher=Visit Buckinghamshire}}</ref> [[Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield|Benjamin Disraeli]] who lived at [[Hughenden Manor]] and was made Earl of Beaconsfield,<ref>{{cite EB1911| wstitle=Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of|volume=3 |pages=563–571|first=Frederick |last=Greenwood}}</ref> [[John Hampden]] who was from [[Great Hampden]] and is revered in Aylesbury to this day<ref name="Biography of John Hampden" /> and Prime Minister [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery]] who lived at [[Mentmore]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genuki guide to Mentmore |url=http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Mentmore/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909123120/http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Mentmore/index.html |archive-date=9 September 2011}}</ref> Also worthy of note are [[William Penn]] who believed he was descended from the Penn family of [[Penn, Buckinghamshire|Penn]] and so is buried nearby<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography of William Penn |url=http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/wpenn.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410014353/http://berkshirehistory.com/bios/wpenn.html |archive-date=10 April 2007 |access-date=30 May 2007 }}</ref> and the current [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], who has an official residence at [[Chequers]]. [[John Archdale]], the colonial governor of [[North Carolina]] and [[South Carolina]], was born in Buckinghamshire.<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896">{{Cite book |title=Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896 |publisher=Marquis Who's Who |year=1963 |location=Chicago}}</ref>

Other notable natives of Buckinghamshire include:<!-- Please do not add anyone who does not already have a wikipedia article, which means that their notability has already been verified -->{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2022}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=45em|
* [[The Japanese House|Amber Bain]], musician, known as The Japanese House
* [[John Athawes]], cricketer, was born in [[Loughton, Milton Keynes]]
* [[Errol Barnett]], news reporter, was born in [[Milton Keynes]]
* [[Nick Beggs]], musician, is from [[Winslow, Buckinghamshire|Winslow]]
* [[Lynda Bellingham]], actress, was from [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Emily Bergl]], actress, born in Milton Keynes, though her family moved to suburban Chicago a few years after her birth
* [[Emmerson Boyce]], [[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan Athletic]] footballer, was born in [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Nick Bracegirdle]] aka Chicane, was born in [[Chalfont St Giles]]
* [[Den Brotheridge]], [[British Army]] Officer who died taking [[Pegasus Bridge]] in France was from [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Charles Butler (beekeeper)|Charles Butler]], pastor, grammarian, and pioneering beekeeper was born in the county
* [[Giles Richard Cooper|Giles Cooper]], entertainment producer, best known for [[Royal Variety Performance]] was born in [[Amersham]], brought up in [[High Wycombe]]
* [[James Corden]], actor, grew up in [[Hazlemere]]<ref>{{Cite web |agency=Press Association |date=19 August 2019 |title=From Smithy to Stateside A-lister: James Corden's rise to fame |url=https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/lifestyle/entertainment/from-smithy-to-stateside-a-lister-james-cordens-rise-to-fame/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=James Corden sparks social media frenzy after tweeting about High Wycombe |url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15170450.the-late-late-show-host-james-corden-originally-from-hazlemere-sparks-social-media-frenzy-after-tweeting-about-high-wycombe/ |website=Bucks Free Press}}</ref>
* [[John Crowder (Lord Mayor of London)|John Crowder]] (1756–1830), alderman of the ward of Farringdon Within, and Lord Mayor of London
* [[Lucinda Dryzek]], actress, born in [[High Wycombe]]
* [[Emma Ferreira]] English contemporary artist, sculptor, photographer, entrepreneur and philanthropist
* [[Jack Garratt]], singer-songwriter, is from [[Little Chalfont]]
* [[Martin Grech]], musician, is from [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Julian Haviland]], former Political Editor of both [[ITN]] and ''[[The Times]]'' newspaper, was born and brought up in Iver Heath in [[Iver]]
* [[James Marriott (musician)|James Marriott]], musician and online content creator
* [[Howard Jones (British musician)|Howard Jones]], musician, attended [[Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe|Royal Grammar School]]
* [[Prince Michael of Kent]], member of the [[British royal family]], born in [[Iver]] in south Bucks
* [[Arthur Lasenby Liberty]], merchant, was from [[Chesham]]
* [[Richard Lee (footballer)|Richard Lee]], footballer, attended [[Aylesbury Grammar School]]
* [[Bob Leith]], musician, attended [[Lord Grey Academy|Lord Grey Comprehensive]] in Milton Keynes<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glasper |first=Ian |url=https://archive.org/details/Day_Country_Died_9781604869880/ |title=The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980-1984 |publisher=[[PM Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-60486-516-5 |location=United States |orig-date=2006}}</ref>
* [[Jon Lewis (cricketer, born 1975)|Jonathon Lewis]], England test cricketer, was born in [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Al Murray]], television/radio presenter also known as The Pub Landlord originates from [[Stewkley]]
* [[John Otway]], musician, is from [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Leigh-Anne Pinnock]], singer and member of 2011 X-Factor winning girl group Little Mix, born in High Wycombe
* [[Matt Phillips]], footballer playing for [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.]], was born in [[Aylesbury]]
* [[Dominic Raab]], politician, [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) and former [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)|Foreign Secretary]], grew up in [[Gerrards Cross]] and attended [[Dr Challoner's Grammar School]] in [[Amersham]]
* [[Steve Redgrave]], five-time Olympic gold medallist [[sport rowing|rower]] is from [[Marlow Bottom]]
* [[George Gilbert Scott]], architect famous for his numerous [[Gothic revival]] buildings, born in [[Gawcott]]
* [[Simon Standage]], Baroque violinist, is from [[High Wycombe]]
* [[Justin Sullivan]], musician with [[New Model Army]]
* [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]], actor, born in [[Fulmer]] in south Bucks
}}

==See also==
[[File:Oxonium Buckinghamia Berceria Atals.jpg|thumb|Hand-drawn map of Oxford, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire by Christopher Saxton from 1576.]]
{{Portal|South East England}}
* [[Architecture of Aylesbury]]
* [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania]]
* [[Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies]]—Archives, Record Office, Local History and Family History
* [[Duke of Buckingham]]
* [[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Buckinghamshire]]
* [[Safety Centre]]
* [[Wendover Woods]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=County of Buckingham |volume=4 |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1878}} |pages=415–417 }}


==External links==
{{Commons category|Buckinghamshire}}
* [http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/ Buckinghamshire County Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706052517/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum Buckinghamshire County Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery]
* [http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/libraries Buckinghamshire Libraries]
* [http://www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/ Buckinghamshire Tourist Guide]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051123214222/http://www.bucksonline.gov.uk/portal/home/index.jsp Bucks County and District Councils Portal]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110424034215/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/museum/ea_buckinghamshire_photos.page Photographic Archive of Buckinghamshire]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120907195225/http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=0 Images of Buckinghamshire] at the [[English Heritage Archive]]

{{Geographic Location
|title = Neighbouring counties
|Centre    = Buckinghamshire
|North     = [[Northamptonshire]]
|Northeast = [[Bedfordshire]]
|East      = [[Bedfordshire]]<br/>[[Hertfordshire]]
|Southeast = [[Greater London]]
|South     = [[Berkshire]]
|Southwest = [[Oxfordshire]]
|West      = [[Oxfordshire]]
|Northwest = [[Northamptonshire]]
}}
{{Buckinghamshire}}
{{England counties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buckinghamshire| ]]
[[Category:South East England]]
[[Category:Home counties]]
[[Category:Counties of England established in antiquity]]