Buckinghamshire is a mostly rural area in the south east of England, in a group of authorities collectively called ‘The Home Counties’, measuring over 600 sq miles with over 700,000 inhabitants.
The largest town in Buckinghamshire is Aylesbury with over 69,000 inhabitants. Aylesbury has been a major settlement since the Iron Age and was used as a business centre by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons up to the reign of King Henry VIII. Aylesbury is traditionally a market town trading in flour, needles and lace, serviced by The Grand Union Canal.
Buckinghamshire contains Chequers which is the official country residence of the Prime Minister of the UK. There has been a house on the site since the 12th century however he present property dates from the 16th century, PM Gordon Brown decided to relinquish use of Chequers as his weekend retreat in 2007.
Famous inhabitants of Buckinghamshire include poet Percy Shelley, Frankenstein writer Mary Shelley, poet John Milton, poet TS Eliot and children’s authors Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton. |
