Parish Paths Leaflet

 

The image to the right is a scan of the map / leaflet.  Click on it to download fully - however it will take some time as it is a very large image. The leaflet is call Chalfont St. Peter Parish Paths. The additional narrative is as below: 1. Village Centre St. Peter's Church - first mentioned in 1133 as being held by Missenden Abbey, its first vicar was installed in 1224.

The most famous vicar was James Bradshaw who supported the High Church and Charles I, thus incurring the wrath of Isaac Pennington, a well known Quaker and owner of The Grange.  Most of the village sympathised with the puritans and Parliament in the time of the Civil War in the 1640's.  The present building of brick is the result of much restoration and extension in the past two hundred years, including a new tower, to replace the medieval one which had collapsed into the nave in 1708 after a storm.  The tower houses five bells which are still rung on Sundays and Wednesday evenings and the nave and chancel house brasses and hatchment of local families.  The churchyard contains many old memorials and a stone cross dedicated to the fallen of two world wars.

Greyhound Inn - an inn has been on this site since at least 1407.  The majority of the present building is 16th century, built alongside the River Misbourne and used as a coaching Inn.  It was reputedly the venue for Judge Jeffries infamous courts after the Monmouth rebellion of 1685, when the "Hanging Judge" occupied the Grange whilst his own house was being built.  A commonly held legend states that there was an escape tunnel running from the Greyhound to the Grange, and there is certainly a tunnel doorway under the Grange to this day.

The White Hart Public House  is also 16th century with mostly original timbers and an unusual semi-circular open fireplace.

The George Public House is also a 16th century coaching inn, it still has the original frontage but the stable wings have been removed.

2. St. Paul's Church, Horn Hill

Built in 1865 as a Chapel of Ease.  The hamlet of Horn Hill was part of the Newland Park Estate and in the 1920's the Harben family who owned the estate at that time, gave and endowed the village hall opposite the church.

3. Gott's Monument

Brick and flint obelisk by the main gate to the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy.  The obelisk was erected by Sir Henry Gott of Newland Park in 1785 to help his friends, a month then George IV, find their way back after a day of stirrup cups and hunting.  Originally it was twice the size it is now, but was struck by lightning.  It records, rather inaccurately, the mileage to adjacent towns.

4. Shire Horse Centre

Mighty shire horses are bred to be worked all over the world on this Chalfont St. Peter site.  Demonstrations of these gentle giants pulling carriages etc. are a feature of the centre.

5. Chiltern Open Air Museum

A study centre and public attraction comprising old buildings and artefacts from the Iron Age through to the "pre-fabs" of the 1940's, lovingly restored and erected by volunteers and maintained by the Friends of the Museum.

6. Newland Park

Georgian manor house rebuilt in 1770 by Sir Henry Gott, son of George II's head gardener and Abraham Newland, cashier of the Bank of England.  During Henry Harben's ownership 1910-1921) it became a sanctuary for suffragettes.  Visitors included the Pankhursts and Sidney and Beatrice Webb.  Now Buckingham College, Newland Park Campus, it welcomes visitors to the main house with its impressive hall and staircase.

7. Chalfont Park

The house and estate was owned in the 14th century by George de Bulstrode. In the 18th century ownership passed to Charles Churchill, nephew of the famous Duke of Marlborough.  Charles' son married the daughter of Robert Walpole, the first minister of the crown to both George I and George II, whose half brother Horace, the writer, stayed at Chalfont Park and was responsible for the "Strawberry Hill" style of Gothic architecture, popular in the mid 18th century.  The house is now owned by Wilson Bowden with part of the estate now Gerrards Cross Golf Club and Chalfont Park Sports Club.  Footpath 42 runs alongside Chalfont Lake to the weir.

8. Pond Cottages

The pond is no longer there having been filled in.  The curve in the boundary of Parkstone follows the old line of the pond.

9. Austenwood Common

Remains of old enclosure banks can be seen, used for retaining the cattle which grazed it until the 1920's.  Old pits used for gravel and brick clay can still be seen, the largest, off Southside, contains the oldest trees on the Common, estimated to be over 200 years old.  These probably survived because the cattle could not reach them.

10. Potkiln Valley

Footpath 59 affords excellent views as it runs through pleasant meadows.

When using our paths, please observe the Countryside Code - leave only your footprints, take only photographs.