Buckingham facts for kids

For other uses, see Buckingham (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Buckingham
Buckingham Town Hall
Buckingham
Population	12,890 {2011 Census}
OS grid reference	SP695335
• London	55 miles (89 km) SE
Civil parish	Buckingham
Unitary authority	Buckinghamshire Council
Shire county	Buckinghamshire
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BUCKINGHAM
Postcode district	MK18
Dialling code	01280
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Buckingham and Bletchley
Website	Buckingham Town Council
List of places UK England 51°59′42″N 0°59′10″W / 51.995°N 0.986°W / 51.995; -0.986

Buckingham is a busy market town in north Buckinghamshire, England. It's close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. In 2011, about 12,890 people lived here. The town is about 12 miles (19 km) west of Central Milton Keynes and 24 miles (39 km) north-east of Oxford.

Buckingham was once the main town, or county town, of Buckinghamshire. This was from the 10th century until the 18th century, when Aylesbury took over.

Today, Buckingham has many restaurants and pubs, like most market towns. You'll find both big national shops and smaller local ones. Market days are Tuesday and Saturday. On these days, the market takes over Market Hill and the High Street. Buckingham is also twinned with two towns: Neukirchen-Vluyn in Germany and Mouvaux in France.

What is Buckingham's History?

Buckingham and the areas around it have been lived in for a very long time. People have found signs of Roman settlements near the River Great Ouse. One example is a temple found south of the A421 road, which was built around 300 AD.

In the 7th century, Buckingham got its name. It means "hemmed in land of Bucca's people," named after a leader of the first Anglo Saxon settlers called Bucca. The first settlement was built around a bend in the River Great Ouse.

The Old County Gaol in Buckingham, built in 1748. It is now the Buckingham Old Gaol Museum.

Between the 7th and 11th centuries, Buckingham was often fought over. It changed hands many times between the Saxons and the Danes (Vikings). In 914, King Edward the Elder and his Saxon army stayed in Buckingham for four weeks. This made the local Danish Viking leaders give up. After this, a fort was built where the Buckingham parish church is today.

Buckingham is mentioned in the Domesday Book from 1086. This important book listed all the towns and villages in England. It said Buckingham had 26 burgesses (important citizens), 11 smallholders, and 1 mill.

The town received its special charter in 1554 from Queen Mary. This made Buckingham a "free Borough" with its own rules and leaders.

A big fire swept through the town centre on March 15, 1725. Many main streets were destroyed, including Castle Street and Market Hill. About 138 homes were burned down. Because of this fire, many of the beautiful Georgian buildings you see today were built afterwards. It took a long time for the town to recover. Many buildings are now "listed," meaning they are protected because of their history.

The town got a railway connection in 1850. This helped Buckingham grow and connect with other places. In 1971, the local councils started a big project to make the town bigger and build a bypass road. This caused the population to grow from about 5,000 to over 9,000 by 1991.

Who was Saint Rumbold?

Buckingham is said to be the final resting place of Saint Rumbold. He was a little-known Saxon saint. He was the grandson of Penda, King of Mercia. Saint Rumbold was supposedly born in King's Sutton and died just three days later. During his very short life, he kept saying he believed in Christianity and asked to be baptized.

What is Buckingham's Geography?

The town is built around its old market place. Many of its buildings are from the 18th century. Three main roads cross Buckingham: the A413, the A421 (the southern bypass), and the A422.

Capability Brown's famous garden design at Stowe is a major attraction. It's managed by the National Trust.

There's an old medieval well called St Rumbold's Well. It's on the south side of an old railway line. The well is often dry now.

Some areas that are part of Buckingham include Mount Pleasant, Page Hill, Bourton, and Lace Hill. Maids Moreton, a village nearby, has now grown to join the town. Other nearby towns include Winslow, Bicester, and Milton Keynes.

What is Bourton?

Bourton was once a small village, or hamlet, near Buckingham. Its name comes from Old English and means 'fortified enclosure'. Now, it's a part of Buckingham. You can still see a road and an old mill named Bourton.

Bourton was once home to a large house belonging to the Minshull family. During the English Civil War, Parliamentarian soldiers took things from the house. The house is no longer there.

How many people live in Buckingham?

In 2011, the population of Buckingham, including Maids Moreton, was 12,890. The town has continued to grow since then. The Town Council estimated the population to be around 15,700 in October 2019.

What about Education in Buckingham?

Buckingham is home to the University of Buckingham. This is the oldest private university in the UK. Many of its students come from other countries.

For younger students, Buckingham has state secondary schools. These include the Royal Latin School (a Grammar School) and the Buckingham School (a secondary modern). There are also private schools nearby, like Stowe School and Akeley Wood School.

The town has four primary schools for younger children. These are Buckingham Primary School, Bourton Meadow Academy, George Grenville Academy, and Lace Hill Academy.

What Industry and Business are in Buckingham?

Buckingham has several industrial estates and technology parks. These are home to companies working in areas like medicine, electronics, food, and special materials. Some well-known companies here include Racelogic and Wipac.

Buckingham was also where the Thomas Rickett steam car was made in 1860. It was a very new idea for its time, but only two were ever built.

Most of the shops are in the town centre. You'll find many independent shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as bigger national chains. The "Hidden Quarter" has many unique independent shops selling handmade items and toys.

What are Buckingham's Town Markets like?

Buckingham's historic street market has been running for over 600 years! It started with special permissions from Queen Mary in 1554 and King Charles II in 1664.

Markets are held every Tuesday and Saturday. Traders sell all sorts of things, like fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, household goods, tools, flowers, and clothes. There's also a flea market every Saturday. This market is held where the town's old cattle pens used to be. You can find antiques, collectibles, and jewellery there.

How is Buckingham Governed?

Buckingham Centre, Verney Close: Offices of Buckingham Town Council, area office of Buckinghamshire Council, and town's library.

Buckingham has two levels of local government. There's the Buckingham Town Council, which looks after local town matters. Then there's the Buckinghamshire Council, which handles bigger county-wide services. The Town Council has its offices at the Buckingham Centre.

Buckingham Town Hall

Buckingham used to be an old "borough" and became a "municipal borough" in 1836. The Buckingham Borough Council used to be based at Buckingham Town Hall. In 1974, the borough was changed, and the Buckingham Town Council was created to take its place.

How do people get around Buckingham?

Roads

Buckingham is located where the A413, A421, and A422 roads meet. A new section of the A421 was built in the early 1980s to help traffic go around the town.

Buses

You can travel from Buckingham to Milton Keynes, Winslow, and Aylesbury by bus. The X60 bus runs regularly. There's also a longer-distance coach service, the X5, which connects Buckingham to both Bedford (via Milton Keynes) and Oxford (via Bicester).

Canals

Buckingham used to have a canal that connected it to the Grand Junction Canal. This was from 1801 until the late 1800s. A small part of the canal has now been restored.

Trains

Buckingham had a train station that opened in 1850 but closed in 1964. The closest train stations now are Wolverton and Milton Keynes Central to the east, and Bicester North and Bicester Village to the south west. A new train line, the East West rail link, will have a stop at nearby Winslow by the end of 2025.

What is there to do in Buckingham?

Buckingham Town Cricket Club's ground

Sports

Buckingham has two local football teams: Buckingham Athletic F.C. and Buckingham United F.C. There's also a rugby union club, Buckingham RUFC, which has teams for women and young women. Moretonville Junior Football Club has teams for boys and girls from ages 7 to 16.

The town also has the Buckingham Town Cricket Club and the Buckingham Hockey Club. Since 2014, Buckingham has hosted a weekly 5 km (3 mi) Parkrun, which is a free, timed run.

Buckingham has public sports facilities like the Swan Leisure Centre. It has an indoor swimming pool, a climbing wall, and sports pitches. There are also bowls pitches and tennis courts.

What about Culture in Buckingham?

Buckingham Old Gaol is the town's museum. It opened in 1993 in the historic Old Gaol building. It also has changing exhibitions and the Tourist Information Centre.

The town used to have a cinema called the Chandos Cinema, which closed in 1987. But in 2005, a community cinema called the Film Place opened at the university. Live music events are often held at the Radcliffe Centre.

There's a library in the town centre, run by Buckinghamshire County Council.

Buckingham has many clubs and groups, including the Buckingham Society and a large U3A (University of the Third Age) for older adults. There are also many music, photography, and arts clubs.

The town holds an annual Charter Fair in October. It used to be called the Statute Fair in the 19th century. Sometimes, they would even roast an ox, sheep, and pig in public!

Tourism

Chantry Chapel, owned by the National Trust.

Some of the town's attractions for visitors include the Chantry Chapel, the Buckingham Old Gaol museum, and the beautiful St. Peter & St. Paul Church. The town also has many pretty Georgian streets. Nearby, you can visit Stowe School, Stowe Landscape Gardens, and Silverstone Circuit.

Buckingham has several hotels, including the Villiers Hotel and White Hart in the town centre.

Healthcare

Buckingham has one GP (doctor's) surgery called The Swan Practice. It also has a community hospital. The nearest major hospital with an accident & emergency department is in Milton Keynes.

Media

The town has a weekly newspaper called the Buckingham & Winslow Advertiser.

Local radio stations include BBC Three Counties Radio, Heart Four Counties (now Heart East), and Mix 96. There's also 3Bs Radio, a community station that broadcasts to Buckingham, Bicester, and Brackley.

Where can you worship in Buckingham?

St Bernardine's Catholic Church, Buckingham
Buckingham Evangelical Church
St Peter and St Paul, Buckingham (Church of England)
The Salvation Army
Well Street United Church, Buckingham (Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Church)

Who are some famous people from Buckingham?

George Baldock (footballer)
Sam Baldock (footballer)
John Bercow (former Speaker of the House of Commons)
Bernie Marsden (guitarist from the rock band Whitesnake)
Craig Pickering (athlete)
George Gilbert Scott (famous architect)

What are Buckingham's Twin Towns?

Buckingham has been twinned with Joinville, in France, since 1963.

In 2002, Buckingham also became twinned with the French town of Mouvaux.

In 2020, Buckingham officially became twinned with the German town of Neukirchen-Vluyn. This means Buckingham, Mouvaux, and Neukirchen-Vluyn are now all officially twinned together.