In 1879 Burnham Beeches came on the market, advertised as land suitable for building 'superior residences'. A prominent naturalist, Francis George Heath, tried to enlist support for saving the area with its magnificent trees and persuaded the Corporation
THE Ridgeway is one of the oldest 'roads' in Europe, dating from at least the Bronze Age 4,000 years ago. The original road ran 250 miles from near Lyme Regis to the Wash. Today The Ridgeway National Trail is an 85-mile route from Overton Hill
The Hell Fire caves at West Wycombe were excavated by Sir Francis Dashwood in 1750's at the site of an ancient quarry. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s the caves, which are a quarter of a mile long, were a favourite party spot for some of Britain's most
IMAGINE being invited to Waddesdon Manor when Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild held one of his celebrated weekend houseparties in the 1890s. Your horse-drawn carriage would sweep you through the grand entrance gates in the village of Waddesdon near Aylesbury
Prime minister Benjamin Disraeli lived at Hughenden Manor from 1848 until his death in 1881. Most of his furniture, books and pictures remain in this, his private retreat from the rigours of parliamentary life in London. There are beautiful walks
Built in 1460 by Sir John Cheyne and added to in 1526 by Sir John Russell (Earl of Bedford), the Manor is now the Macleod Matthews family home. Past visitors include Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. There's a medieval well, dungeon and priest hole. Its
MY nine-year-old niece turned to me with her eyes shining, as the curtain closed on Dick Whittington, and gushed: "That was really good." Her unprompted response is probably the best way to sum up Wycombe Swan's panto which clearly delighted most of
THE pantomime season is with us again and up and down the country drama groups are presenting the usual stories, so well known that it must be difficult to come up with something different. Thame Players stuck to the age old tradition and staged Babes
THE Elgiva's panto opens with a bang literally as the evil Abanaza makes a pyrotechnic entrance to set the scene for the age-old battle between the baddie and the goodie as they fight for the beautiful. All the traditional elements were here, just
"Christmas is a comin'" and the Wooburn Singers kicked off the season in an appropriate manner - with Benjamin Britten's exquisite A Ceremony of Carols. This work is a series of brilliantly crafted miniatures to words from the 15th and 16th centuries
STUCK for ideas on what to do for the last day of the year? Many of the pubs locally will be hosting their own special parties to see in the new year. For further information, as we get it, just check the gig listings on the Bucks Free Press website
Shoppers will now be on the hunt for Christmas trees and despite the increasing number of artificial ones on offer, the trend towards real trees continues to grow. Up to eight million real Christmas trees are sold in this country every year, which means
Children's author Steve Cole has lived in Bucks for the past three and a half years. He moved from London to Haddenham, to raise his two young children, but it has made writing a lot easier too. He says: "As a children's writer it is very helpful to
Gerry Hanson has been living in Iver Heath for nearly 40 years, but he grew up in Bromley, Kent. It was, as he says, "Bomb Alley" during the war, as it was only a few miles from Biggin Hill. He remembers the night during the Blitz when 11 churches were
Cliveden was built for the Duke of Sutherland in 1851 and designed by Charles barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament. This spectacular estate is set high on cliffs overlooking the River Thames. It was the family home of the Astors and a meeting
Glyn Ridgley was inspired to write a novel of his time spent living in a squat in London. He talks to Jeremy Campbell. It is an experience shared by many writers, indeed many artists, but few manage to overcome the adversities and vaguaries of a life
Gerry Knowlden is landlord at the Cherry Tree in Flackwell Heath. You have been here two years. What have you changed about the pub? We had a total refit, with new oak wooden floors, dark beams, and we have brightened the place up a bit. There are
Luisa Granata explains Italians' love of a simple Christmas yeast cake to Sandra Carter. ITALIAN mums spend as much time as we do on the Christmas lunch until it comes to dessert. No steaming pud, brandy butter or mince pies to plan far ahead and
My grandmother just used a pot of Pond's Cold Cream to keep her skin smooth, but these days looking after your skin is far more scientific and I don't mean going under the knife. Now a totally new idea to keep the skin wrinkle free has come on the market
Whether among work colleagues, relatives or friends, be the belle of the ball this Christmas says Francine Miller. With only a week to go until Christmas, many of us will be counting down the days until the partying officially begins, but finding the
Lesley Nicol counts herself lucky to have had such a varied career, which has taken her from a role alongside Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder the Second, to starring in the Tetley Tea TV commercials as Auntea. She says: "I was in Mamma Mia for two years
She is best known for playing Marlene Only Fools and Horses, and the recent spin-off, The Green Green Grass, but Sue Holderness has more strings to her bow. She says dancing with Wayne Sleep in Sleeping Beauty is one of the best things she has done.
The Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum in Tring is one of the first venues outside of London to host the exhibition of The Wildlife Photographer of the Year, organised by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine. This year the competition
Chesham United and Chalfont St Peter boss Steve Emmanuel has been appointed as one of the coaches at David Beckham's new soccer academy in Greenwich. Beckham launched the plush new soccer school in a blaze of media flashlights last month and Emmanuel
WASPS served up a Christmas treat with a six-try demolition of Llanelli on Sunday. After being prize turkeys last week, the real Wasps stood up to be counted and it was Llanelli who were on the end of a stuffing. Tom Voyce led the way with three tries
IT will be an anxious Christmas at The Meadow after Chesham United lost their third game in a week on Saturday. The Generals lost 2-0 at home to Gloucester City, a side level on points with them at kick-off, and as a result slip to within one place and
The Blues were condemmed to a second defeat in a row last night when Walsall kicked the table toppers out of the LDV Vans Trophy. Charlie Griffin racked up two goals but it wasn't enough to stop Walsall who equalled the tally. It looked likely that
WYCOMBE Wanderers' proud 21-match unbeaten run came to a dramatic end as Bury snatched two goals in the last three minutes to KO the longest unbeaten record in the country. John Gorman's previously impregnable league leaders looked set to make it 22
PERFUME containing urine or pond water are just some of the horrors highlighted by Wycombe counterfeit detectives in the run up to Christmas. Criminals are busily cashing in on the festive season with thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit goods being
A PUPIL from Claytons School in Bourne End has seen her name up in lights after winning a school competition to design a Christmas light for The Parade. Eleven-year-old Elizabeth Bradshaw, of Fieldhead Gardens, Bourne End, said she was delighted she
WEST Wycombe caves have been slammed as "cheap, vulgar and in bad-taste" by a visitor who thinks the town is being cheated out of its own heritage. William Tregonwell, a 50-year-old hotelier, was visiting from Barnstaple, north Devon, with his wife Josephine
A PLAN that would have seen 500 houses built on Wycombe Marsh has been thrown out. Wycombe District Council rejected an application to build on the 12 acre site of the old sewage treatment works in Bassetsbury Lane after members voiced concerns over
The annual Christmas party for puppies in training was held at the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People headquarters in Wycombe Road, Saunderton. Around 60 puppies and their trainers created mayhem on Friday, December 9, with special guest Mary Rhodes from
WYCOMBE Dial-a-Ride and Wye Valley School are to benefit from more than £115,000, as part of a Christmas package from the Big Lottery Fund. The bus service, which helps elderly and disabled people who can't use public transport, was awarded £92,680 as
CHILTERN Railways is offering free parking at railway stations across the country at weekends except High Wycombe. As part of a promotion to make festive shopping journeys easier, the company is offering train users the opportunity to park at stations
A NATIONWIDE charity based in Chalfont St Peter has announced it needs to slash spending by £1 million a year to keep afloat. The National Society for Epilepsy has also confirmed it will close two of its residential homes on its Chesham Lane site in
GENEROUS Free Press readers have sent in nearly £400 to help people affected by the Pakistan earthquake. The Earthquake Appeal was launched after Wycombe magist-rate Arif Hussain travelled to the disaster-struck country with reporter Benedict Moore-Bridger
A COUPLE found a 1964 edition of the Bucks Free Press under a wardrobe which broke the news of a town centre revamp on its front page. Neil and Sarah Swanston, of Suffield Road, High Wycombe, were redecorating their spare room as a nursery ready for
