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Buckingham b&b, guesthouse and hotel accommodation

Visit Buckingham and the surrounding villages and stay in bed & breakfast accommodation:

Buckingham, Buckinghamshire. In the north of the county, reached through unspoilt countryside, is this town with its many historical associations. Situated on a hill-top and once the county town, made so by King Alfred in 886, it is now a place of great antiquity and is delightful to wander through with its steep narrow streets.

A typical market town, its main street is lined with old buildings which, although mostly converted into shops, have not been changed in structure from the times in which they were built.

In former days Buckingham was an important area for wool but because of its inaccessibility this industry declined and was lost. Perhaps because of its lack of any main industry, the town retains much of its original character.

Catherine of Aragon rested in Buckingham in 1513 and Charles I held a council of war in the old banqueting rooms of Castle House, still in existence, the fireplace and carved mantelpiece bearing the date of 1619.

The red-brick Georgian Town Hall holds much of historical interest, its clock-tower surmounted by the gilded swan of Buckingham. In the plain 14^th century Manor House Queen Elizabeth I dined in 1578; its fascinating twisted chimney is Tudor. The Old Gaol in the centre of the Market Square is l8th century and was built on the assumption that the assizes would again be held there. The Old Latin School, of l6th century origin and a National Trust property, is built on the site of a 13th century chantry chapel and has a carved Norman doorway. Edward VI and Dame Isabel Denton gave monies to support the school.

The town has many old almshouses and inns, two of the most notable being the Swan and Castle Inn and the White Hart Hotel, the latter built in the 18^th century after an earlier inn on the same site had been destroyed in a disastrous fire which swept the town in 1725. The portico and sign were added in Victorian times.

The Parish Church of Saint Peter and Paul, twice rebuilt in 1777 and 1862, and prominent on a hill-top, is believed to be on the site of an Anglo-Saxon fortification. The chancel is Victorian but the carved bench-ends, with shields and quarterings, bear the date 1619. A great shield, carved with a swan, rests over the west door. The Buckingham Needle and Thread Society have donated many things which give the church its lovely interior. In 1890 its east window, representing the Te Deum, was given by the Society, as well as the delightful altar cloth and the reredos depicting the Nativity. Presented in 1471 by John Rudying, a Latin manuscript Bible is preserved under glass now as it was once stolen and only recovered in the 18^th century.

Nearby towns: Aylesbury, Bicester, Brackley, Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Towcester.

Nearby villages: Biddleden, Deanshanger, Gawcott, Maids Moreton, Padbury, Silverstone, Stowe, Syresham, Stony Stratford, Tingewick, Winslow

Have you decided to visit Buckingham or the surrounding villages? Please look above for somewhere to stay in:

• a Buckingham bed and breakfast (a Buckingham B&B or Buckingham b and b)
• a Buckingham guesthouse
• a Buckingham hotel (or motel)
• a Buckingham self-catering establishment, or
• other Buckingham accommodation