Human settlement in England
Chalfont St Giles
is a village and
civil parish
in southeast
Buckinghamshire
, England. It is in a group of villages called
The Chalfonts
, which also includes
Chalfont St Peter
and
Little Chalfont
.
It lies on the edge of the
Chiltern Hills
, 20.9 miles (33.6 km) west-northwest of
Charing Cross
, central London, and near
Seer Green
,
Jordans
,
Chalfont St Peter
,
Little Chalfont
and
Amersham
.
[2]
The
cockney rhyming slang
term "chalfonts", meaning
haemorrhoids
(piles), is derived from the name of the village.
[3]
The village has a
duck pond
that is fed by the
River Misbourne
. The village sign was designed and painted by Doreen Wilcockson ARCA in 2001.
[
citation needed
]
Chalfont St Giles is famous for the poet
Milton’s
only surviving home.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
In the
Domesday Book
of 1086, Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter were listed as separate Manors with different owners, called 'Celfunte'. They were separate holdings before the
Norman Conquest
.
The
Church of England parish church
of
Saint Giles
is of
Norman architecture
and dates from the 12th century.
[5]
The church features a
lychgate
and wall paintings from the early 14th century.
[6]
During the
English Civil War
, some iron cannonballs were embedded in the stonework around the east window; they were believed to have been fired by
Oliver Cromwell
's troops when camped in the neighbouring field after the
Battle of Aylesbury
.
[7]
Three of these balls are now on display in John Milton's Cottage in the village. Bishop
Francis Hare
is buried in his family mausoleum in the churchyard.
During the
Great Plague of London
in 1665,
John Milton
retired to Chalfont St Giles where he completed his epic poem
Paradise Lost
.
[8]
Milton's Cottage
still stands in the village, and is open to the public. The inspiration for
Paradise Regained
is said to have been found in this parish from a conversation with a former pupil,
Thomas Ellwood
. In 1887, after an attempt was made to relocate the house to America and rebuild it there, a movement was begun locally to purchase the house by local public subscription.
Queen Victoria
headed the list with a gift of £20,
[9]
a considerable amount at the time ? approximately £2,360 as of 2016.
Like most other rural parishes, it managed its civil affairs through the
vestry
until the
Local Government Act 1894
required all parishes of over 300 people to have a
Parish council
independent of the Church.
The village was the birthplace of cricketer
J. T. Hearne
, one of the greatest
bowlers
of the 1890s and 1900s, who died there in 1944, and of the actress
Alexandra Gilbreath
.
Notable residents of the village have included
Ozzy Osbourne
,
[10]
Harry Golombek
,
Brian Connolly
,
Brian Cant
,
Chicane
,
[11]
Armando Iannucci
,
Noel Gallagher
,
[12]
and
Nick Clegg
who became the
Liberal Democrats
party leader in 2007
[13]
and
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
from 2010 to 2015.
The village has given its name to
Chalfont
,
Pennsylvania
, which is a borough in
Bucks County
, Pennsylvania.
The
Chiltern Open Air Museum
, located immediately outside the parish boundary, rescues and re-erects historic buildings which face demolition, from medieval to modern. Its collection includes a cottage from around 1600, and a variety of 19th century buildings, within 45 acres of parkland.
[14]
The
Buckinghamshire Building Society
was founded in 1907 as the
Chalfont & District Permanent Building Society, and it continues to have its headquarters and sole branch in the village.
[15]
Future
[
edit
]
High Speed 2
will pass underneath the village in the
Chiltern tunnel
. A ventilation shaft will be constructed near the village, disguised as a barn.
[16]
Amenities
[
edit
]
The village is the closest to
Hodgemoor Wood
, a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
[17]
The village is
twinned
with
Graft-De Rijp
, Netherlands.
Education
[
edit
]
Chalfont St Giles Village School educates children between the ages of 3 to 7 (at an infant school and nursery) and 7 to 11 (at the junior school).
[18]
[19]
Sport
[
edit
]
The local football club is
Chalfont Wasps
, which was promoted to the
Hellenic Football League
Premier Division for the 2008?09 season. They play their home games at 'The Nest'. Chalfont St Giles has a tennis club, affiliated to the
Lawn Tennis Association
.
[20]
The village is home to Oakland Park Golf Club, and nearby to
Harewood Downs Golf Club
.
The local cricket club is Chalfont St Giles CC, which plays in the
Thames Valley Cricket League
[21]
and Morrant Chiltern League.
[22]
They play their home games at Bowstridge Lane in the heart of the village.
Film and television
[
edit
]
Chalfont St Giles has been the location of several film and television programmes. It doubled as
Walmington-on-Sea
in the
1971 film version
of
Dad's Army
.
John Laurie
, one of the main actors, lived in Chalfont St Peter.
The Miller's Tale
episode of the
BBC Television
drama
The Canterbury Tales
was filmed in and around Chalfont St Giles
[23]
as was an episode of the BBC Television sitcom
As Time Goes By
. It was the location for the filming of
Episode 6 of Series 3
of
Peep Show
.
[24]
A series 2 episode of the Channel 5 series No Place Like Home was predominantly filmed in Chalfont St Giles, with Fern Britton, a former resident, touring viewers around the village.
[25]
The village hosted a 2015 episode of
Storage Hunters UK
.
[26]
The village is also mentioned in the series 3 episode of
Jeeves and Wooster
entitled "Bertie Sets Sail", when Bertie Wooster likens Lord Wilmot Pershaw's demeanour to "a wet weekend in Chalfont St. Giles". Other films and TV shows filmed in Chalfont St Giles include
Hammer House of Horror
,
[27]
The Sweeney
,
[28]
and
The Big Job
(1965),
[29]
starring
Sid James
and
Dick Emery
. The village is ideal for film production due to its close proximity to
Pinewood Studios
in Iver Heath, and London.
The Chalfont St Giles Community Library has featured twice on BBC's
The One Show
; first in 2010
[30]
and for a second time in 2012.
[31]
The segments highlighted the importance of the library to the community and how volunteers have helped keep it operational.
Events
[
edit
]
Chalfont St Giles Village Show
[
edit
]
The Chalfont St Giles Village Show is an annual event that normally occurs on the first Saturday of September. The show hosts entertainment attractions, stalls from local people and businesses, and a horticultural and arts-and-craft competition for local residents to enter
[32]
(with a maximum prize of £3).
Other Events
[
edit
]
Chalfont St Giles has hosted numerous Beer Festivals that take place on the village green, with the most notable being in 2014 when DJ
Brandon Block
hosted a set.
[33]
In May 2023, Chalfont St Giles hosted a street party to celebrate the
Coronation of King Charles III
. The event hosted thousands of people, with live music, barbeques, pop-up bars, rides, and face painting.
[34]
The event was attended by
Princess Beatrice
and
Princess Eugenie
.
[35]
Hamlets
[
edit
]
Hamlets
in Chalfont St Giles parish include:
- Bottrells Close
, located along Bottrells Lane to the west of the village. Bottrells Close Cottage is the location of the ancient hamlet.
- Chalfont Grove
, located to the south of the village along Narcot Lane. It is the location of the
British Forces Broadcasting Service
.
- Jordans
, located south west of the main village, near
Seer Green
.
- Stratton Chase
, located to the north of Mill Lane.
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Chicane
(Nick Bracegirdle, born 1971), influential musician and producer
- Joe Blochel
(born 1962), retired professional footballer
- Fern Britton
(born 1967), TV presenter and author
[36]
- Brian Cant
(1933?2017), children's television presenter and actor
- Brian Connolly
(1945?1997), lead singer of the glam rock band
Sweet
- Nick Clegg
(born 1967), media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister
- Noel Gallagher
(born 1967), musician, songwriter, and former lead guitarist of the rock band
Oasis
- Harry Golombek
(1911-1995), chess Grandmaster, author, and chess correspondent
- Armando Iannucci
(born 1963), acclaimed Scottish satirist, writer, and director
- John Milton
(1608?1674), renowned poet and intellectual, known for his epic poem “
Paradise Lost
,”
- Ozzy Osbourne
(born 1948), heavy metal vocalist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer
- Gavin Sherlock
(born 1969), professor of Genetics at Stanford University
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Neighbourhood Statistics.
"Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 Census"
. Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from
the original
on 27 May 2013
. Retrieved
1 February
2013
.
- ^
"Villages and towns - Chiltern District Council"
. Archived from
the original
on 12 February 2016
. Retrieved
13 October
2013
.
- ^
"Chalfonts"
.
Oxford University Press
. Retrieved
4 August
2021
.
- ^
"
'England hath need of thee': appeal to save Milton's Paradise Lost cottage | John Milton | The Guardian"
.
amp.theguardian.com
. Retrieved
10 April
2024
.
- ^
"
'Parishes: Chalfont St. Giles', A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3 (1925), pp. 184?193"
.
British History Online
. Retrieved
15 June
2009
.
- ^
www.parishcouncil.net, Parish Websites Ltd.
"History of the Parish | Chalfont St Giles Parish Council in Buckinghamshire"
.
www.chalfontstgiles-pc.gov.uk
. Retrieved
14 May
2016
.
- ^
www.parishcouncil.net, Parish Websites Ltd.
"History of the Parish | Chalfont St Giles Parish Council in Buckinghamshire"
.
www.chalfontstgiles-pc.gov.uk
. Retrieved
14 May
2016
.
- ^
"A piece of Paradise in Bucks!"
. BBC
. Retrieved
15 June
2009
.
- ^
www.parishcouncil.net, Parish Websites Ltd.
"History of the Parish | Chalfont St Giles Parish Council in Buckinghamshire"
.
www.chalfontstgiles-pc.gov.uk
. Retrieved
14 May
2016
.
- ^
"Ozzy Osbourne Buckinghamshire estate conversion foiled by bats"
.
BBC News
. Retrieved
8 May
2016
.
- ^
"Chicane on switching to software and the state of trance"
.
MusicRadar
. Future plc. 21 July 2014
. Retrieved
20 July
2020
.
- ^
"Buckinghamshire Examiner article regarding Noel Gallagher"
. Buckinghamshireexaminer.co.uk. 26 February 2010. Archived from
the original
on 27 February 2012
. Retrieved
7 May
2012
.
- ^
Family detective: Nick Clegg
The Daily Telegraph
(London) 22 December 2007
- ^
www.parishcouncil.net, Parish Websites Ltd.
"History of the Parish | Chalfont St Giles Parish Council in Buckinghamshire"
.
www.chalfontstgiles-pc.gov.uk
. Retrieved
14 May
2016
.
- ^
Buckinghamshire Building Society
About us
- ^
"HS2 reveals Chilterns 'barn design' vent shaft for Chalfont St Giles"
.
HS2 News and Information
. Retrieved
6 February
2021
.
- ^
Marcus Bicknell.
"Hodgemoor Wood"
. Hodgemoor.org.uk
. Retrieved
7 May
2012
.
- ^
"Chalfont St Giles Junior School"
.
services.buckscc.gov.uk
. Retrieved
2 January
2024
.
- ^
"Chalfont St Giles Infant School and Nursery - GOV.UK"
.
Get Information About Schools
. UK Government
. Retrieved
2 January
2024
.
- ^
"Chalfont St Giles Tennis Club"
. Csgtennisclub.tk
. Retrieved
7 May
2012
.
- ^
"Chalfont St Giles Cricket Club"
.
Thames Valley Cricket League
. Retrieved
5 June
2019
.
- ^
"Chalfont St Giles Cricket Club"
.
Morrant Cricket Club
. Retrieved
5 June
2019
.
- ^
IMDB listing
- ^
IMDB listing
- ^
Corbin, Tianna (1 April 2024).
"Fern Britton father: Tony Britton relationship - No Place Like Home"
. Express.co.uk
. Retrieved
10 April
2024
.
- ^
"Storage Hunters, Buckinghamshire"
. Dave. 16 December 2015
. Retrieved
10 April
2024
.
- ^
"Films shot in Chalfont St Giles"
.
www.chalfontstgiles.org.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 1 June 2014
. Retrieved
8 May
2016
.
- ^
"Films shot in Chalfont St Giles"
.
www.chalfontstgiles.org.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 1 June 2014
. Retrieved
8 May
2016
.
- ^
"Films shot in Chalfont St Giles"
.
www.chalfontstgiles.org.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 1 June 2014
. Retrieved
8 May
2016
.
- ^
ChalfontStGilesBucks (2 June 2010).
"Chalfont St Giles Community Library"
.
YouTube
. BBC's The One Show, originally aired on 24/05/2010
. Retrieved
10 April
2024
.
- ^
ChalfontStGilesBucks (25 September 2012).
"Chalfont St Giles Community Library 2"
.
YouTube
. BBC's The One Show, originally aired on 22/05/2012
. Retrieved
10 April
2024
.
- ^
The Chalfont St. Giles Show.
"Constitution November 2022"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 24 March 2023
. Retrieved
3 April
2024
.
- ^
BAT4CSG (12 July 2014).
"The final #music lineup for the #csgbeerfest on Sunday!"
.
??
. Retrieved
3 April
2024
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Chalfont St Giles Parish Council (May 2023).
"Biggest Street Party Ever"
.
Chalfont St Giles Parish Council
. Archived from
the original
on 29 May 2023
. Retrieved
3 April
2024
.
- ^
Rachel Russell (7 May 2023).
"Street parties, big lunch and Coronation concert to take place on Sunday"
.
BBC News
. BBC
. Retrieved
3 April
2024
.
- ^
BBC Countryfile (6 June 2018).
"My Countryside interview: Fern Britton"
.
Countryfile.com
. Retrieved
10 April
2024
.
External links
[
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]
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