URPoint Details
Built on a hill in the heart of the county at the junction of six main roads, this ancient town gives its name to the broad vale which it overlooks, stretching from the borders of Bedfordshire to those of Oxfordshire.
In the cobbled Market Square stands a Victorian clock tower and three monuments to John Hampden, Disraeli and Lord Chesham. John Hampden was a parliamentarian and noted for his stand against Charles I in 1635.
There are several ancient inns including the 14th century King’s Head was once a monastery guesthouse, it is entered through a medieval gateway to a cobbled courtyard.
Other notable buildings include the red-brick County Hall built about 1720 and in Church Street are the Grammar School from 1720, and some 17th and 18th century buildings.
- Type:
- Landmark