Chesham - town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England

Chesham is a town in Buckinghamshire, England, 25 miles north-west of London.

Understand

St Mary's Church Chesham is a market town set at the convergence of several valleys in the Chiltern Hills. The nearest towns are Amersham and Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire. The River Chess rises just to the north of the town. Its history can be summed up by the phrase "the four Bs of Chesham: boots, beer, brushes and Baptists" which relates to the growing prosperity of the town in the 18th century and being a focus for religious dissent and nonconformity. The population has doubled to around 20,000 since the Second World War. Politically, control of the town has swung between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.

Get in

By car

The A416 runs through the town connecting Amersham and Berkhamsted.

The A41 can be reached at Berkhamsted, which can be used to used to access London and Aylesbury. The M1 and M40 motorways are also within easy reach of Chesham.

By train

Chesham is not served directly by the National Rail network, the nearest connections being Amersham (for services to Aylesbury), and Berkhamsted (for Birmingham). Passengers on the Chiltern Line (London Marylebone to Aylesbury) can change at Chalfont & Latimer for the Metropolitan line service to Chesham (see below).

By tube

  • Chesham Underground Station, Station Approach, HP5 1DH, 51.7052°, -0.6113°. Chesham is a terminus for the Metropolitan line, indeed it is the furthest extent of the Underground from central London, being from Charing Cross. Trains arrive from Baker Street every 15 minutes during peak periods and 30 minutes off-peak. Train times for stations to London are available from Transport for London 2017-11-09

By bus

Bus services connect the town with Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Hemel Hempstead, Heathrow Airport and Watford.

By plane

Heathrow (IATA: LHR) and Luton (IATA: LTN) are the nearest airports.

By bicycle

Get around

Chesham, Clock Tower

By local bus

Arriva, Carousel Buses, Woottens and Redline provide local and connecting bus services. Timetables available via Carlberry.co.uk (dead link: January 2023)

By taxis

See

  • St Mary's Church, Church St, Chesham HP5 1HY , 51.70428°, -0.61699°, +44 1494 783629, rector@cheshamchurch.co.uk. The parish church for the town of Chesham, it has been on this site since at least 1153. 2017-11-08

  • The Elgiva, St Mary's Way, Chesham HP5 1HR , 51.70803°, -0.61238°, +44 1494 582900, boxoffice@elgiva.com. Open daily subject to current programme of events. The Elgiva is a 300-seat theatre, with digital cinema facilities. It is owned and managed by Chesham Town Council. The Elgiva put on professional and amateur productions, comedy acts, musicals, ballet, dance, one-night shows, a pantomime, exhibitions, weddings and other public and private events. 2017-11-08

  • Lowndes Park, 51.7067°, -0.6157°. A major historic feature of Chesham donated to the town in 1953 by the Lowndes family. It has 36 acres comprising parkland and recreational facilities including children's play areas, a multi-sports court, a skateboard park, the historic avenue (also a cycle route), public toilets and Skottowes pond. A series of free, open air concerts is staged in the bandstand area during July and August each year. The upper park provides views across the town, places to walk and habitats for local wildlife and a barrow an Ancient Scheduled Monument. Managed by Chiltern Town Council, it is looked after by the Friends of Loundes Park.

Do

Buy

The main retail areas is the pedestrianised High Street, The Broadway and Market Square, all close to the Underground Station. Other shops can be found along the Berkhamsted Road.

Chesham is a traditional Chilterns Market Town, with a market charter granted in 1257 by Henry III. There are three regular markets, and occasional continental markets during the year:

Supermarkets

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Go next

Nearby villages : Cholesbury : Hawridge : Chartridge : Bellingdon : Ashley Green

:* Chenies Manor ;;* Chiltern Hills :* Natural History Museum Tring :* Waddesden Manor :* Whipsnade Zoo

Go next :* Amersham :* Aylesbury :* Berkhamsted :* Tring :* Watford

Chesham

chesham.gov.uk
Postal code:HP5Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:Europe/LondonPopulation:21,483Coordinates:51.70, -0.60

Buckinghamshire

2nd-order administrative division

England

Primary administrative division

United Kingdom

gov.uk
Population:66.5 MDial code:+44Currency:Pound (GBP)Voltage:230 V, 50 Hz