Great Missenden
| Great Missenden | |
|---|---|
 Great Missenden
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| Great Missenden shown within Buckinghamshire | |
| Population | 10,138 (Census 2011.Civil Parish) |
| OS grid reference | SP8901 |
| • London | 38 miles (61 km) |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Great Missenden |
| Postcode district | HP16 |
| Dialling code | 01494 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Great Missenden Parish Council |
Great Missenden is an affluent village of some 2,000 residents in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover, with direct rail connections to London Marylebone. It closely adjoins the villages of Little Kingshill, Little Missenden and the larger village Prestwood. The narrow and historic High Street is bypassed by the main A413 London to Aylesbury Road. It is located in the heart of The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The source of the Misbourne is to be found just north of the village, although the upper reach of the river runs only in winter and the perennial head is in Little Missenden. The village is now best known as home to the late Roald Dahl, the internationally famous children's author.
In recent years the village has featured heavily in "Best Places to Live" lists. The Guardian, for example, featured an article referring to how the village has been "prime stockbroker belt for over a century" and remarked favourably on its "ancient churches, beech woods, deep valleys, rolling Chiltern Hills, higgledy-piggledy streets. That's why Dahl chose to live here." The paper also mentions its "grand piles tucked away in the folds of the Chilterns, all paddocks, ponies and leafy lanes, such as Dahl's, Martinsend Lane, or Nags Head Lane." The Telegraph, meanwhile, lists Great Missenden in its "List of Britain's richest villages."The Telegraph also ranked the village #4 in its "Best Places to Raise a Family in the UK" 2015 survey, dubbing it a "gem of a town."
Great Missenden lay on a major route between the Midlands and London. Several coaching inns, particularly the Red Lion (now an estate agency) and The George (which still exists), provided rest and refreshment for travellers and their horses. The first railway line in the area was, however, routed alongside the Grand Union Canal to the east. Once the coaches stopped running Great Missenden declined in importance and prosperity, becoming an agricultural village. Following the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway, (later the London Underground's Metropolitan line) in 1892, Great Missenden became a commuter village for London with writers, entertainers and even Prime Ministers among the passengers. Great Missenden railway station is now on the Chiltern Railways line and offers fast services running into London Marylebone.
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Wikipedia