Little Chalfont
| Little Chalfont | |
|---|---|
 Nightingales Corner, Little Chalfont | |
  Little Chalfont Location within Buckinghamshire | |
| Population | 6,013 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU995975 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | AMERSHAM |
| Postcode district | HP6 |
| Dialling code | 01494 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
Little Chalfont is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south east Buckinghamshire, England. It is one of a group of villages known collectively as The Chalfonts which also comprises Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter. Little Chalfont is located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Aylesbury and 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.
History
Little Chalfont is a 20th-century creation triggered by the coming of the Metropolitan Railway. A station called Chalfont Road was opened in 1889 at the northernmost point of Chalfont St Giles Parish where the parishes of Amersham, Chenies, and Chalfont St Giles met. At that time, the area was remote from the centres of the villages and towns, and consisted of isolated farms and cottages, and did not have a specific name.
The coming of the railway eventually brought local housing development, and a community developed around the station, which was renamed to Chalfont & Latimer station in 1915, a name which it retains today.
The first appearance of the name Little Chalfont is in the minutes of the Chalfont St Giles Parish Council on 15 January 1925, when, at the request of the inhabitants, it was agreed that the group of houses near the station should be named Little Chalfont instead of "Chalfont Road Village". For many years, Little Chalfont was split mainly in the Amersham Town Council area, and partly in Chalfont St Giles parish. Following a period of campaigning by local residents, the village was awarded separate Parish status in 2007. Most of the new Parish came from Amersham, but a small part (in area, rather larger in population) of Chalfont St Giles was also included.
Transport
Chalfont & Latimer station in Little Chalfont provides rail access to Central London via the Metropolitan line and the London to Aylesbury Line.
There are also many buses to take from various points around the town. These will take you to Amersham, Chesham and many other surrounding towns and villages.
Education
There are four schools in Little Chalfont: three primary schools (Little Chalfont Primary School, Chalfont Valley E-ACT Primary Academy ;(formerly Bell Lane Combined School) and Chenies Shool for kids Dr Challoner's High School - a girls' grammar school.
Little Chalfont Community Library was originally part of the Buckinghamshire County Library Service but is now run as a community library by local volunteers since 2007. It is one of the most successful community libraries in England. [2]
Community
Little Chalfont Farmers Market was launched in September 2009 with the support of the Parish Council and local regeneration groups. The Farmers Market takes place in the Village Hall car park on the second Saturday of each month.
Little Chalfont Nature Park [3] is a 4.6 acre Nature Park with rare MG5 grassland / wildflower meadow and semi-natural woodland. It was purchased for and by the community and opened on 1st June 2016. It is freely open to visitors all year round from dawn until dusk.
Little Chalfont Community Association [4] is active and organises the Annual Village Day.
Landmarks
Beel House is a 10,194 square feet (947.1 m2) Grade II listed 16th-century house on the edge of Little Chalfont.[5] Originally owned by the Duke of Buckingham. It was the home of Mary Pennington whose daughter Gulielma Springett married William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. Later residents include Dirk Bogarde, Ozzy Osbourne Robert Kilroy-Silk.[6]
Religion
Little Chalfont is part of the Church of England parish of Chenies and Little Chalfont. In 1987, it joined with the neighbouring parishes of Latimer and Flaunden to form the Chenies Benefice.[7] The parish church of St George's is on White Lion Road.
St Aidan's Roman Catholic church is on Finch Lane. It was opened in 1964, having been built on land bought from the Beel House estate.[8]
Little Chalfont Methodist Church is on Chalfont Avenue. The original church building was opened in 1959. After the church was damaged by fire in 1993, the current church building was opened in 1996.[9]
Economy
Little Chalfont is home to two industrial laboratories and an office development, part of GE Healthcare, originally the Radiochemical Centre, and then Amersham International.
Notable People
Jack Garratt, Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter
References
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 Census, Accessed 2 February 2013
- ^ Litle Chalfont Library http://www.littlechalfontlibrary.org.uk
- ^ Little Chalfont Nature Park http://naturepark.littlechalfont.org.uk
- ^ Little Chalfont Community Association http://littlechalfont.org.uk
- ^ British Listed Buildings http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-416304-beel-house-little-chalfont
- ^ Amersham / Little Chalfont. Amersham.org.uk. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
- ^ Chenies Benefice Parish Profile http://www.cheniesbenefice.org/home/parish-profile
- ^ St Aidan’s church website http://www.rc.net/northampton/staidan/history.html
- ^ Church website http://littlechalfontmethodistchurch.co.uk/Church_History.php
"A History of Little Chalfont" Ivor White 1993 published by The Little Chalfont Rural Preservation Society (now the Little Chalfont Community Association), Bucks, England.
External links
- Little Chalfont Parish Council website
- Little Chalfont Village website
- Little Chalfont Community Library website
- Little Chalfont Nature Park website
- Pictures of Little Chalfont
- Little Chalfont Farmers Market
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