Buckinghamshire Postcodes — England (ENG)

Buckinghamshire

To the south-east is Greater London, to the south is Berkshire, to the west is Oxfordshire, to the north is Northamptonshire, to the north-east is Bedfordshire, and to the east is Hertfordshire; Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial county in South East England.

Buckinghamshire is located in the region of England known as the Home Counties, which surround London. The east and southeast of the county are home to some of the county's most populous towns—including High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham, and the Chalfonts—and are considered part of the London commuter belt. The Metropolitan Green Belt limits urban expansion in this area. Northeastern Milton Keynes is the county seat and only city, and it and its surrounding areas are governed as a unitary authority apart from the rest of Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire Council is another unitary authority in the county, responsible for the management of the remaining parts of Buckinghamshire. The county town of Aylesbury can be found in the region's geographic center, while the old county town of Buckingham can be found in the region's northwest, Marlow can be found in the south near the Thames, and Princes Risborough can be found in the west near Oxford.

The county's southern half is dominated by the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty frequented by Londoners on foot and by bike. The local flint and red brick were used to construct many of the oldest buildings in the region. Several publications have pinpointed the market town of Beaconsfield as having among the highest property values outside of London, as it is one of the more affluent districts of the country. the current Prime Minister retreats to the countryside at Chequers, a government-owned house estate. The Vale of Aylesbury and the area around the Great Ouse form the rolling landscape in the northern part of the county. The county's southwestern border is partially defined by the Thames. Located in Buckinghamshire are the Pinewood Studios, the Dorney Rowing Lake, and a portion of the Silverstone Race Track, which borders Northamptonshire. The city of Milton Keynes is home to the headquarters or main hubs of many well-known national businesses. The mining and quarrying sectors are small, with agriculture coming in as the second most important sector of the economy.

History

The name Buckinghamshire comes from the Anglo-Saxon for "the district (scire) of Bucca's dwelling," which is a literal translation of the word. Bucca's home is the Anglo-Saxon-named town of Buckingham, located in the northern part of the county. The name "Devon" has been in use for the region since the 12th century, while the county itself dates back to its days as a province of the Kingdom of Mercia (585–919).

Even though the Anglo-Saxons may have had the biggest impact on Buckinghamshire, the county's rural topography is essentially unchanged from the Anglo-Saxon period, which dates back to the Brythonic and Roman periods. King Henry VIII meddled in local politics in Buckinghamshire in the 16th century, and just a century later, in the middle of Buckinghamshire, John Hampden is claimed to have initiated the English Civil War.

The 19th century was a pivotal time for the county since it was then that cholera and famine struck, displacing many of the county's rural residents and driving them to seek employment in larger cities. Because of this shift in economic power, leafy Bucks became a beloved rural idyll, an image that has endured to this day. Even though many Londoners choose to live in Buckinghamshire because of its proximity to the city, the county nevertheless has some areas where residents are living below the poverty line.

Aylesbury, Amersham, and High Wycombe to the south of the county grew in importance as London expanded, but Buckingham to the north remained a relatively unimportant backwater. Consequently, most county institutions have relocated to the south of the county or to Milton Keynes from the original Buckingham location.

Geography

It is possible to divide the county into two distinct regions. The southern basin of the River Great Ouse rises gently from the Thames to a more steep escarpment on the northern bank, where you'll find the Vale of Aylesbury and the City of Milton Keynes UA.

Two of England's four longest rivers begin in this county. Since Berkshire has expanded into Buckinghamshire at Eton and Slough, the river is no longer the only dividing line between the two counties. Leaving its source in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse travels east through Buckingham, Milton Keynes, and Olney before emptying into the Thames River.

The county is traversed by the Grand Union Canal's main stem as well as its branches to Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover (now defunct), and Buckingham (disused). A canal is now a part of Milton Keynes's aesthetic landscape.

The Chiltern Hills take up much of the southern half of the county. Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods (a stone marks its summit) and Coombe Hill near Wendover, both at 260 meters (820 feet) above sea level, are Buckinghamshire's highest points (850 ft)

In the river valleys, people have dug out chalk, clay for producing bricks, gravel, and sand to use in construction. Older structures in the area frequently made use of flint, a material also mined from nearby quarries. Numerous flooded quarry sites are now protected ecosystems.

Economy

Buckinghamshire has a thriving modern service sector and is included in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire NUTS-2 region, the seventh wealthiest subregion in the European Union in 2002. Buckinghamshire has the highest quality of life, life expectancy, and education performance in the country. It also has the highest GDP per capita outside of Inner London. South Surrey is one of the most affluent parts of the county because of its proximity to London. The county is known for its rich farmland and several landed estates, many of which belonged to the influential English banking family of the Rothschilds in the nineteenth century (see Rothschild properties in England). The Bucks County Show, the oldest of the county's yearly agricultural fairs, has been held since 1859. High Wycombe is known as a furniture manufacturing hub, and other important manufacturing industries in the area include the pharmaceutical industry and food processing. When it comes to British film and television production, Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath is second to none.