DRIVE 7: Through the Chilterns 85
Above Fountain in the Memorial Gardens, beside
the Church of St Mary, AmershamAbove Milton’s Cottage, the poet’s 16th-
century home, Chalfont St GilesWHERE TO STAYCHALFONT ST GILES
The White Hart Inn moderate
This inn has 11 comfortable rooms with
ensuite bathrooms in a purpose-built
block. It has a good restaurant, too.
Three Households, HP8 4LP; 01494 872
441; http://www.whitehartstgiles.co.uk
AMERSHAM
The Crown moderate
This Elizabethan coaching inn has a
cool yet traditional style and featured in
the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.
16 High Street, HP7 0DH; 01494 721
541; http://www.dhillonhotels.co.ukEAT AND DRINKCHALFONT ST GILES
The Crown moderate
Smart popular pub (booking advised)
with pub food in the bar and full menu
in the dining room – it serves honest,
modern British cooking with flair.
High Street, HP8 4QQ; 01494 875 156;
http://www.the-crown-csg.co.uk
AMERSHAM
Gilbey’s moderate
Well-regarded bar and restaurant with
garden, serving modern European food
such as rack of English lamb, and lemon
tart with gin-and-tonic ice cream.
1 Market Square, HP7 0DF; 01494 727
242; http://www.gilbeygroup.com
GREAT MISSENDEN
Nags Head moderate–expensive
A 15th-century pub (with rooms)
aiming high and sourcing tip-top
organic produce. Try the steak and
kidney in ale; not much for vegetarians.
London Rd, HP16 0DG; 01494 862 200;
http://www.nagsheadbucks.com1 Chalfont St Giles
Bucks; HP8 4JH
With village green, duck pond, old
inns and beamed cottages, this has
been hailed as “Britain’s most perfect
village”. Follow a sign just outside the
village to Milton’s Cottage (open Mar–
Oct, closed Mon; http://www.miltonscottage.org),,)
the 16th-century home of poet John
Milton. After fleeing London in 1665 to
escape the plague, he wrote his
masterwork, Paradise Lost, here. The
cottage contains, among other
treasures, first editions of Areopagitica,
Milton’s essay on free speech, and
Eikonoklastes, his riposte to Charles II’s
defence of the Divine Right of Kings.
Drive on towards Seer Green and
turn left at the sign for Quaker
Meeting House. Enter the village of
Jordan’s but bypass the right turn to
the centre marked “Jordan’s village”.
On the left is a sign for Jordan’s Quaker
Meeting House, one of England’s first
and dating back to 1688. William Penn,
the founder of Pennyslvania, who died
in 1718, is buried in the graveyard.
Back in Chalfont St Giles, gourmets
can buy top-quality oils, vinegars,
spirits and liqueurs from Vom Fass
(closed Sun), on the High Street.
ª Head up High St and Pheasant Hill;
go over double roundabout onto Vache
Lane, then right down narrow Gore-
lands Lane. Follow signs to museum.
3 Amersham
Bucks; HP6 5AH
There’s no stand-out attraction in Old
Amersham (www.amersham.org.uk), the
heart of the town, it’s just very pretty.
See its almshouses, coaching inns, half-
timbered cottages and Market Hall,
topped off with a clocktower and
holding the original town jail, and
maybe enjoy a nice lunch. Dominating
Broadway (the main street) is the flint
Church of St Mary, built in the12th
century with 14th- and 15th-century
additions. The Memorial Gardens and
tiny River Misbourne are just nearby.
ª Continue up High St to A413. Go
right, then left at roundabouts,
following signs to Great Missenden.
Use main car park on right in Link Rd.4 Great Missenden
Bucks; HP16 0AL
Another appealing small town, at the
head of the Misbourne Valley, its main
street is lined with lovely half-timbered
and Georgian buildings. For 36 years,
the children’s author Roald Dahl (1916–
90) lived and worked in Gt Missenden
and the “flushbunkingly gloriumptious”
Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
is a major attraction (closed Mon; http://www.
roalddahlmuseum.org). Here, visitors
learn about Dahl, man and boy, see
where he wrote and admire artwork,
photographs, correspondence and
manuscripts in progress. With plenty
to fire everyone’s imagination, a truly
whizzpopping time is guaranteed.
ª Follow A4128 towards Prestwood.
Continue on this road towards High
Wycombe, then take a right, following
signs to Hughenden Manor (last one is
after a blind bend and easy to miss).2 Chiltern Open Air Museum
Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont
St Giles, Bucks; HP8 4AB
In an ambitious initiative, 30 vernacular
buildings of past generations, typical
of this region, have been rescued
and rebuilt here in a natural setting
(open Apr–Oct; 01494 871 117; http://www.
coam.org.uk). Explore a 19th-century
farm with animals; wander through a
village with a green, cottages, forge
and chapel; find out what a 16th-
century wood-framed hall house is
really like inside, and peer into the
tiny Henton Mission Room, a “tin
tabernacle” made after the invention
of corrugated, galvanized iron in 1882.
And, of course, pet the resident shire
horse. Other buildings include a 1940s
prefabricated bungalow and cast-
iron public convenience from1906.
ª Return to A413, turn right at
roundabout and drive on to Amersham.
Follow signs for old town. Park on street.
Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50VISITING CHALFONT ST GILES
Parking
From A413, head down Pheasant Hill
into Deanway. Free parking at Milton’s
Cottage and at Quaker Meeting House.