Buckinghamshire is a county in the South East of England, bordered by Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Its southeastern extremities merge with the ever-expanding conurbation of Greater London.

Originally the county was named after the Anglo Saxon Bucca, who lived in Buckingham. Buckingham grew into a thriving market town over the centuries, and today much of its handsome Georgian architecture remains. The history of the county can be traced back further than this, however, there is evidence of considerable Iron Age habitation of the area, and the Romans certainly left their mark on the area, not least in the building of roads such as Akeman Street and Watling Street.

During Anglo-Saxon times Buckinghamshire was part of the Kingdom of Mercia, and during this era many of the familiar town and village names were established. Aylesbury was a bustling market town that is now the administrative capital of Buckinghamshire, and whose town centre is rich in historic buildings. One such building is the charming Kings Head Inn – believed to be the oldest surviving coaching inn in England, and the only pub to be owned by the National Trust. The pub, like the town, had connections with Oliver Cromwell; during the English Civil War Aylesbury became a Parliamentarian stronghold.

During a more recent conflict – The Second World War – the town of Bletchley became Buckinghamshirean important part of the UK’s intelligence network; teams of mathematicians and scientists worked to decipher the German Enigma code, and many lives were saved due to their work and the upper hand was gained by the Allies.

Since the 1960s the town of Milton Keynes has become Buckinghamshire’s principal conurbation. It was originally a collection of small villages, but when it became a New Town it began to rapidly expand; this expansion still continues to this day, making Milton Keynes one of the largest towns in Southern England. Buckinghamshire is still largely rural however; The Chiltern Hills is an area of outstanding natural beauty stretching from Goring-on-Thames in Berkshire to Luton in Bedfordshire, and characterised by rolling chalk downlands and, ancient woods and quaint little villages.