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The Parish
Princes Risborough is situated on the Western side of Buckinghamshire.
The civil parish comprises the small country town of Princes
Risborough, the village of Monks Risborough, and the hamlets of
Whiteleaf, with its notable Cross cut in the chalk hillside, Alscot,
Askett, Cadsden and part of Horsenden. the parish measures
approximately four square miles. Princes Risborough is splendidly
situated between the steep westward escarpment of the Chiltern Hills
and the fertile Vale of Aylesbury. The town stands about 400 feet above
sea level but the higher parts of the parish above Whiteleaf attain an
elevation of nearly 800 feet. The Chilterns here command some of the
finest panoramic views obtainable in the Home Counties, extending over
the Thames into Berkshire, westwards to Oxford and north-westwards
across the Midland shires.
Getting There
By Rail
Princes Risborough lies 9 miles north-west of High Wycombe, 8 miles
south-east of Thame, 10 miles south-west of Tring, 6 miles west of
Great Missenden, 9 miles south of the county town of Aylesbury, 21
miles from Oxford and London is 38 miles away, by road. Princes
Risborough station, which is three quarters of a mile from the town
centre, is served by Chiltern Railways, and the trains, which run
through High Wycombe to London Marylebone, provide a service
approximately hourly. In the other direction there is also an hourly
service to Haddenham, Thame, Bicester, Banbury and Birmingham, with
occasional services to Aylesbury via Great Kimble.
By Bus
Princes Risborough is well served by buses with half-hourly services
between Aylesbury and High Wycombe passing through the town centre.
Full Bus Timetables are available at the Risborough Area Information
Centre.
Outlying Villages
Alscot
Alscot is a cul-de-sac hamlet mid way between Longwick and Princes
Risborough. It is also the smallest conservation area in the Parish.
Horsenden
Horsenden is a delightful village some one-mile from the railway
station, secluded at the end of a narrow country lane. The Manor House,
which stands at the end of the lane, was built in 181 0 and is adjacent
to the small church of St. Michael, which consists of a chancel built
from the remains of a previous, larger building.
Also in Horsenden Lane are The Windsor Playing Fields where Risborough
Rangers Football Club, the Risborough Cricket Club and Horsenden Lawn
Tennis Club meet.
Monks Risborough
The parish of Monks Risborough is the oldest in England - registered in
903 AD when the land at East Risborough was conveyed by Aethelfrith to
his daughter Etheigyth. The land later passed into the possession of
monks of Christ Church, Canterbury and from this ecclesiastical
association is derived the first part of its present name.
Monks Risborough was confirmed in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as
belonging to Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, and it remained a
possession of the See until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry
VIII. At the present time, the parish comes under the jurisdiction of
the Bishop of Oxford.
The parish church of St. Dunstan stands behind a charming group of
thatched cottages in Burton Lane, just off the Aylesbury Road. Beyond
the church is the St. Dunstan's Recreation ground containing a l6th
century Dovecote with a richly carved doorway.
Monks Risborough is served by Chiltern Railways through a halt in
Crowbrook Road. Trains run approximately hourly at peak periods between
Aylesbury and Princes Risborough and continue to High Wycombe and
London.
Whiteleaf
To the east of the Aylesbury Road and slightly further from Princes
Risborough lies the picturesque village of Whiteleaf. The name of this
village is reputed to derive from Whitecliffe possibly as it is
situated on rising ground under the Chiltern escarpment and immediately
below the White Cross carved in a clearing at the top of the hill. The
houses in Whiteleaf command extensive panoramic views across the Vale
of Aylesbury towards Oxford and the southwest.
Just above the village and approached by Golf Club Lane is Whiteleaf
Golf Course. This is a nine-hole golf course set in a fold in the hills
with marvellous views over the Vale towards Aylesbury. Adjacent to the
golf course is Monks Risborough Cricket Club, which celebrated its
centenary in 1993 and is reputed to have a square with ‘ views second
to none’.
Whiteleaf Fields, comprising three acres opposite the lay-by near the
church of St. Dunstan, and two acres along lcknield Way, were vested to
the National Trust in 1925. Covenants protect a further fifty-eight
acres of adjoining land.
Whiteleaf Cross stands on the face of a promontory of the Chilterns
above Whiteleaf and can be seen clearly across the Vale of Aylesbury.
By the Enclosure Act 9 of George IV it was declared to be public
property.
There are many attractive walks, which are well sign-posted.
Cadsden
Even further along the Aylesbury Road and lying behind Whiteleaf on the
road to Hampden and Great Missenden and underneath Longdown Hill is the
small hamlet of Cadsden.
Askett
Askett lies to the west of the Aylesbury Road, opposite Whiteleaf and
beyond Monks Risborough. Like all the other outlying villages, a large
number of the cottages are built of brick and flint and are thatched.
Askett was a renowned centre for lace making during the late 19th
century.
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