Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a picturesque and exclusive village in
Buckinghamshire,
England. It is located in the very south of the county, near the border with
Hertfordshire and
Greater London, south of
Chalfont St Peter. The town has the benfit of its own rail station with London Marylebone being but a 20 minute commute. Families choose to live here to escape the smog of London but have the advantage of being within a short commute.
The village name is fairly new, when compared to other villages that surround it. Gerrards Cross did not exist in any formal sense until 1859 when it was formed by taking pieces out of the five parishes of Chalfont St Peter,
Fulmer,
Iver,
Langley Marish and
Upton to form a new
ecclesiastical parish.
It is named after the Gerrard family who the early
17th century owned a
manor here. At that time it was a
hamlet in the parish of Chalfont St Peter.
Today Gerrards Cross is a very exclusive and upmarket village in the
commuter belt of
London, and recorded the most expensive postcode outside of London in 2005. It is a magnet for the
nouveau riche and at least two lottery winners are known to have moved there. Other residents are well known TV celebrities, actors, and the usual mix of accountants, doctors, bankers and lawyers.
The
parish church is dedicated to
St. James. Top prep schools include Gayhurst and Thorpe House. Most students of secondary school age attend local grammar schools - such as The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe (for boys) and Beaconsfield High (for girls).
Its station,
Gerrards Cross, on the
Chiltern Line provides its excellent rail link to
London Marylebone. A tunnel near the station collapsed at 19:30 on
30 June 2005 where
Tesco were building a new
supermarket over the railway. Residents have often campaigned against the development and favour shopping at the old fashioned supermarket AA Fisher - a town institution. Unusually for a town of this size Gerrards Cross has its own well stocked library, a 2 screen cinema and plenty of upmarket restaurants.
It is in the
South Bucks local government district, which was known as the
Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980. This had been formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of part of
Eton Rural District (including Gerrards Cross) with Beaconsfield
urban district.
Gerrards Cross celebrates 100 years of the coming of the railway and its modern beginning in 2006.
*
BBC Report: Town tops cost of living league*
Controversial Tunnel collapses pictures and info*
Gerrards Cross News & EventsA History of Chalfont St Peter and Gerrards Cross C G Edmonds 1964 and
The History of Bulstrode by A M Baker 2003 published as one book by Colin Smythe Ltd. 2003
