Within the county of Buckinghamshire, nestled within the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, northwest of London, sits the eastern edge of Amersham and its neighbouring locale Little Chalfont. Little Chalfont grew concurrently to the development of the Metropolitan railway in 1889, and its history is thoroughly rooted in 20th century urban expansion. Amersham’s history is far older, dating far beyond the Saxon period of English history. Although growing out of 20th century expansion, houses on the market in Little Chalfont and eastern Amersham are largely detached grand-suburban builds with offers in excess of £2 million!

Amersham is first recorded as Agmodesham by the Saxons in 796 AD, was then next recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book survey for William the Conquerer, where there it was recorded as Elmodesham. The original site of Amersham was originally nestled within the River Misbourne, on the southern edge, with the Old Town of Amersham located in the south-west of the wider Amersham locale. The eastern portion of Amersham, dominated by Amersham Common and Amersham-on-the-Hill, developed similarly to that of Little Chalfont, triggered by the rapid expansion afforded by the new Metropolitan railway system that directly opened Amersham to London and beyond. As such, much of the housing stock in this area is predominantly late 19th and early 20th century detached suburban builds, some of which imprinted with the design philosophy of Harold Kennard, an important architectural figure who worked within Amersham from 1905.

There is more design history than the Arts and Crafts architectural design however. Situated in eastern Amersham sits Highover Park (originally called High and Over Park), a grand modernist housing estate designed by Amyas D Connell for Bernard Ashmole, a Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of London, in 1931. The house is a modernist marvel, built in the shape of a Y-axis, with grand white facades, and huge window-fixtures, inspired by the architectural design of the ancient Roman Villa, masterfully combining the ancient with the contemporary. This building is a Grade II* listed property, and British Pathé even has a clip on their online database from 1931 showing the house!

Many residents, particularly in Little Chalfont, are fiercely resistant to new housing and infrastructural developments occuring in Amersham East, as they believe in protecting the Green Belt and maintaining the local character of the area. Despite this, there is currently a huge developmental programme underway within Little Chalfont, situated within the old golf course, that aims to build over 380 new homes, a new school, and a retirement village!