Beaconsfield, pronounced Beckonsfield, was first mentioned in the Pope Rolls of 1185. The name is believed to mean ‘field by the beacon’ although locals say it describes a clearing in the beeches. A beech tree is the town’s emblem, the town being surrounded by beech woods. The estate that became Beaconsfield manor was originally part of the manor of Burnham. In 1546 Sir John Williams was Lord of Hall Barn Manor which he joined to Beaconsfield. It was divided into three estates: Hall Barn, Gregories and Whelton, now known as Wilton Park.

 

In 1624 Anne Waller and her son Edmund acquired Hall Barn manor. Edmund became a famous poet and politician of the commonwealth. He was exiled for his prominent part in the Civil War and is believed to have built the present Hall Barn sometime after his return in 1651. The grounds were landscaped with a lake, ornamental boathouse and garden temples. Waller died on 21st October 1687 and was buried at St. Mary and All Saints church. Sir Edward Levy-Lawson, creator of the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph, later Lord Burnham, bought the house in 1832. His descendants still live there today.

 

Gregories estate was bought by Edmund Burke in 1768. He has been called the greatest thinker who ever devoted himself to English politics and Disraeli is said to have chosen the title of Lord Beaconsfield as a tribute to him. Edmund Burke died in 1797 and is commemorated by a brass tablet and portrait in the church. The bicentenary of his death was celebrated by several events which culminated in the planting of a Cedar of Lebanon Tree on the site of Gregories, later known as Butlers Court.

 

Wilton Park was originally the home of the Du Pre family for 171 years from about 1760. During the Second World War it was used as a centre for the interrogation of senior prisoners of war. The house was demolished in 1967 and rebuilt by the MOD for the Royal Army Education Corps.

 

The prosperity of the town grew in the 17th Century due to the coaching trade. Coaches stopped here on their way to the West country. There was a choice of 16 inns - today 9 survive. Highwaymen ‘haunted’ the hill up to the Kings Head in Holtspur, robbing rich travellers. A wooded area is still known as Cut-Throat Wood. The town continued to prosper into the 18th Century, but the coaching trade started to decline with the growth of the railways in 1837. Beaconsfield railway was built in 1906 and the new town developed around it. The old town remains a beautiful, historic place which has been designated a conservation area to preserve the character of its lovely buildings.

 

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the population doubled. This was largely due to the intake of Belgian refugees from the 1st World War. They returned home in 1919, but left their mark in the Catholic faith and the church in Warwick Road which was built in 1927. Prior to this, the Edwardian built ‘Earl of Beaconsfield’ public house had carried on the tradition of the Monks hospice by originally having a Catholic Church attached to it. G.K. Chesterton, author of the Father Brown stories, was received into the Catholic faith at this church. Another famous author who resided in Beaconsfield was Enid Blyton, the much-loved children’s author. She lived at Green Hedges in Penn Road which has since been demolished. A model of the house can be seen at Bekonscot, the oldest model village in the world. It portrays rural England in the 1930’s. Time has stood still in this wonderland of make-believe for over 69 years. Visitors meander through six villages, each with a miniature population going about its daily routine. There are many working models including a fine Gauge 1 railway which runs throughout the 1 1/2 acre site.

 

Beaconsfield continues to expand. The last census in 2001 recorded the population as being 10,700. It was twinned with the French town of Langres in November 1995.

 

A Brief History of Beaconsfield