View source for Chesham

{{Short description|Town in Buckinghamshire, England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
|official_name= Chesham
|static_image_name= Chesham Market Sq Clock.jpg
|static_image_caption= The Chesham clock tower, located in the Market Square
|coordinates= {{coord|51.712|-0.612|display=inline,title}}
|population= 23,088
|population_ref= ([[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]])<ref name="neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk">[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&e=62&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359732838559&enc=1 Neighbourhood statistics census 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522160535/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&e=62&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359732838559&enc=1 |date=22 May 2013}}, Accessed 1 February 2013</ref>
|os_grid_reference= SP965015
|london_distance= {{convert|25.8|mi}} [[Points of the compass|SE]]
|civil_parish= Chesham
|unitary_england= [[Buckinghamshire (district)|Buckinghamshire]]
|lieutenancy_england= [[Buckinghamshire]]
|region= South East England
|country= England 
|post_town= CHESHAM
|postcode_area= HP
|postcode_district= HP5
|dial_code= 01494
|constituency_westminster= [[Chesham and Amersham (UK Parliament constituency)|Chesham and Amersham]]
}}
[[File:Chesham St Marys Church 2.jpg|thumb|St Mary's Church]]
'''Chesham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|ʃ|əm}} {{respell|CHESH|əm}}, {{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|s|əm}} {{respell|CHESS|əm}} {{small|or}} {{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|z|əm}} {{respell|CHEZ|əm}}) is a [[market town]] and [[civil parish]] in [[Buckinghamshire]], England, United Kingdom, {{convert|11|mi}} south-east of the county town of [[Aylesbury]], about {{convert|26|mi}} north-west of [[Charing Cross|central London]], and part of the [[London metropolitan area|London commuter belt]]. It is in the [[River Chess|Chess Valley]],<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Chesham|volume=6|page=89}}</ref> surrounded by farmland. The earliest records of Chesham as a settlement are from the second half of the 10th century, although there is archaeological evidence of people in this area from around 8000 BC. [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] granted a royal charter for a weekly market in 1257.<ref name="Frith">{{Cite book |last=Andrew|first=Martin |title=Amersham, Chesham and Rickmansworth |year=2001 |publisher=Frith Book Company Limited |location=England |isbn=1-85937-340-2}}</ref>

Chesham is known for its ''four Bs'' {{mdash}} [[boot]]s, [[beer]], [[brush]]es and [[Baptists]].<ref name="JvW">{{Cite book | author=Piggin, George | title=Tales of Old Chesham | year=1993 | publisher=Highgate Publications (Beverley) Ltd | isbn=0-948929-70-7 }}</ref> In the face of fierce competition from both home and abroad during the later 19th and early 20th centuries, the three traditional industries rapidly declined. The ready availability of skilled labour encouraged new industries to the town both before and after the [[Second World War]]. Today, employment in the town is provided mainly by small businesses engaged in light industry, technology and professional services.

From the early part of the 20th century, Chesham has experienced considerable expansion, with new housing developments and civic infrastructure. Chesham has become a [[commuter town]] with improved connection to London via the [[London Underground]] and road networks. The town centre has been progressively redeveloped since the 1960s and has been pedestrianised since the 1990s. The population at the 2021 census was 23,008.<ref name="neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk" />

==History==
[[File:Church Street, Chesham - geograph.org.uk - 111011.jpg|thumb|Church Street, Chesham]]There is archaeological evidence of the earliest settlement during the [[Mesolithic|Late Mesolithic]] period around 5000 BC in East Street, Chesham where a large quantity of [[flint tool]]s were found.<ref>{{cite book
  | last =Farley
  | first =Michael.
  | title =An Illustrated History of Early Buckinghamshire
  | page =23
  | year=2010
  | publisher =Buckinghamshire Archeological Society
  | location=England
  | isbn=978-0-9558158-4-3}}</ref> The earliest farming evidence from the [[Neolithic]] era around 2500 BC. [[Bronze Age]] tribes settled in the valley around 1800 BC and they were succeeded by [[Iron Age]] [[Belgae|Belgic]] people of the [[Catuvellauni]] tribe around 500 BC. Between 150 and 400 AD, there is evidence of [[Romano-British]] farming, and nearby at [[Latimer, Buckinghamshire|Latimer]], there is [[archaeological]] evidence of a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[villa]] and the planting of grapevines. However, the area was then deserted until the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Saxon period]] around the 7th century.<ref>{{cite journal
  | last =Branigan
  | first =Keith.
  | title =The distribution and development of Romano-British occupation in the Chess Valley
  | journal =Records of Buckinghamshire
  | volume =18
  | pages =136–49
  | year =1967}}</ref>

Contrary to popular belief, the town is not named after the river; rather, the river is named after the town. The first recorded reference to Chesham is under the [[Old English language|Old English]] name {{lang|ang|Cæstæleshamm}}, meaning "the river-meadow at the pile of stones"<ref name="Hunt 1977">{{cite book |last=Hunt|first=Julian|title=Chesham A Pictorial History|year=1977 |publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd |location=England |isbn=1-86077-058-4}}</ref> around 970 in the will of Lady Ælfgifu, who has been identified with the former [[Ælfgifu, wife of Eadwig|wife of King Eadwig]]. She held an estate here which she bequeathed to [[Abingdon Abbey]].<ref>[http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+1484 S 1484].</ref>

Prior to [[Norman conquest of England|1066]] there were three adjacent estates which comprised ''Caestreham'' which are briefly recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] as being of {{frac|1|1|2}}, 4 and {{frac|8|1|2}} [[Hide (unit)|hides]], having four mills. The most important of these manors was held by [[Edith of Wessex|Queen Edith]], the widow of [[Edward the Confessor]]. Other land having been returned to the Crown it was in the hands of [[Harold Godwinson]] and his brother [[Leofwine Godwinson]].<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> Part of these later became [[Chesham Bois]] parish.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hay |first=David and Joan |title=Hilltop Villages of the Chilterns|year=1994 |publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd |location=England |isbn=0-85033-505-1}}
</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hepple, Leslie &|first=Doggett, Alison|title=The Chilterns|year=1971|publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd|location=England|isbn=0-85033-833-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/chilterns0000hepp}}</ref> After 1066 Edith kept her lands and [[William the Conqueror]] divided royal lands between his half-brother [[Odo, Bishop of Bayeux]] and Hugh de Bolbec.<ref name="Hunt 1977" />

===The land owners of Chesham===
The [[Domesday Book]] records that there were three [[manorialism|manor]]s in Cestreham and one at nearby Latimer. [[William the Conqueror]] shared out the estates between four of his dependants. The vast majority of land was granted to Hugh de Bolebec and smaller parcels to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, Toustain Mantel and Alsi.<ref name="RoBVol3" />

Before the 13th century, the three Cestreham manors were known as Chesham Higham, Chesham Bury and Chesham Bois. In the 14th century they were first recorded as 'the manors of Great Chesham'. Collectively they extended beyond the current Chesham town boundary.<ref name="RoBVol3" /> Together with the manor at Latimer they were held by the [[Earl of Oxford|Earls of Oxford]] and [[Earl of Surrey|Surrey]]. During the 16th century Greater Chesham was owned by the [[Seymour family]] who disposed of it to the Cavendish family who were [[Earl of Devonshire|the Earls and later Dukes of Devonshire]]. It is from the 15th century that the earliest surviving properties survive and are to be found close by the church in an area called ''the Nap'', and along part of the present-day Church Street. Though gradually disposing of land the Cavendishes maintained an influence in the town until the 19th century. The Lowndes family started purchasing land from the 16th century. [[William Lowndes (British politician)|William Lowndes]] was an influential politician and [[Secretary to the Treasury]] during the reigns of [[Mary II of England|Mary II]], [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]. He rebuilt the original Bury and [[manor house]] of Great Chesham in 1712. The Lowndes family settled in Chesham and over the next 200 years became equally influential both nationally through politics and the law and locally within the town as its principal benefactors.<ref name="Hunt 1977" />

===Ecclesiastical history===
No evidence remains of any church prior to the Norman Conquest. However, the siting of [[Hertfordshire puddingstone|puddingstones]] beneath the present-day church suggests a wooden church was constructed on the site during the Anglo-Saxon period. During the 12th century two families of Norman descent, the de Bolebecs and the Sifrewasts, each held a share of the [[advowson]] assigned to the adjacent manors of Chesham Higham and Chesham Bury respectively for the Church at Chesham which it is evidenced from about 1154 was dedicated to St Mary.<ref>{{Citation|first1=Shirley|last1=Foxell|first2=Clive|last2=Foxell|title=St Mary's Church, Chesham|year=2004|publisher=Clive Foxell|place=Chesham|isbn=0-9529184-4-7}}</ref> These moieties were subsequently given by the families to two [[monastery|monasteries]]. In 1194 the de Bolbecs bestowed their advowson to the abbot and monks of [[Woburn Abbey]] and henceforth the parish of Chesham Higham was renamed 'Chesham Woburn'. Meanwhile, and sometime before 1199, the Sifrewast family granted their advowson to the [[convent]] of St Mary's de Pré Leicester. As a consequence the advowson for the parish of Chesham Bury became known as 'Chesham Leicester'.<ref name="BHOChesham">[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42547 British History online Chesham], Retrieved 14 June 2013</ref> In 1536 [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] seized control of church property as part of the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. Subsequently, during [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] and [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]]'s reigns, first Chesham Woburn and then Chesham Leicester advowsons became part of the estates of the [[Dukes of Bedford]]. Though there were originally two vicars appointed to the [[St. Mary's Church, Chesham|parish church of St Mary's]], from the 17th century a single [[Incumbent (ecclesiastical)|incumbent]] was appointed. Jurisdiction was still shared between both advowsons and two parsonages, an 'upper' and 'lower', continued to be maintained until the 18th century when both were superseded by a single new parsonage.<ref name="BHOChesham" /> The Duke of Bedford subsequently consolidated the moieties by Act of Parliament in 1767.<ref name="RoBVol3">[https://books.google.com/books?id=FsMMAAAAYAAJ&dq=chesham&pg=PA63 Records Of Buckinghamshire Vol 3 1870], Retrieved 14 June 2013</ref> To accommodate the increasing population during the 19th century, a new parish church was built in 1867; Christ Church at Waterside, and further churches were built at Ashley Green and Bellingdon, which were at the time both within the civil parish of Chesham.<ref name="BHOChesham" /> [[File:Thomas Harding memorial.jpg|thumb|Thomas Harding memorial]]

===Religious dissent and nonconformity===
Chesham is noted for the religious dissent which dominated the town from the 15th century. In 1532 [[Thomas Harding]] was [[burnt at the stake]] in the town for being a [[Lollard]] and [[heresy|heretic]]. From the 17th century, Chesham was a focus for [[English Dissenters|those dissenting from mainstream religion]]. [[Quaker]]s met in the late 17th century in Chesham and in 1798 they built the current [[Friends meeting house|meeting house]]. The first [[Baptists]]' meeting dates back to about 1640 and a place was registered for services in 1706. The first chapel was opened in 1712, one of many to be built for the various Baptist groups during the 18th and 19th centuries. [[John Wesley]] preached in Chesham in the 1760s and a Wesleyan [[Methodist]] society existed in the town. In more recent time a [[Methodist Church of Great Britain|Wesleyan Methodist]] chapel was opened in 1897. The [[Christian Brethren]] which date back in Chesham to 1876, opened their Gospel Hall in 1895, which closed in December 2008.  Broadway Baptist church had congregations at the Vale, Hawridge, Ashley Green and Chartridge; only the one at Chartridge survives.  Trinity Baptist church had congregations at Hyde Heath, Ley Hill and Whelpley Hill; only the one at Hyde Heath survives.  The Congregational Church had congregations at Asheridge and Pond Park.

===Emigration to the American colonies===
In 1630 Aquila Chase left Chesham to join the colony, settling first at Hampton (now New Hampshire), then [[Newbury, Massachusetts]]. Descendants of Aquila became influential in shaping political, legislative and commercial matters from the colonial period until after the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. For example, [[Salmon P. Chase]] was the United States Treasury Secretary and Chief Justice in the 1870s. The [[Chase Manhattan Bank]] is named after him (although Chase did not have any connection with the bank).<ref>[https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/j-p-morgan-chase-co-history History of Chase Manhattan Bank], Retrieved 12 May 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.politicalfamilytree.com/samples%20content/members/chief_justices/Chase-OH-1.pdf Genealogy of Chase family], Retrieved 12 May 2009</ref>

===Industrial development===
The primary industries of the town in [[medieval]] times were flour production, woodworking and weaving of wool. There were four mills built along the Chess which was diverted to generate sufficient power. Surplus flour was supplied to London. The number of clothworkers, including spinners and those associated with dying ([[Fulling|fullers]]), grew rapidly between 1530 and 1730 and became the major industry in the town prior to a period of rapid decline. Between 1740 and 1798, mills were converted to produce paper (pulp), responding to London's insatiable demand for paper. However, technological developments in paper-making elsewhere rendered the mills unprofitable and they reverted to flour production in the 1850s.
[[File:Chesham Town picture.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Painting of Chesham town, circa 1750]]
New industries emerged from the 16th century onwards. The woodlands had been a source of firewood for London during the mediaeval period. A small-scale woodenware industry making shovels, brooms, spoons and chairs, began around 1538 and its expansion was accompanied by the planting of beechwoods between the 17th and 19th centuries.<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> [[Straw plaiting]] was seen as home-based work for the wives and daughters of labourers from the 18th century. Straw was also imported from Italy to produce the superior 'Tuscan plait' traded at a Saturday market for the [[Luton]] and [[Dunstable]] hat trade and remained the major cottage industry until around 1860, providing employment for women and girls, some of whom attended a 'plait-school' in [[Waterside, Buckinghamshire|Waterside]].<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> [[Lace]] making developed in the 16th century as a cottage industry and was valued for its quality. Chesham specialised in black lace. The industry declined in the 1850s due to mechanisation in [[Nottingham]].<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> Between 1838 and 1864 silk-spinning, powered by a steam-driven mill in Waterside, was started to make use of unemployed lace workers. This trend was relatively short-lived as changes in fashion and the growth of the railways resulted in competition from elsewhere for the valuable London markets.<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> However one exception was the firm of [[George Tutill]] which specialised in high-quality [[Banner-making|banners]] and was responsible for three-quarters of those made for trade unions. The firm is still a going concern, specialising in flags and banners.

Three of the four Bs that have shaped Chesham's history relate to its industries. Brush making was introduced around 1829 to make use of the off-cuts from woodworking. Boot and shoe making which started as a [[cottage industry]] later expanding through small workshops, thrived following the opening of [[tanneries]] around 1792 which also supplied leather for [[saddle]] making and [[glove]]s. By the mid-19th century both brushmaking and footwear manufacture became major industries in the town with production concentrated in large factories. The industry declined in the early-20th century as the market for heavy boots declined. Beer brewing grew rapidly around the town centre in the 19th century again declining at the start of the 20th century.<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> These traditional industries were succeeded by smaller but more commercial enterprises which took advantage of the available skilled labour. For example, in 1908 the Chiltern Toy Works was opened by Joseph Eisenmann on Bellingdon Road, later moving to the 'new' industrial estate in Waterside, making high quality [[teddy bears]]. The works finally closed in 1960.<ref>[http://www.luckybears.com/encyclopaedia_chiltern.asp Chiltern Teddy Bear factory]</ref> Post Second World War industry has ranged from the manufacture of glue ([[Adhesive|Industrial Adhesives]]) to aluminium-based packaging ([[Alcan]]), Aluminium Castings & Bronze Castings (Draycast Foundries Limited), [[balloon]]s (B-Loony) and [[Cleaning agent|household cleaning products]] (Kilrock).

===The town in times of war===
[[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] imposed a tax on the town to pay for his wars against Scotland and France.

In common with the majority of communities in Buckinghamshire, Chesham's [[Lollard]] heritage and [[puritan]] traditions ensured it would vehemently resist [[King Charles I of England|King Charles I]]'s demand for [[Ship Money]]; a tax on tradesmen and landowners. In 1635 the townsfolk of Chesham protested to the Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, Sir Peter Temple, who was reluctantly enforcing a writ requiring payment of a levy to the King. Not surprisingly given the local allegiances to [[John Hampden]], the towns' people largely sided with the [[Roundheads|Parliamentarians]] at the outbreak of the [[English Civil War]]. During 1642 the influential Parliamentarians [[John Pym]] and [[Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick|Earl of Warwick]] were headquartered in the town along with large numbers of troops. There are records of skirmishes in the area during 1643 when [[Prince Rupert]] was stationed near Aylesbury and dispatched [[Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon]] to pillage nearby towns, such as [[Wendover]]. Heading toward Chesham a company of horse of the Parliamentary Army from the town met them outside Great Missenden where a skirmish took place ending with the Parliamentary force being driven back.<ref name="RoBVol3" />

The records of the [[Posse comitatus (common law)|Posse Comitatus]] for Chesham in 1798 recorded over 800 men between the ages of 16 and 60 enrolled in a militia to defend the town in the event of invasion by [[Napoleon I]] or to deal with civil unrest. Less than 50 years later, in 1846, a similar register of 22 able-bodied men had been assembled to form the Chesham troop of the [[Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry]] which coincided with the billeting of troops from the [[7th Queen's Own Hussars]] passing through the town on their way to Ireland.<ref name="Birch 1997">{{cite book |last=Birch|first=Clive|title=The Book of Chesham |year=1997 |publisher=Quotes Limited |location=England |isbn=0-86023-641-2}}</ref>

During the [[First World War]], 188 servicemen from Chesham lost their lives (see Landmarks). [[Alfred Alexander Burt|Alfred Burt]], a corporal in the [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]] from Chesham, received the [[Victoria Cross]] for his actions in September 1915. The town provided temporary quarters for several regiments including the [[King's Royal Rifle Corps|Kings Royal Rifles]] and the [[Royal Engineers]] honed their bridge building skills in local parks. In 1919, two 'Victory Oaks' were planted in the town: one was planted by Margot Cavendish, [[Baron Chesham|Lady Chesham]] of [[Latimer House]], [[Latimer, Buckinghamshire]], and Major [[Lionel de Rothschild]]; the other by Mr. and Mrs. Lowndes (former owners of Lowndes Park), and Mr. and Mrs. Byrne (the chairman of Chesham Urban District Council and his wife).<ref>{{cite web |title=Fascinating history of Chesham's famous 'Victory Oaks' |url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/18652433.fascinating-history-cheshams-famous-victory-oaks/ |website=Bucks Free Press |access-date=17 August 2020}}</ref>

Over the duration of the [[Second World War]], 80 servicemen lost their lives. Air raid shelters were built by the Council in 1940, although the official view was that the town was unlikely to be targeted since its was not a strategic location. In fact at the end of the war it was estimated that 45 bombs fell in the Chesham area, killing at least nine people.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baines, Arnold &|first=Birch, Clive|title=Chesham Century |year=1994 |publisher=Quotes Limited |location=England |isbn=0-86023-549-1}}</ref>

===Social history===
A Chesham [[workhouse]] for 90 paupers was operating in Germain Street as early as 1777. New legislation transferred the control of the Chesham institution to Amersham [[Poor Law Union]] in 1835. However, there were long-standing rivalries between the locals of both towns and in July that year violence broke out when an order was given to remove the paupers to Amersham. The [[Riot Act]] was read out to an angry crowd of 500 and arrests followed.<ref>[http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Amersham/Amersham.shtml Times reports riots outside Chesham Workhouse]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605224359/http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Amersham%2FAmersham.shtml |date=5 June 2011 }}</ref>

Publicly funded education started with the opening of a [[British and Foreign School Society|British School]] in 1825 followed by a [[national school (England and Wales)|National School]] in 1845, an [[Infant school|Infants' Schoo]]l in 1851 and the first Elementary School for girls in 1864. [[Chesham Building Society]] opened for business in 1845 and continued to operate until June 2010, when it was taken over by the [[Skipton Building Society]]. Other public institutions also started at this time, with a [[Fire Brigade]] being established in 1846, the first cemetery in 1858 and a police station built in 1861.<ref name="Birch 1997" />

Chesham [[cottage hospital]], built for £865 17s 11d on land provided by [[Baron Chesham|Lord Chesham]], opened in October 1869, just ahead of an outbreak of [[typhoid]] in 1871. Despite a local campaign to save the hospital it closed in 2005.<ref>[http://www.cheshamhospital.com/index.htm Chesham Hospital – History ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050429175545/http://www.cheshamhospital.com/index.htm |date=29 April 2005 }}</ref> In September 2010 the derelict hospital building was severely damaged by a fire caused by arsonists, according to police reports.<ref>[http://www.buckinghamshireexaminer.co.uk/south-bucks-news/local-buckinghamshire-examiner-news/2010/09/16/arsonists-hunted-after-hospital-fire-114018-27282423/ Arsonists hunted after hospital fire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911095506/http://www.buckinghamshireexaminer.co.uk/south-bucks-news/local-buckinghamshire-examiner-news/2010/09/16/arsonists-hunted-after-hospital-fire-114018-27282423/ |date=11 September 2011 }}, Bucks Examiner, Accessed 30 October 2010</ref> The Council commissioned a [[waterworks]] to be built in 1875 in Alma Road and [[Sewage collection and disposal|mains drainage]] in the town and a [[Sewage treatment|sewage works]] was opened adjacent to the Chess, downstream in 1887. A [[gasworks]] was constructed on the southern part of the town in 1847. Bathing in the Chess at Waterside was an old tradition which became increasingly popular in the 19th century. Complaints that it had become a nuisance led to the Urban District Council surrounding the site with a concrete wall. This further increased its popularity and an open-air pool was built by the council in 1912.<ref>{{cite news |title=Editorial |url=http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1wnak/yourCheshamissue28/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffree.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F518107%2FyourChesham-issue-28%3Frefid%3D44057  |newspaper=yourChesham |date=May 2012 |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref>

Transport connections have always come late to the town. The [[Metropolitan Railway]] eventually reached Chesham in July 1889. Electrification was not to come until the 1960s. Between the two world wars and in the 1950s and 60s there was much expansion in the town with new public housing developments along the Missenden Road, at [[Pond Park]] and at [[Botley, Buckinghamshire|Botley]].<ref name="BHOChesham" /><ref>[http://www.cheshammuseum.org.uk/cm_timeline.php Chesham Timeline Chesham Museum ]  {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130624213809/http://www.cheshammuseum.org.uk/cm_timeline.php |date=24 June 2013 }}</ref>

The first public viewings of cinema films in Chesham were provided by travelling showmen around 1900 and attracted large crowds. The first purpose-built cinema, ''The Empire Picture Hall'', opened in Station Road in 1912 and in 1914 ''The Chesham Palace'' started up in The Broadway. Both showed silent films. By 1920 the Empire had closed. In 1930 the Chesham Palace was refurbished to show the new 'talkies' and reopened as ''The Astoria'' which remained in business until 1959 when the arrival of television forced it to close. ''The Embassy'' in Germain Street opened in 1935 and survived until 1982, closing due to competition from cinemas in nearby towns. ''The Elgiva Theatre'', completed in 1976 beside St Mary's Way, was equipped to show films and on moving to a new site just across the road in 1998 state of the art projection equipment was installed in the new theatre (see image below).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Foxell|first=Clive |title=The Ten Cinemas of Chesham|year=2010 |publisher=Clive Foxell |location=Chesham England |isbn=978-0-9564178-0-0}}</ref>

==Geography==
The town is in the Chess Valley 13 miles south-east of the county town [[Aylesbury]] and is 25 miles (40&nbsp;km) north west of central London. It is the fourth largest town in the [[ceremonial]] county of Buckinghamshire and the largest in Chiltern District, with a population of some 20,343<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=792123&c=chesham&d=16&e=15&g=424566&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1257505865984&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 ONS data from 2001 Census]</ref> people behind [[Milton Keynes]] with 184,500, [[High Wycombe]] with 118,200 and [[Aylesbury]] with 69,200. Nearby [[Amersham]] has 17,719.

{{Geographic location
|title     = '''Neighbouring areas'''
|Northwest = [[Aylesbury]]
|North     = [[Tring]]
|Northeast = [[Berkhamsted]]
|West      = [[Princes Risborough]]
|Centre    =  Chesham
|East      = [[Hemel Hempstead]]
|Southwest = [[High Wycombe]]
|South     = [[Amersham]]
|Southeast = [[Watford]]
}}

===Topography and geology===
Chesham is in the [[Chiltern Hills]] and from its lowest point of {{convert|295|ft|0|abbr=off}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] rises up valley sides. It lies at the confluence of four dry valleys formed by the [[meltwater]] at the end of the last [[ice age]] which deposited onto the bed rock of chalk, [[alluvial]] gravels, silts, on which the town now sits. Subsequent periods of subsidence and submergence deposited clays and flints.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hertsgeolsoc.ology.org.uk/IntroToHertsGeology.htm |title=Introduction to Geology – Chilterns Herts Geological Society June 7, 2008 |access-date=7 June 2008 |archive-date=28 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228052055/http://www.hertsgeolsoc.ology.org.uk/IntroToHertsGeology.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[River Chess]] is a chalk-stream which rises from three springs; to the north-west along the Pednor Vale at Frogmoor, at Higham Mead to the north of the town, and to the west near the Amersham Road which converge in the town near to East Street.<ref name="Hunt 1977" /> The river was known as the ''Isen'' from at least the 12th century when it is found contributing to the name of the nearby hamlet of Isenhampstead, later to divide and become the manors of Isenhampstead Chenies and Isenhampstead Latimer and persisting until the 19th century.<ref>{{citation|last=Ekwall|first=Eilert|title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names|edition=4th|year=1960|publisher=[[Oxford University Press|OUP]]|location=Oxford}}</ref><ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42546&strquery=isenhampstead British History on line Parish of Chenies], Retrieved 5 August 2013</ref> It has been suggested, but not established, that the old name 'Isen', which derives from the [[Old English|Anglo-Saxon]] word for iron, refers to the [[chalybeate]] or iron-charged spring waters which feed the river<ref>{{citation|last=Davis|first=K Rutherford|title=Britons and Saxons : the Chiltern region 400–700=1st|year=1982|publisher=Phillimore|location=Chichester}}</ref> Today the streams are [[culvert]]ed and conducted below street level before emerging at Waterside and flowing in a south easterly direction towards Latimer. From there it flows to the north of [[Chenies]] and on towards [[Rickmansworth]] after which it joins the [[River Colne, Hertfordshire|River Colne]].

===Built environment and social geography===
Chesham developed as a market town which prospered through its manufacturing industries fuelled by a series of mills which sprung up along the River Chess.  Until the 19th century the town was centred to the south-eastern end of the present High Street. Most of the present-day town centre's development took place during Victorian times. The 'old town', particularly Church and Germain Street, has been well preserved and now designated a [[conservation area]]. It includes a number of impressive residential, institutional and commercial buildings that largely survived Victorian 'improvement'. The 12th century St Mary's Church, which underwent refurbishment and redesign by [[George Gilbert Scott]] in the 19th century. 'The Bury', a Queen Anne [[town house]] was built in 1712 for [[William Lowndes (British politician)|William Lowndes]] [[Secretary to the Treasury]]. Chesham had two [[workhouse]]s, both buildings survived and are located in Germain Street. In June 2009 the Chesham town centre and old town conservation area was placed on the [[English Heritage]] Conservation Areas at Risk register which the District Council commented was due to the misinterpretation of its responses to the conservation body's questionnaire.<ref>[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.20516 English Heritage National Survey of Conservation Areas at Risk, June 2009] Retrieved, 1 July 2009</ref><ref>[http://chesham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2009/06/chesham-conservation-area-safe.html Chesham conservation area 'safe' Bucks Examiner 29 June 2009]{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved, 1 July 2009</ref> Due to the pattern of the town's expansion there are several centres of employment which are interspersed with residential housing. Industrial buildings on the north side of the town have been redeveloped into offices in recent years.<ref name="CDCcorestrategy">[http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/corestrategy/downloads/Chiltern_District_Core_Strategy_Submission_Document_Jan_2011.pdf Core Strategy for Chiltern District Chiltern District Council January 2011] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722192308/http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/corestrategy/downloads/Chiltern_District_Core_Strategy_Submission_Document_Jan_2011.pdf |date=22 July 2011 }}, Retrieved 28_05_2011</ref>

The town had a population of 2,425 by 1841.<ref>''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.III'', (1847), London, Charles Knight, p.898</ref> This had increased to more to 9,000 by the end of the 19th century. As a consequence the centre of the town shifted to the east as shops, workshops and cottages sprung up along the High Street and Berkhampstead Road.  In the period after the [[Second World War]] the town centre was progressively redeveloped. In the 1960s St Mary's Way was constructed, rerouting the [[A416 road|A416]] around the congested High Street which avoided the need to widen the street, conserved its character and allowed for its pedestrianisation during the 1990s. Industrial development became centred on two areas. At the southern end of the town at [[Waterside, Buckinghamshire|Waterside]] which was the site of the first mills and factories in the 18th and 19th centuries there is a mixture of original and newly constructed industrial units and at the northern end along the Asheridge Vale there is a further development of generally small commercial business units.

Compared to other towns in south Buckinghamshire, there are fewer detached and owner-occupied houses and a higher proportion of social rental accommodation.<ref name="CDCcorestrategy" /> Expansion in housing has occurred in several phases mainly to the east of the old town where [[artisan]]'s housing sprung up along Berkhamsted Road and subsequently along the many steep valley sides. Initially this development was as a consequence of the extension of the railway to the town in the 1880s, subsequently the promotion of [[Metro-land|Metroland]] during the 1920s and the electrification of the [[Metropolitan line]] in the 1960s. Pond Park estate was built in the 1930s. The population grew fast after the Second World War as workers followed employers who moved out from London. The population in 1951 was 11,500 leading to the building of the Chessmount and Hilltop estates by speculative developers in the 1950s and '60s.  By 1971 the population had reached 20,000 since when it has only increased slightly. The growing popularity of the Chilterns as a place to live from the latter part of the 20th century onwards led to restrictions on housing and industrial development in the Chilterns [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] and has sustained the demand for further house building in the town. Today an increasing number of those in employment find work outside the town, commuting by car or train as well as an increasing number who are home or office-based using technology to make a living.

===Climate===
Chesham experiences an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfb'') similar to almost all of the United Kingdom, although the lower parts of the valley have significant frost hollow characteristics – being several degrees colder than surrounding areas on clear, calm nights and so have much lower average minimum temperatures than shown in the table. The lowest recorded temperature in Chesham was {{convert|-19.6|°C|0|abbr=on}} on 20 December 2010 at a private weather station, which was also the coldest place in the UK on that date.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-12038023|title=Buckinghamshire records lowest UK overnight temperature|date=20 December 2010|work=bbc.co.uk|publisher=BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks|access-date=20 December 2010}}</ref> On 12 February 2012, the coldest day in Britain since December 2010, temperatures in Chesham fell to {{convert|-18.3|°C|0|abbr=on}} again the lowest in the country on that date.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9077284/Cold-snap-to-finally-end-after-record-breaking-sub-zero-temperatures.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215034448/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9077284/Cold-snap-to-finally-end-after-record-breaking-sub-zero-temperatures.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2012|title=CCold snap to finally end after record-breaking sub-zero temperatures|date=12 February 2012|work=telegraph.co.uk|publisher=Daily Telegraph|access-date=12 February 2012}}</ref>

&nbsp;

{{Weather box
|location =Chesham
|metric first =Yes
|single line =Yes
|Jan high C =8
|Feb high C =9
|Mar high C =12
|Apr high C =14
|May high C =18
|Jun high C =21
|Jul high C =23
|Aug high C =23
|Sep high C =20
|Oct high C =16
|Nov high C =11
|Dec high C =8
|year high C =
|Jan low C =2
|Feb low C =3
|Mar low C =4
|Apr low C =5
|May low C =8
|Jun low C =11
|Jul low C =13
|Aug low C =13
|Sep low C =10
|Oct low C =7
|Nov low C =4
|Dec low C =3
|year low C =
|Jan precipitation mm =50.8
|Feb precipitation mm =44.4
|Mar precipitation mm =42.9
|Apr precipitation mm =51.1
|May precipitation mm =51.7
|Jun precipitation mm =46.1
|Jul precipitation mm =43.9
|Aug precipitation mm =74.9
|Sep precipitation mm =50.1
|Oct precipitation mm =66.8
|Nov precipitation mm =61.8
|Dec precipitation mm =57.5
|year precipitation mm =

|source 1 =World Weather Online<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Chesham-weather-averages/Buckinghamshire/GB.aspx | title = World Weather Online Averages for Chesham 2007–08}} [[MSN]] Retrieved 16 March 2013</ref>
|date=December 2012
}}
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

===Neighbourhoods and wards===
The town comprises the following communities:
* '''Asheridge Vale''', stretches along Asheridge Road on the north-west edge of the town. The large housing development was built during the mid 20th century along with an industrial estate comprising manufacturing and light industrial units which has since undergone diversification into offices and small businesses. Also a town council [[Wards of the United Kingdom|ward]].
* '''[[Botley, Buckinghamshire|Botley]]''', a [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]] located to the east of the town of Chesham between Lye Green and [[Ley Hill]] (the latter in [[Latimer, Buckinghamshire|Latimer parish]]). Part of Townsend ward.
* '''[[Chesham Vale]]''', area on the northern edge of the town on the road to the villages of [[Hawridge]] and [[Cholesbury]]. Also a town council ward called '''Vale'''.
* '''Chessmount''', area to the east of the town centre. Part of Waterside ward.
* '''Codmore''', ancient hamlet located to the north-east of the town centre, at the junction between the roads to Lye Green and Botley. Part of Hilltop ward.
* '''Great Hivings''', an area to the north of Chesham on the road to [[Bellingdon]] (the latter in [[Chartridge|Chartridge parish]]). Part of the ward called '''Ridgeway'''.
* '''Hilltop''', residential area to the north-east of the town built on steeply sloping ground. Consists primarily of steel framed bungalows. Also the name of a town council ward.
* '''[[Lye Green]]''', hamlet located to the north east of the main town. Part of Newtown ward.
* '''Lowndes''', residential area which includes the Chiltern Hills Academy School, close to the centre of the town, adjacent to Lowndes Park. Also a town council ward.
[[File:River Chess at Waterside, Chesham - geograph.org.uk - 407585.jpg|thumb|Waterside and [[River Chess]]]]
* '''Newtown''', late Victorian housing development to the north of the town, now incorporated into the enlarged townscape. Also a town council ward.
* '''Old Town''', until the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway in the 19th century was the town's centre. Today, St Mary's Church, the historic houses and streetscape are part of a designated Conservation Area lying to the south of the present town centre with which it comprises '''St. Mary's''' ward.
* '''Pednormead End''', an area to the west of the main town, along Missenden Road. Part of St. Mary's ward.
* '''[[Pond Park]]''', an area comprising post Second World War housing to the north of the town. Part of the Ridgeway Ward.
* '''Townsend''', Victorian extension to the town comprising commercial premises, later 20th century residential developments and Chesham Grammar School.  Also a town council ward.
* '''[[Waterside, Buckinghamshire|Waterside]]''', once a hamlet located just south of the town centre. Several mills sprung up along the River Chess which flows through the area as well as factories. It still retains a distinct character with a large open space known as the Moor. Also a town council ward.
[[File:Chesham War Memorial.jpg|thumb|125px|Chesham War Memorial]]

==Landmarks==

===Clock tower===
A [[clock tower]] constructed in 1992 stands in Market Square on the site of Chesham's 18th-century town hall demolished in 1965. The turret is a reconstruction of the one built onto the original town hall in the 19th century and features the original glass-dialled clock face and clock mechanism from the mid 19th century.<ref>[http://www.chesham.gov.uk/Open_Spaces/Clock_Tower.aspx Chesham Town Clock Tower]</ref>

===War memorial===
Chesham [[war memorial]] stands in a landscaped garden in the Broadway. It depicts an [[infantryman]] with his rifle inverted and commemorates those who fell during the [[First World War|First]] and [[Second World War]]s. It was designed by the sculptor [[Arthur George Walker]] and unveiled in 1921. The inscription reads:- ''To The Glorious Memory Of The Men Of The Town Who Gave Their Lives And To Honour:'' ''All Who Served Or Suffered In Cause Of God King And Country Their Deeds Live After Them Faithful Unto Death''.<ref>[http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Buckinghamshire/Chesham.html Chesham War Memorial and Roll of Honour]</ref>

==Economy==

===Agriculture===
There is evidence during the pre-Norman period of common fields being divided into parcels and strips of land. The [[Domesday Book]] records Chesham with sufficient arable land to support four [[Water wheel|water-powered]] [[corn mill]]s on the River Chess producing a surplus of flour exported to London. There was woodland to feed over 1600 pigs and supply timber for local manufacturing of farm tools (ploughshares). Field [[enclosure]] started in the early 16th century and although almost completed by the mid 19th century the productivity of Chesham farms provided work for over 450 agricultural labourers. Sheep that grazed on the hillside fields around Chesham provided wool for the cloth making and dying cottage industry which, due to the town's proximity to London, thrived until the 18th century when Yorkshire mills out-competed them.<ref name="Hunt 1977" />

===Industrial Revolution===
Until the 18th century, the economic activity of Chesham had remained largely unchanged since the granting of its town charter in 1257. The commercial planting of [[beech]]woods established Chesham as one of a number of local centres in the Chilterns for the production of turned furniture components and other wooden items often called [[bodging]], produced in local workshops. Mills along the Chess concerned with [[papermaking]] and [[silk|silk weaving]] continued to operate until the middle of the 19th century, as did '[[outworker]]s' engaged in [[lace|lace making]] and [[straw plaiting]], whose employment was impacted on by changes in fashion and due to [[mechanisation]] and from cheaper imports from the continent. The mineral-laden, unpolluted water of the Chess made it ideal for growing [[watercress]] and this industry flourished in Chesham in the [[Victorian era]], with beds extending along the Chess towards [[Latimer, Buckinghamshire|Latimer]], which continued in operation until after the [[Second World War]].

===Manufacturing and brewing===
In the 18th century, home-based leather trade workers moved to the newly opened Barnes Boot factory, and to the Britannia Boot and Shoe Works towards the end of the 19th century. By this time, there were eight major manufacturers and many small workshops. In 1829 Beechwoods [[brush]]making factory was opened. At its height there were around 12 factories specialising in brushes made from locally grown beech, with bristles imported mainly from across Asia. The adoption of nylon for brushes was the cause of the downturn with only one manufacturer remaining today, Russell's Brushes.

Nash's Chesham Brewery opened in the High Street in 1841. Two other notable rivals were Darvell's Brewery and Sarah Howe and Sons. Competition led to amalgamations around the start of the 20th century although brewing continued at Chesham Brewery until the 1950s.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rglxG7g4CNgC&dq=chesham+brewery&pg=PA252 Brewers in Hertfordshire – Chesham Chap 34 ]</ref>

===Commerce today===
[[File:Chesham, High Street - geograph.org.uk - 131866.jpg|thumb|Pedestrianised High Street]]
Today Chesham has a diverse economic base comprising many typically small-medium-sized enterprises representing all business sectors. Within the two industrial parks light engineering and fabrication industry is to be found alongside printers and graphic designers or other technology-based firms, wholesalers, distribution and courier businesses. As elsewhere, there has been an expansion of professional business services and consultancies. The pedestrianised High Street retains some of the character of the old market town with some long-established traditional family retailers and also features a [[street market]] on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This individuality was recognised in a survey of town 'high streets' which gave Chesham good marks for its distinctiveness.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4606587.stm Chesham rated for its High Streets's distinctiveness]</ref> There are two of the 'big five' supermarkets present which have impacted on the town's independent stores and all retail outlets have also to compete with other nearby town centres, at Amersham, [[Berkhamsted]] and [[Tring]] as well as the large shopping centres in [[High Wycombe]], [[Watford]] and Milton Keynes.

==Governance==
===Parliamentary representation===
[[File:Town Hall, Chesham.jpg|thumb|Town Hall, Baines Walk, Chesham: built 1998 as headquarters of Chesham Town Council]]
The town was part of the Aylesbury constituency from 1885 to 1974. Since the boundary changes that were made ahead of the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]], Chesham has been in the [[Chesham and Amersham (UK Parliament constituency)|Chesham & Amersham constituency]]. The constituency was traditionally solidly [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]; it never returned a non-Tory candidate until a [[Chesham and Amersham by-election, 2021|by-election in June 2021]] following the death of previous MP [[Cheryl Gillan]] returned the present [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] MP, [[Sarah Green (politician)|Sarah Green]].<ref name=BBC1>{{cite web|title=Chesham and Amersham by-election won by Lib Dems|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57472032|website=BBC News|date=18 June 2021|access-date=18 June 2021|archive-date=18 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618151428/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57472032|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Local government===
Chesham has two tiers of local government: Chesham Town Council and [[Buckinghamshire Council]]. Chesham Town Council is based at Chesham Town Hall.

The parish of Chesham was made a [[Local Board of Health|Local Government District]] in 1884, governed by a local board, which then became [[Chesham Urban District|Chesham Urban District Council]] in 1894.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1885 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |page=265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VRYwAQAAMAAJ |access-date=27 April 2022 |quote=Parish of Chesham constituted a Local Government District, formed 13 August 1884.}}</ref> The urban district council was abolished in 1974, merging with the neighbouring [[Amersham Rural District]] to become [[Chiltern District]], whilst Chesham Town Council was established as a [[successor parish]] covering the area of the abolished urban district. Chiltern District was abolished in 2020, merging with the other Buckinghamshire authorities to become a unitary authority called Buckinghamshire Council.

===Coat of arms===
Chesham Urban District Council was granted a coat of arms in 1961, which subsequently transferred to Chesham Town Council. The colours are the same as those of Buckinghamshire County arms. The Chiltern woodlands are denoted by two beech trees. The river Chess is recognised in the black and white chequers and rooks. The swan is inherited from the Dukes of Buckingham. The lilies relate to St Mary, patron saint of the parish church.
The buck's head is borrowed from the arms of The Cavendish family, which owned most of the parish lands. The motto is from the Epistle to the Galatians, Chapter V, Verse 13.<ref>[http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/thames_valley_chilterns.html Civic Heraldry of Thames Valley – Chesham Town] Accessed 18 September 2010</ref>

==Public services==
===Emergency services===
[[File:Chesham fire station - geograph.org.uk - 279721.jpg|thumb|Chesham Fire Station]]
[[Thames Valley Police]] headquartered in [[Kidlington]], Oxfordshire is accountable for the delivery of policing through the town's three [[Neighbourhood Policing Team]]s. [[Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service]] based in Aylesbury oversees the town's fire and rescue services. There is a [[fire station]] located in Bellingdon Road which is supplemented by services from the station at Amersham and other nearby towns. Ambulance services are managed by [[South Central Ambulance Service|South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust]] based in [[Bicester]], [[Oxford]]. The nearest [[ambulance station]] is located in Amersham.

===Health services===
Buckinghamshire NHS [[primary care trust|Primary Care Trust]] has overall responsibility for the provision of health services to the local community. Since the closure of the town's cottage hospital in 2004, the nearest hospitals are [[Amersham Hospital]], [[Wycombe Hospital]] and [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital]]. After several years of uncertainty, in 2008 the PCT confirmed it was proceeding with the Chesham Healthzone Project. Planning approval was granted by the district council in June 2009 for the purpose-built health facility comprising, two GP practices, a pharmacy, consulting, clinical and treatment rooms. Originally scheduled to open in 2010, phase 1 of the Chess Medical Centre opened in December 2011.<ref>[http://chesham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2009/06/thumbs-up-for-chesham-healthzo.html Thumbs up for Chesham Healthzone Bucks Examiner June 12 2009]{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved, 14 June 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.buckspct.nhs.uk/?page_id=158 Chesham Healthzone project – Bucks NHS PCT] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722154333/http://www.buckspct.nhs.uk/?page_id=158 |date=22 July 2011 }} Retrieved, 19 May 2009</ref><ref>[http://chesham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2011/12/cheshams-healthzone-to-open-it.html Chesham's Healthzone to open its doors this month Bucks Examiner 02-12-2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405143124/http://chesham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2011/12/cheshams-healthzone-to-open-it.html |date=5 April 2012 }} Retrieved, 6 December 2011</ref>

===Utilities===
[[Veolia Water Central]] supplies [[drinking water]] to the town extracted from the River Chess and [[River Misbourne|Misbourne]] and from [[aquifers]] in the Chiltern Hills. [[Thames Water]] undertakes [[waste water]] treatment and has a [[sewage treatment|sewage treatment works]] beside the River Chess on Latimer Road to the south of the town. Chiltern District Council is responsible for [[waste management]] and collection and disposal is currently carried out on its behalf by [[Serco]]. [[EDF Energy]] provides [[distribution network operator|electricity supply]] for the town.

==Religion==
[[File:Chesham, The Salvation Army Hall, Broad Street - geograph.org.uk - 131890.jpg|thumb|Salvation Army Citadel]]
The oldest church building in Chesham is [[St. Mary's Church, Chesham|St. Mary's Church]] which dates from at least the 12th century. Chesham has a long history of religious [[dissent]], such as the persecuted [[Lollardy|Lollards]], followers of the [[John Wycliffe]] tradition.  One of them, [[Thomas Harding]], was martyred on White Hill, near Dungrove Farm, in 1532. The [[Amersham Martyrs Memorial]] commemorates the execution of local Lollards in [[Amersham]], and there are memorials to Thomas Harding in the churchyard and on White Hill. The 17th, 18th and 19th centuries saw the rapid growth of [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|non-conformism]] especially [[Baptists]]. During the English civil war there were groups of Quakers, Baptists and Presbyterians.  Broadway Baptist Church dates back to at least 1706 and had its 300th anniversary celebrations in Chesham in 2006. Its roots are in the Chesham and Berkhamsted Baptist Church which dates back to 1640.
[[File:Chesham Mosque.jpg|thumb|Chesham Mosque]]
In the present day, Chesham has four Baptist churches (Broadway Baptist, Trinity Baptist and Newtown Baptist) and four [[Anglican]] churches (St Mary's, Christ Church in Waterside, Hope Church, formerly called Hiving's Free Church, in Upper Belmont Road and Emmanuel in Newtown). There is a [[United Reformed Church]], formerly called the Congregational Church, in The Broadway, there was a [[Gospel Hall]] in Station Road (which closed at the end of 2008), a [[Roman Catholic]] church (St Columba's) in Berkhampstead Road (built in 1960), a [[Methodist]] chapel in Bellingdon Road, a [[Salvation Army]] Citadel in Broad St (closed in 2015), an historic [[Quaker]] [[Friends Meeting House]] in Bellingdon Road, The King's Church charismatic fellowship which meets at Chesham Park Community College.  Almost all of the Christian churches of Chesham work collectively as part of the Churches Together for Chesham (CTfC) group, which has 16 churches in membership.  Other religious groups include Chesham [[Spiritualist Church]] in Higham Road and the Jehovah's Witnesses off Bellingdon Road.

During the Second World War, the first recorded Jewish congregation was founded by families evacuated from London who used to meet at the cricket pavilion. After the war, they combined with the Jewish community in Amersham which met at the synagogue in Amersham-on-the-Hill until 1968. This was succeeded by a [[Liberal Judaism (United Kingdom)|Liberal Jewish]] community formed in 1990 which now meets at Chesham Grammar School.<ref>[http://www.jewishgen.org/JCR-UK/community/chiltern.htm Chiltern Jewish Community website], Retrieved 18 May 2009</ref>

During the second half of the 20th century, a sizeable [[Muslim]] community became established in the town. [[Chesham Mosque]], the first purpose-built mosque, was completed in 2005 and is located in Bellingdon Road.

==Demography==
{|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Religion<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&e=61&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359736031472&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2579 Neighbourhood statistics Religion Census 2011], Accessed 1 February 2013</ref>
! %
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |[[Buddhism|Buddhist]]
|0.4
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |Christian
|54.4
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |[[Hinduism|Hindu]]
|0.9
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |[[Jewish]]
|0.3
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |[[Muslim]]
|8.2
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |[[Sikhism|Sikh]]
|0.3
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |[[Atheist|No religion]]
|27.3
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |Other religion
|0.5
|- style="line-height: 1.1em"
|align=left |Not stated
|7.6
|}
|width=15|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable"
!Age<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&e=62&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359738570379&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2474 Neighbourhood statistics Age 2011 census], Accessed 1 February 2013</ref>
!%
|-
||0–9||align=right|13.1
|-
||10–19||align=right|12.2
|-
||20–29||align=right|11.0
|-
||30–44||align=right|21.7
|-
||45–59||align=right|21.0
|-
||60–74||align=right|14.3
|-
||75–89||align=right|7.0
|-
||90+||align=right|0.7
|}
|width=15|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable"
!Ethnicity<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&e=61&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359736031441&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2575 Neighbourhood statistics Ethnic Group Census 2011 ], Accessed 1 February 2013</ref>
!%
|-
||[[White British]]||align=right|80.7
|-
||[[White Other]]||align=right|5.1
|-
||[[Mixed origin]]||align=right|2.6
|-
||[[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]]||align=right|1.3
|-
||[[Pakistani Briton|Pakistani]]||align=right|7.3
|-
||[[British Asian|Bangladeshi]]||align=right|0.3
|-
||[[British African-Caribbean community|Black Caribbean]]||align=right|0.4
|-
||[[Black African]] ||align=right|0.6
|-
||[[British Chinese|Chinese]]||align=right|0.4
|-
||Other||align=right|0.4
|}
|width=15|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable"
!{{0}}Population{{0}}!! {{0}}{{0}}Total<ref>[http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/bkm/Chesham/Index.html Census returns for Chesham 1801 -1901 Genuki England and ireland June 8, 2008 ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220084013/http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/bkm/Chesham/Index.html |date=20 February 2009 }}</ref>{{0}}
|-
||1801||align=right|3,969
|-
||1831||align=right|5,388
|-
||1851||align=right|6,098
|-
||1871||align=right|6,488
|-
||1901||align=right|7,245
|-
||1931||align=right|8,812
|-
||1951||align=right|11,433
|-
||1961||align=right|16,297
|-
||1971 †||align=right|20,466
|-
||1981||align=right|20,447
|-
||1990||align=right|20,214
|-
||2001||align=right|20,358
|}
|}
[[Demographics]] based on 2011 census for the population of Chesham:<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032&m=0&r=1&s=1359731128754&enc=1&domainId=62 Neighbourhood statistics 2011 census] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522173221/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=11121868&c=chesham&d=16&g=6404194&i=1001x1003x1032&m=0&r=1&s=1359731128754&enc=1&domainId=62 |date=22 May 2013 }}, Accessed 1 February 2013</ref><ref>[http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110929045857/http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/downloads/Factsheet_Chesham.pdf Chesham parish 2001 Census Data Published by Chiltern DC 2004]</ref>
* Population of Chesham parish in 2011 was 21,483 comprising 10,600 males and 10,883 females.
* Status: 51.2% married, 0.2% in [[civil partnership]], 34.5% single (including widowed, divorced etc.)
* Housing:  67.6% owner occupied, 0.9% shared ownership, 20.6% rented (public sector) 10.1% rented (private sector)
* Car ownership: 83% of households in the town own a car.
* Work/studying: 54% employed, 13.2% self-employed, 2.4% studying
* Not working: 12.9% retired, 5.9% unemployed, 5.0% caring for family, 2.8% unable to work
* Travel to work: 66.0% car, 11.5% train, 2.4% bus, 1.8% motor/bicycle, 10.0% on foot, 6.8% at home.

† Prior to boundary changes in 1974 reducing size of Chesham Town area

==Transport==
[[File:Chesham Tube Station.jpg|thumb|Chesham tube station]]

===Rail===
[[Chesham tube station]], close to the town centre, is the [[Terminal station|terminus]] of the [[Chesham branch]], a single-track spur off the London Underground Metropolitan line connecting to [[Chalfont & Latimer station]]. The station was opened on 8 July 1889 by the [[Metropolitan Railway]] (MR). The line had been intended to extend to [[Tring railway station|Tring]] with connections to the [[London and North Western Railway]]{{'}}s [[West Coast Main Line]]. However, the MR chose an alternative route across the Chilterns and so the idea was abandoned and the Metropolitan line continued to [[Aylesbury railway station|Aylesbury]] via [[Amersham station|Amersham]]. There were some sizeable goods yards beyond the station, which were closed and now function as [[Waitrose]]'s car park except for one portion occupied by coal merchants.

In 1959 electrification of the Metropolitan line to Chesham provided a more reliable connection to London. With the cessation of London Underground services to Aylesbury in 1961 and to [[Ongar tube station|Ongar]] in 1994, Chesham became the furthest location served from central London, in terms of both distance and travelling time. Prior to December 2010, apart from a few direct trains to London at peak times, a shuttle service operated to and from Chalfont & Latimer. Since then the town has benefited from direct trains to London all day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chilternvoice.co.uk/2010/12/01/last-chesham-shuttle-before-the-through-trains/|title=Last Chesham Shuttle Before the Through Trains|work=Chiltern Voice|access-date=9 December 2010|location=Chesham|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722181721/http://www.chilternvoice.co.uk/2010/12/01/last-chesham-shuttle-before-the-through-trains/|archive-date=22 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The nearest [[National Rail]] connections are at Amersham, although the LU line also connects directly to Chalfont & Latimer station, from where the Metropolitan line and [[Chiltern Railways]] provide a joint service with Metropolitan line trains travelling to [[Baker Street tube station|Baker Street]] and [[Aldgate tube station|Aldgate]] and Chiltern Railways trains travelling to [[Marylebone station|Marylebone]]. There is also access to London via [[Berkhamsted railway station]] on the West Coast Main Line.

===Roads===
In contrast to other towns in south Buckinghamshire, Chesham historically was not well served by road transport links. The [[stage coach]] bypassed the town and, unlike Amersham, there were no turnpikes and consequently roads were poorly maintained. Significant change occurred in the post Second World War period with the opening of the [[M1 motorway]]. The [[A416 road (Great Britain)|A416]] now runs through the town, from Amersham to [[Berkhamsted]], and connects the town to the more recently upgraded [[A41 road|A41]]. The A416 was diverted around the High Street and later upgraded to be dual-lane. Although these improvements enable more through traffic, traffic congestion has increased. Chesham's High Street was [[pedestrianisation|pedestrianised]] in 1990 and the benefits to the High Street have been felt ever since. Whilst some of the previous bustle has been lost, the impact of pedestrianisation has generally been positive.

===Bus services===
Bus companies running local services include [[Carousel Buses]], Red Rose, Redline and Red Eagle.

Residential areas of the town are connected with the central shopping-area. Chesham is also connected by services to nearby Amersham, and further afield to [[High Wycombe]], [[Hemel Hempstead]], and Uxbridge.<ref>
The main service in Chesham is the route 1/1A operated by Carousel. It connects the Pond Park estate to Chesham Town Centre and on to Amersham, Holmer Green, Hazlemere, and High Wycombe, serving the Eden Bus Station.
Carousel Buses also operate the "Chiltern Hundreds" service 105 travelling through Chesham on its way from Hemel Hempstead, Bovingdon and Lye Green, on to Amersham, the Chalfonts, Gerrards Cross, Denham and Uxbridge.
[http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/transport/Changes_to_bus_services_in_Chesham_and_Amersham.page? Bus Services Serving Chesham ''Bucks County Council'']{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot= InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted= yes }} Retrieved 27 August 2009
</ref>
Less frequent services run to [[Aylesbury]] and to surrounding villages.

===Car usage and parking===
There are six [[pay and display]] car parks in the town, managed by Chiltern District Council. This demand for parking reflects the relatively high car usage, a result of both affluence and the limited public transport provision in rural areas. As a consequence
Chiltern District has the 4th highest [[carbon footprint]] of all local authorities.<ref>[http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/chilternpartnership/site/scripts/download_info.php?downloadID=615&fileID=898 Chiltern Community Partnership] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613194409/http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/chilternpartnership/site/scripts/download_info.php?downloadID=615&fileID=898 |date=13 June 2011 }} Retrieved, 27 August 2009</ref>

===Cycling===
There is limited provision for cycle use within the town. The town is one setting off point for exploring the Chilterns and cycling heritage trails have been developed by the district authority, two of which are centred on countryside around Chesham.<ref>[http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/claire/site/scripts/downloads.php?categoryID=16 Chiltern DC Claire Partnership Cycling Heritage Routes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325112806/http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/claire/site/scripts/downloads.php?categoryID=16 |date=25 March 2010 }} Retrieved, 27 August 2009</ref>

===Air transport===
[[Luton airport]] is 15 miles away and [[Heathrow airport]] 22 miles away. The [[Bovingdon stack]] is directly above the town.

==Education==

===Primary education===
Between the 1960s and the mid-1990s Primary education provision in Chesham was organised into [[First school|First]] (ages 4–8) and [[Middle school|Middle]] (ages 8&nbsp;– 12) with some [[Combined school|Combined]] Schools taking pupils across the whole age range (4 -12). In 1996 the arrangements were modified and the age of transfer to Secondary education was changed to age 11. The schools still retain some elements of the previous arrangement reflected in their names. There are six Primary Schools within Chesham with catchment areas based on post codes: –  Elmtree First School, Newtown Infant School, Brushwood Junior School, Thomas Harding Junior School, Ivingswood Academy (previously Little Spring Primary School), Waterside Primary Academy. Attendance by Chesham children at some of the village schools close to the town is popular.<ref>[http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/section/index.jsp?contentid=-1845261740 Bucks County Council Schools] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925021104/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/section/index.jsp?contentid=-1845261740 |date=25 September 2006 }}</ref>

===Secondary education===
At secondary level, Buckinghamshire continues to operate a system of [[selective education]] with pupils sitting the [[eleven plus exam]] to determine entry to either a [[Grammar school]] or [[Secondary modern|Secondary Modern School]] (also known locally as an Upper School).<ref>[http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=657970117 Buckinghamshire Admission Information] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925032641/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=657970117 |date=25 September 2006 }}</ref> Two Secondary Schools are located in the town: – [[Chiltern Hills Academy]], a co-educational Church of England Academy, previously known as Chesham Park Community College which was formed from the merger of Lowndes School and Cestreham School) and [[Chesham Grammar School]], a co-educational grammar school, which until May 2010 was called Chesham High School. Chesham also falls within the catchment areas of two further grammar schools, [[Dr Challoner's Grammar School]] for boys' in Amersham and [[Dr Challoner's High School]] for girls in [[Little Chalfont]].

In the Chiltern and South Bucks area around Chesham and over the county border in [[Hertfordshire]] there are also a number of independent fee-paying schools providing education between ages 4–13 and up to age 18. Chesham Preparatory School is an independent school which opened in 1938 in the town and shortly after relocated to the outskirts of Chesham at [[Orchard Leigh]], providing fee-paying and scholarship-supported education.<ref>[http://www.cheshamprep.co.uk/CPS/homepage.shtml Chesham Preparatory School]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Special, further and adult education provision===
Chesham is the location of a nationally renowned [[Special school]], Heritage House School which first opened in April 1968 and caters for pupils between the ages of 2 and 19 with severe learning difficulties.<ref>[http://www.heritagehouseschool.co.uk/history.htm Heritage House School]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
A [[Further education]] college [[Amersham & Wycombe College]] was founded in 1973 and has one of its four campuses in the town on the former Cestreham Senior Boys School at Lycrome Road. The college caters for a range of student cohorts with 2000 students on full-time courses and 5000 on a part-time bases.<ref>[http://www.amersham.ac.uk/index.cfm?page=81 Amersham and Wycombe College] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527234040/http://www.amersham.ac.uk/index.cfm?page=81 |date=27 May 2008 }}</ref>
[[Adult learning]] comprising a range of provision including academic, [[vocational]] and [[leisure]] courses, is provided a four sites in the town. Chesham Adult Learning Centre in Charteridge Lane, ElmTree School, ElmTree Hill, The Douglas McMinn Centre in East Street and The White Hill Centre White Hill.<ref>[http://www.adultlearningbcc.ac.uk/Bucks CC Adult Learning site]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The Chess Valley section of the Chiltern [[University of the Third Age]] (U3A) was formed in October 2008 in response to increasing demand for activities in the area and meets at St Mary's Church.<ref>[http://www.chessvalley-u3a.org.uk/ ''Chess Valley U3A''] Retrieved 2009_07_24</ref>

==Culture and recreation==

===Community facilities===
[[File:Chesham Eligva Theatre.jpg|thumb|The Elgiva Theatre]]
The Elgiva Hall opened on its original location in 1976.<ref>[http://www.cheshammusicaltheatre.co.uk/history2.html Elgive Hall opens 1976 ''Chesham Musical Theatre''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516072612/http://www.cheshammusicaltheatre.co.uk/history2.html |date=16 May 2008 }} Retrieved, 2009_07_23</ref> In 1998, having made way for an enlarged supermarket development the Elgiva was rebuilt as a purpose-built theatre on its current site and reopened as the New Elgiva. Now rebranded ''The Elgiva''   it is a 300 seated/400 standing capacity theatre, with a Dolby Digital 35mm cinema and is owned and managed by Chesham Town Council. The Elgiva presents a wide-ranging programme of professional and amateur theatre productions, musicals, comedy, dance, one night shows and concerts, pantomimes, films, exhibitions and other public and private events by both professional and community organisations. The Little Theatre by the Park is a facility owned by the Town Council and leased to the Little Theatre Trustees. It is the home to the Chesham Bois Catholic Players and used by other local theatre companies and is used for dance and exercise groups.[[File:Chesham Museum Ch1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Chesham Museum]]]]

[[Chesham Museum]]  is a newly established museum for the town and surrounding area which opened in 2004 having first been conceived in 1981. Initially it was housed in temporary premises at The Stables behind the Gamekeeper's Lodge Pub in Bellingdon Road. Since October 2009 it has been located at 15 Market Square.<ref>[http://www.cheshammuseum.org.uk/index.html Chesham Museum homepage]  {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120803121747/http://www.cheshammuseum.org.uk/index.html |date=3 August 2012 }}</ref> There is also an annual Schools of Chesham carnival, Beer festival and bi-annual Chesham festival.[[File:Chesham Library.jpg|thumb|[[Chesham Library]]]]

[[Chesham Library]] opened in Chesham in 1923 in a room at Cemetery Lodge on Berkhamsted Road.  In 1927, it moved into new premises at 33 High Street on the Broadway which it shared with Chesham Urban District Council.  After the war it expanded. A children's section was added in 1952. In 1971 the library moved to Elgiva Lane, a site it shared with the Elgive Theatre prior to the latter's relocation to new premises. Since then it has been updated to provide better access and improved internal facilities including the evolution of the reference library into a Study Centre. It also houses a special collection of [[Victorian era]] children's books including some previously owned by [[Florence Nightingale]].<ref>[http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=-948639206 Victorian Children's books in Chesham Library] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210081434/http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=-948639206 |date=10 February 2012 }}</ref>

The White Hill Centre, the site of an old school, is run by Chesham and District Community Association and since 1976 has provided educational, recreational social activities and facilities for societies and the local community to meet.<ref>[http://www.whitehillcentre.org.uk/ White Hill Centee] Retrieved 14 June 2009</ref>
Opposite the town centre is Lowndes Park, a large park with playgrounds and formerly an open air paddling pool. There is a large pond in the park, known as Skottowe's Pond. Lowndes Park was donated to the town of Chesham in 1953. Prior to this it was part of the garden that belonged to the Lowndes family. The Moor, originally an island created by the diversion of the Chess to power mills is today an open space used for recreation and the location for travelling fairs which moved from their traditional location in the town centre in 1938. There are two public swimming pools in the town. An [[Lido (swimming pool)|outdoor pool]] at the Moor in Waterside and a roofed pool (and [[leisure centre]]), next to Chesham Grammar School at the top of White Hill. The Town Council manages 227 [[Allotment (gardening)|allotments]] spread across three sites.<ref>[http://www.chesham.gov.uk/Allotments/Allotments.aspx ''Chesham Town Council'' allotments], Retrieved 27 August 2009</ref> There are 135 footpaths in the Chesham area and in May 2010 the town became the first in the Chilterns to be recognised as a "Walkers are Welcome Town".<ref>[http://www.chesham.gov.uk/Walks/Chesham_Walks.aspx 'Walkers Are Welcome' ''Chesham Town Council''], Accessed 21 May 2010</ref><ref>[http://www.buckinghamshireexaminer.co.uk/south-bucks-news/local-buckinghamshire-examiner-news/2010/05/20/chesham-first-chilterns-town-to-officially-welcome-walkers-114018-26479601/ Chesham first Chilterns town to officially welcome walkers ''Bucks Examiner''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911095422/http://www.buckinghamshireexaminer.co.uk/south-bucks-news/local-buckinghamshire-examiner-news/2010/05/20/chesham-first-chilterns-town-to-officially-welcome-walkers-114018-26479601/ |date=11 September 2011 }}, Accessed 21 May 2010</ref>

===Sport===
[[Chesham United F.C.]] is the local football club which plays in the [[National League South]   .v At the end of the 2009–2010 season it was promoted to the [[Southern Football League Premier Division|Premier Division]].<ref>[http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/sport/8132624.Chesham_United_clinch_promotion_with_4_0_win/ Chesham United_clinch promotion with 4 0 win ''This is London''] Accessed 25 May 2010</ref> It was formed in 1917 through the merger of Chesham Generals (the team of the Chesham General Baptist church now called Broadway Baptist Church), which was founded in 1887, and Chesham Town FC (started as the football team of Christ Church, Waterside), a founding member of the Southern League which started out in 1894 as Chesham FC. The club's most successful period was during the 1967–68 season when it reached the final of the [[FA Amateur Cup]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]] but lost out to [[Leytonstone F.C.]] 1–0 in front of a crowd of 54,000. The club has struggled financially and performance-wise over recent years but has recently had a cash injection from a new financial backer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshamunited.co.uk/club/history.php |title=Chesham United F.C. History of the Club |access-date=28 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509082742/http://www.cheshamunited.co.uk/club/history.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
[[Chesham cricket club]] was founded in 1848 and is one of the oldest clubs in the [[Thames Valley Cricket League]]. Its home ground is at Amy Lane. In addition to four senior Saturday XIs it also runs two Sunday XIs and a women's side. Chesham also has a Junior section, which competes in Buckinghamshire and national competitions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshamcc.co.uk/ |title=Chesham Cricket Club |access-date=10 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202080659/http://cheshamcc.co.uk/ |archive-date=2 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Chesham [[Rugby union]] Club ('The Stags'), was founded in 1980 and play rugby for boys, girls and adult men and women at Chiltern Hills Academy. The Stags also run netball teams playing in local leagues for girls and women.

===Town twinning and cultural exchanges===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom}}
Chesham has [[town twinning|twinned]] with three towns in other countries. It is organised by the Chesham Town Twinning Association. The first link-up was in 1980 with [[Friedrichsdorf]],<ref name="Friedrichsdorf twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.friedrichsdorf.de/lebeninfriedrichsdorf/unserestadt/partnerstaedte.php|title=Partnerstädte – Friedrichsdorf|access-date = 16 July 2013|work = Friedrichsdorf Town Council|publisher= Stadt Friedrichsdorf 2013|language=de}}</ref> at the foot of the [[Taunus]] Hills near [[Frankfurt]], Germany. Next followed the association with [[Houilles]],<ref name="Houilles twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.jumelage-houilles.com/|title=Bienvenue au Comité de Jumelage de Houilles|access-date = 16 July 2013|work = Comité de Jumelage de Houilles|language=fr}}</ref><ref name="Archant twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |title=British towns twinned with French towns |access-date=11 July 2013 |work=Archant Community Media Ltd |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |archive-date=5 July 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> a [[Communes of France|commune]] of Paris, France, in 1986 and thirdly, in 1995 a tie-up with [[Archena]], in the [[Region of Murcia|Murcia]] region of Spain.<ref>[http://www.cheshamtwinning.com/index.htm Chesham Town Twinning Association] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206195619/http://www.cheshamtwinning.com/index.htm |date=6 December 2008 }}</ref>
Some organisations also have international links. Emmanuel Church is linked with a church in Prague, Czech Republic.  Chesham British Legion is linked with its Canadian equivalent in Buckingham, Quebec.  Ley Hill Methodist Church is linked with Skopje Methodist Church in Macedonia.

==Media, communications and filmography==

===Local news media===
The local newspaper covering Chesham and the surrounding area, although it no longer has an office based in the town, is the ''[[Buckinghamshire Examiner]]'' founded in 1889.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chesham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/ |title=Buckinghamshire Examiner |access-date=19 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525042501/http://chesham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/ |archive-date=25 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Another Buckinghamshire newspaper with a circulation area covering Chesham is the ''[[Bucks Free Press]]''.<ref>[http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/localnews/cheshamnews/ Bucks Free Press] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522230257/http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/localnews/cheshamnews/ |date=22 May 2009 }}</ref>

===Local Radio===
Radio stations are [[BBC Three Counties Radio]] and [[Heart London]]. 

The [[Ofcom]] licensed community radio station for the Chilterns is [[Chiltern Voice FM|Chiltern Voice]] which broadcasts on 107.4fm.

===TV and mobile phone signals===
Due to its position in a fold in the hill, TV and radio reception in Chesham can be poor and the town now has its own TV mast. In the 1970s, Chesham was one of the last towns in the south east to receive [[BBC Two|BBC2]], and parts of it still cannot receive [[Five (channel)|Channel 5]]. Houses taking their TV reception from the Chesham transmitter<ref>[http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/chesham.shtml Chesham transmitter] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926221655/http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/chesham.shtml |date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> have vertically polarised aerials, whilst those in a good enough position receive their signal from the [[Crystal Palace Transmitter]] in London with horizontally polarised aerials&nbsp;– they always could receive BBC2 (and indeed Channel 4 & Channel 5). [[Digital terrestrial television]] coverage is patchy for much the same reason. Mobile phone reception can be poor in the steeper parts of Chesham and outlying villages.

===Filmography===
The following TV series and episodes included filming in Chesham's Old Town and pedestrianised High Street:<ref>[https://us.imdb.com/list/ IMDB Location search] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509105504/http://us.imdb.com/list/ |date=9 May 2008 }}</ref>
*''[[The Professionals (TV series)|The Professionals]]'' Close Quarters (1978) – Hundridge Manor
*''[[Hammer House of Horror]]'': Carpathian Eagle (1980) – Lowndes Park: The Silent Scream (1980) – 68 Broad Street
*''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' The Day of the Devil (1993) – High Street
*''[[Midsomer Murders]]'': The Axeman Cometh (2007) – Market Sq; Written in Blood (1997) – High St and Old Town; Sins of Commission&nbsp;– High St; Things that Go Bump in the Night (2004) – Market Sq; The Black Book – 15 Market Sq (2009); The Sword of Guillaume (2010) High St, Broadway War Memorial<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010511005355/http://www.geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/9476/locationsindex.htm Midsomer Murders Locations Retrieved May 11 2009]</ref>
*''[[Nuzzle and Scratch]] ''(2009) – ''[[CBeebies]]'' programme, Toy Shop episode filmed on the high street outside Harvey Johns
*''[[Scoop (British TV series)|Scoop]]'' (2009) – High Street and Town
*''[[Chucklevision]]'' Well Suited (2000) – High Street (opening scene)
*''[[Black Mirror]]'': "[[The National Anthem (Black Mirror)|The National Anthem]]" (2011) – desolate shots of the High Street and of an area near The Vale are shown near the end
*''[[The Imitation Game]]'' – 73 Church Street appears as Alan Turing's lodging house in Bletchley, and also appears briefly in Dirk Bogarde vehicle ''[[The Password Is Courage]]'' (1962)
*''[[Doctor Foster (TV series)|Doctor Foster]]'' – The Chess Medical Centre

==Notable people==
*[[Leonard Ashton|Leonard James Ashton]], (27 June 1915 – 19 January 2001) was an English [[Anglican]] bishop and military chaplain. He was the inaugural [[Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf|Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf]], lived in Chesham.
*[[Aneurin Bevan|Aneurin "Nye" Bevan]], [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician and father of the [[National Health Service]], moved to Asheridge Farm near Chesham, where he died on 6 July 1960.
*[[Val Biro]] children's author of the Gumdrop books lived in Chesham from 1955 to 1969. He died in 2014 aged 92.
*[[Thomas Pownall Boultbee]] d.1884 was a clergyman who on his death was buried in the town where he and his son both preached.
*[[Alfred Alexander Burt]] served in the [[World War I|Great War]] and 'for most conspicuous bravery at [[Cuinchy]], France on 27 September 1915 was a recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]]. He lived in the town until his death, in 1962, aged 67.
*[[Alice Connor]], actress, attended Chartridge Combined School in Chesham.
*[[Roger Crab]], who lived in what is now The Drawingroom Art Gallery and Restaurant, in Francis Yard was an eccentric who [[Lewis Carroll]] is supposed to have based his "[[Mad Hatter]]" character from ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' on.
*[[Andrew Davis (conductor)|Andrew Davis]] b.1944 is a British conductor who was born in nearby [[Asheridge]] and grew up in the town.
*[[Edward Field (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Field]] b.1828 in Chesham was a [[Rear Admiral]] in the [[Royal Navy]] and later a member of parliament.
*[[Stephen Fry]] spent part of his childhood in Chesham, attending Chesham Prep School as detailed in his autobiography ''Moab is my Washpot''.  He lived in Stanley Avenue.
*[[Joan Gardner (British actress)|Joan Gardner]] b.1911 in Chesham became an actress of stage and screen.
*[[Thomas Harding]], 16th-century English religious dissident. He was from Chesham and was executed as a [[Lollard]] in 1532. He fought for the right to read the scriptures in English. He was accused of [[heresy]] and interrogated in Chesham [[parish church]]. He was found guilty and was [[burnt at the stake]] in 1532, at Chesham in the Pell, near Botley.
*[[Charles Townsend Harrison]] art historian and critic was born in Chesham in 1942.
*[[Rob Hoey]], comedian, actor and musician, lives in Chesham.
*[[Alex Horne]], standup comedian currently lives in Chesham.
*[[Eddie Howe]], football manager of [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] was born in neighbouring Amersham but grew up in Chesham.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/bournemouth/12044748/Eddie-Howe-reveals-the-personal-story-behind-his-remarkable-ascent-with-Bournemouth.html |title=Eddie Howe reveals the personal story behind his remarkable ascent with Bournemouth |newspaper=The Telegraph |first=Sam |last=Wallace |date=10 December 2015}}</ref>
*[[Arthur Lasenby Liberty]], founder of the famous [[Liberty (department store)|Liberty store]] in London, lived in a house next to the George & Dragon in the High Street.
*[[William Lowndes (British politician)|William Lowndes]] (1652–1724) British Politician and [[Secretary to the Treasury]] who built and lived at Bury House as did many of his relatives and descendants
*[[Harold Mattingly]] d.1964 was a historian and [[numismatist]] who lived and is buried in the town.
*[[Margaret Mee]], (1909–1988) was born in the town and attended Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham. Studied art, and with her husband, Greville Mee moved to Brazil where she taught art and became a renowned [[botanical artist]], particularly the [[flora]] of the [[Amazon rainforest]].
*[[Arthur T. F. Reynolds]] (1909–2001) was born in the town and later became a [[Protestant]] [[missionary]] in China and Japan. He was the author or translator of a number of books.
*[[Irene Rooke]], theatre and film actress, married to Milton Rosmer, lived the latter period of her life until her death in 1958 in the town.
*[[Milton Rosmer]], film actor, director and screenwriter was living in the town at the time of his death in 1971.
*[[Ghayasuddin Siddiqui]], leading [[Islam]]ic intellectual and community leader. Founder and director of the Muslim Institute and of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain. Lives in Chesham.
*[[Guy Siner]], who starred in ''[['Allo 'Allo!]]'', currently{{when|date=January 2024}} resides in Chesham.
*[[Francis Wilson (meteorologist)|Francis Wilson]], TV weatherman. Used to live in Chesham.

==Freedom of the Town==
The following people have received the [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Town]] of Chesham.
 
{{Incomplete list|date=August 2019}}

* Vincent Crompton: 14 May 2015<ref>{{cite web|title=Chesham Town Council - Honorary Freeman of the Town|url=https://www.chesham.gov.uk/Council/First_Freeman_of_the_Town.aspx|access-date=2020-11-07|website=www.chesham.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/12943059.vince-crompton-to-be-made-honorary-freeman-of-chesham-for-charity-work/ |title=Vince Crompton to be made Honorary Freeman of Chesham for charity work |publisher=Bucks Free Press |date= |access-date=2022-03-20}}</ref>
* Katherine Merchant: 9 May 2019.
* Rocky Clarke: 9 May 2019
* Mora Walker: 9 May 2019
* Rod Culverhouse: 9 May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chesham.gov.uk/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=A253441D-2F0C-4A5A-827A-22409392DBD2|title=Chesham Town Council - Not Published}}</ref>
* Philip Folly
* Helen Salisbury:  27 September 2021

==See also==
;Nearby towns, villages and hamlets
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Amersham]]
*[[Asheridge]]
*[[Ashley Green]]
*[[Ballinger, Buckinghamshire|Ballinger]]
*[[Bellingdon]]
*[[Buckland Common]]
*[[Chartridge]]
*[[Chesham Bois]]
*[[Cholesbury]]
*[[Flaunden]]
*[[Hawridge]]
*[[Hyde Heath]]
*[[Latimer, Buckinghamshire|Latimer]]
*[[Ley Hill]]
*[[Lye Green]]
*[[Pednor]]
*[[St Leonards, Buckinghamshire|St Leonards]]
*[[Whelpley Hill]]
{{div col end}}
;Other articles
*[[Baron Chesham|Lord Chesham]]

==Further reading==

*{{Cite book |last=Baines, Arnold &|first=Birch, Clive|title=Chesham Century |year=1994 |publisher=Quotes Limited |location=England |isbn=0-86023-549-1}}
*Baines, Arnold & Foxell, Shirley. "The Life & Times of Thomas Harding, Chesham's Lollard Martyr" Clive Foxell 2010
*{{Cite journal | author=Branigan, Keith | title =The distribution and development of Romano-British occupation in the Chess Valley  | journal =Records of Buckinghamshire  | volume =18 | pages =136–49 | year =1967}}
* Foxell, Clive "The Lowndes Chesham Estate- the early photographs" Clive Foxell 2011
*Foxell, Clive "The Ten Cinemas of Chesham" Clive Foxell 2010
*{{Cite book |last=Hay |first=David and Joan |title=Hilltop Villages of the Chilterns|year=1994 |publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd |location=England |isbn=0-85033-505-1}}
*{{Cite book|last=Hepple, Leslie &|first=Doggett, Alison|title=The Chilterns|year=1971|publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd|location=England|isbn=0-85033-833-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/chilterns0000hepp}}
*{{Cite book |last=Hunt|first=Julian|title=Chesham A Pictorial History|year=1977 |publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd |location=England |isbn=1-86077-058-4}}
*{{Cite book | author=Piggin, George | title=Tales of Old Chesham | year=1993 | publisher=Highgate Publications (Beverley) Ltd | location=England | isbn=0-948929-70-7 }}
*{{Cite book | author=Rance, Eva | title=Eva's Story, Chesham Since the Turn of the Century| year=1991|publisher=The Book Castle |location=England|isbn=1-871199-85-9}}
*{{Cite book | author=Seabright, Colin J |title=Chesham Images of England| year=2004 |publisher=Gardners Books |location=England | isbn=0-7524-3367-9}}
*{{Cite book | author=Fletcher, Keith |title=Chesham at Work| year=2008|publisher=Hawkes Books|location=England}}
*{{Cite book |author1=Rees, Neil  |author2=Hart, Sheila |title=The Church by the Woods| year=2011|publisher=Hawkes Books| location=England}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Chesham|Chesham}}
*[http://www.chesham.gov.uk/ Chesham Town Council]

{{Chiltern}}
{{Buckinghamshire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chesham| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Market towns in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire]]