Chalfont St Giles

History

The Church of England parish church of Saint Giles is of Norman architecture and dates from the 12th century. The church contains many notable features, including a lychgate, wall paintings from the early 14th century, and iron cannon balls embedded in the stone, believed to have been fired by Oliver Cromwell's troops when camped in the neighbouring field after the Battle of Aylesbury. The Bishop Francis Hare is buried there.

In the Domesday Book in 1086 Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter are listed as separate Manors with different owners, called 'Celfunte'. They were separate holdings before the Norman Conquest.

Like most other rural parishes it managed its civil affairs through the vestry until the Local Government Act 1894 required all parishes of over 300 people to have a Parish council independent of the Church.

During the Great Plague of London in 1665, John Milton retired to Chalfont St Giles, which is where he completed his epic poem Paradise Lost. Milton's Cottage still stands in the village, and is open to the public. The inspiration for Paradise Regained is said to have been found in this parish from a conversation with a former pupil, Thomas Ellwood. In 1887, after an attempt was made to relocate the house to America and rebuild it there, a movement was begun locally to purchase the house by local public subscription. Queen Victoria headed the list with a gift of £20, a considerable amount at the time - approximately £2360 as of 2016.

The birthplace of J.T. Hearne, one of the greatest bowlers of the 1890s and 1900s, who died there in 1944, and of the actress Alexandra Gilbreath.

Notable residents of the village have included Ozzy Osbourne, Harry Golombek, Brian Connolly, Brian Cant, Chicane, Armando Iannucci, Noel Gallagher, and Nick Clegg who became the Liberal Democrats party leader in 2007 and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2010 until 2015.

The village has also given its name to Chalfont, Pennsylvania, which is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The Chiltern Open Air Museum, located immediately outside the Parish boundary, rescues and re-erects historic buildings which face demolition, from medieval to modern. Its collection includes a cottage from around 1600, and a variety of 19th century buildings, within 45 acres of parkland.

In 2009 the village was awarded the European Diploma of the Council of Europe, in recognition of its efforts to propagate the idea of European unity.

Amenities

The village is the closest to Hodgemoor Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The village is twinned with Graft-De Rijp, Netherlands.

Sport

The local football club is Chalfont Wasps, which was promoted to the Hellenic Football League Premier Division for the 2008–09 season. They play their home games at 'The Nest'. Chalfont St Giles has a tennis club, affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association. The village is home to Oakland Park Golf Club, and nearby to Harewood Downs Golf Club.

Film and television

Chalfont St Giles has been the location of several film and television programmes. It doubled as Walmington-on-Sea in the 1971 film version of Dad's Army. John Laurie, one of the main actors, lived in Chalfont St Peter. The Miller's Tale episode of the BBC Television drama The Canterbury Tales was filmed in and around Chalfont St Giles as was an episode of the BBC Television sitcom As Time Goes By. It was the location for the filming of Episode 6 of Series 3 of Peep Show. The village is also mentioned in the series 3 episode of Jeeves and Wooster entitled "Bertie Sets Sail", when Bertie Wooster likens Lord Wilmot Pershaw's demeanour to `a wet weekend in Chalfont St. Giles.' Other films and TV shows filmed in Chalfont St Giles include Hammer House of Horror, The Sweeney, and The Big Job (film), starring Sid James and Dick Emery. The village is ideal for film production due to its close proximity to Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, and London.

Hamlets

Hamlets in Chalfont St Giles parish include: