Chiltern Hills

The Chiltern Hills or the Chilterns are a chalk escarpment in southern England to the north-west of London. They cover an area of 660 mi² (1,700 km²) across several counties, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. These hills stretch for about 45 miles (72 km) from Goring-on-Thames in the south-west to Hitchin in the north-east, reaching up to 12 miles (19 km) wide.

In 1964, almost half of the Chiltern Hills was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the Countryside Commission. This special status helps protect the beautiful landscapes and natural features of the area.

The north-west edge of the Chilterns is clearly marked by the escarpment. The hills gently slope down on their dip slope, blending into the countryside to the south-east. The River Thames marks the south-west end of the Chilterns, where the hills slowly become less noticeable as they stretch into north-east Bedfordshire.

History

During the Iron Age, the Chiltern ridge offered a safe and easy path across southern Britain.

The name Chiltern may come from an old language. Before the 1700s, people lived in small villages and farms across the Chilterns. Canals and railways built later helped towns like High Wycombe, Tring and Luton grow. In 1965, a large part of the Chiltern Hills was named a special protected area.

Geology

The chalk hills of the Chiltern Hills rise above the Vale of Aylesbury and mark where a big sheet of ice stopped long ago during a very cold time called the Anglian glacial maximum. The Chilterns are part of a group of chalk hills across eastern and southern England. These chalk hills formed between 95 and 65 million years ago. They stretch all the way to places like Salisbury Plain, Cranborne Chase, the Isle of Wight, and the South Downs in the south, and continue north-east through Hertfordshire, Norfolk, and the Lincolnshire Wolds, ending at the Yorkshire Wolds.

The layers of chalk were laid down over a hidden part of an old landmass during a time when the sea level was very high. The rocks in the Chiltern Hills are thinner than in some other places and were shaped by movements in the Earth's crust. As the African and Eurasian plates pushed together, the chalk layers tilted and were worn away, creating the hills we see today. Flint, a hard material often found mixed in with the chalk, has been used by people for thousands of years to make tools and parts of old buildings. You can still see flint in many older houses in the area.

Physical characteristics

The Chiltern Hills are a natural area of high ground made of chalk, located in southern England. The highest point is Haddington Hill, near Wendover in Buckinghamshire, standing at 267 metres above sea level. Nearby Ivinghoe Beacon is another well-known hill, starting points for walking paths like the Icknield Way Path and the Ridgeway.

The landscape includes many fields and woodlands, making it one of England's greenest areas. Several rivers begin in or near the Chilterns, including the Lea, Colne, and Thames. Major roads and railway lines pass through the hills, and there are many paths for walking and exploring.

List of towns and villages

Here are some towns and villages found in the Chiltern Hills area:

• Aldbury, Amersham, Apsley, Ashridge, Aston Clinton
• Barton-le-Clay, Beaconsfield, Bellingdon, Berkhamsted, Bledlow Ridge, Bovingdon, Bradenham, Breachwood Green, Buckland Common
• Caddington, Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter, Chartridge, Checkendon, Cheddington, Chesham, Chiltern Green, Chinnor, Cholesbury, Christmas Common, Coleshill
• Dagnall, Downley, Dunsmore, Dunstable
• Edlesborough, Ellesborough
• Fawley, Fingest, Flackwell Heath, Frieth
• Gerrards Cross, Goring-On-Thames, Great Hampden, Great Kingshill, Great Missenden, Great Offley
• Halton, Hambleden, Harlington, Hawridge, Hazlemere, Hemel Hempstead, Henley-on-Thames, Hexton, High Wycombe, Hitchin, Holmer Green, Hughenden, Hyde Heath
• Ibstone, Ivinghoe, Jordans, Kensworth
• Lacey Green, Lane End, Latimer, Ley Hill, Lilley, Little Chalfont, Little Gaddesden, Little Kingshill, Little Missenden, Luton
• Markyate, Marlow, Marlow Bottom, Medmenham
• Naphill, Nettlebed, Nuffield
• Penn, Pishill, Pitstone, Prestwood, Princes Risborough, Radnage, Redbourn
• Seer Green, Sharpenhoe, Shiplake, Skirmett, Southend, South Heath, Speen, St Leonards, Stokenchurch, Stoke Poges, Stonor, Streatley (Beds), Studham
• Thame, The Lee, Tring, Turville, Tylers Green
• Walter's Ash, Watlington, Wendover, West Wycombe, Whipsnade, Whitwell, Wigginton, Winchmore Hill, Woodcote

Strip parishes

The western edge of the Chilterns has special old strip parishes. These are long-shaped areas with villages in the lower flat land and woods and summer fields in the higher land:

• Bedfordshire: Eaton Bray, Toddington, Totternhoe
• Berkshire: Caversham, Cookham, Hurley, Maidenhead, Reading, Ruscombe, Sonning, Twyford, Wargrave, Wokingham
• Buckinghamshire: Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Bledlow, Bourne End, Buckland, Drayton Beauchamp, Great Kimble, Horsenden, The Lee, Marsworth, Monks Risborough, Pitstone, Princes Risborough, Saunderton, Stoke Mandeville, Weston Turville
• Hertfordshire: Tring, Wigginton
• Oxfordshire: Aston Rowant, Checkendon, Chinnor, Didcot, Ipsden, Lewknor, Mongewell, Newnham Murren, Nuffield, Peppard Common, Pyrton, Shirburn, Sonning Common South Stoke, Wallingford, Watlington

Economic use

The Chiltern Hills have been important for their natural resources for thousands of years. People have taken chalk from the hills to make cement and flint to build houses. The beechwoods provided strong wood for furniture. The area was famous for making chairs, especially in the towns of Chesham and High Wycombe; this is why the Wycombe Wanderers football team is called the "Chairboys".

Water has always been hard to find in the Chilterns. In the past, people got water from deep wells, ponds, and small rivers. Today, water from the underground chalk is pumped to homes, farms, and businesses far beyond the hills. This use of water may have caused some small rivers to disappear for long periods.

Since there was no stone for building, people used local clay to make bricks, along with timber and flint. As more people have come to enjoy the open landscape, the area has become a popular place to visit. Groups like the National Trust have helped protect the land, such as at Ashridge near Tring. In the early 1900s, youth hostels were built for people exploring the hills.

The hills have also been used for communication towers, like the ones at Stokenchurch BT Tower and Zouches Farm.

Protection

The Chiltern Hills are protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This means that major building projects cannot happen there unless there is a very important reason. In 2000, the government said that AONBs, like the Chilterns, should have the same level of protection as National Parks.

Chilterns Conservation Board

In July 2004, a group called the Chilterns Conservation Board was created. It has 27 members from local areas and communities within the AONB. The Board’s main goals are to protect the beauty of the Chilterns, help local communities, and create plans to manage the area. Unlike National Parks, the Chilterns do not have their own planning authority, so the Board gives advice to local governments about building plans.

Heritage

Historical buildings from the Chiltern region are kept safe at the Chiltern Open Air Museum near Chalfont St Giles. This museum shows copies of old buildings that might have been lost due to new buildings or road construction.

Chiltern Hundreds

Main article: Resignation from the British House of Commons

The Chilterns include an area called the Chiltern Hundreds. Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom are not allowed to leave their jobs directly. Instead, they can ask to become the Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. This is a special way for them to leave their position in the House.

Principal summits

The Chiltern Hills have many tall hills. Some of the highest points in these hills are shown in a list.

There are also some important high points south of a river called the Thames. These are also part of the Chiltern Hills.