Facts and places of interest in Princes Risborough

Interesting Facts about Princes Risborough

• The Saxon Chronicle in 903 first mentioned the Risborough estate as being royal hunting land and this carried on through to Henry VIII's time.

• Risborough was handed down to Edward, the Black Prince in the late 14 th Century. The Black Prince's palace was next to St Mary's Church.

• Princes Risborough has appeared in many films and television series, such as Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Jonathan Creek.

• Monks Risborough is the oldest documented Parish in the country; its boundaties being defined in a Charter of 903AD which itself was a replacement of an earlier Charter destroyed by fire.

• Industry developed when in 1862 the railway and the gasworks were built. Schools were also built in line with the increasing awareness for the need for education. Both Monks Risborough, once known as East Risborough , and Princes Risborough were announced as one civil parish in 1934.

Places of Interest in Princes Risborough

The Manor House  

The Manor House was built in the 17 th century and stands next to the church. It is built around an oak Jacobean staircase and balustradem with pierced scroll-work, and a great deal of excellent 18th century panelling . The Manor House was once owned by the Rothschilds who, in 1925, gave the house to the National Trust.

The Town

Leading away from the St Mary's Church and the Manor House, the little streets of 17th and 18th century cottages, many of them half-timbered, open out into the Market Square , where weekly markets and annual fairs are held.

St Teresa Roman Catholic Church  

The Roman Catholic church of St Teresa (1937) has a distinctive modern Byzantine style. The church was built in a triangular shape (architecturally symbolic of the Holy Trinity), with a large central dome surmounted by a cross.

Whiteleaf Cross  

Whiteleaf Cross stands out on the landscape and its origin remains a mystery. The cross was not mentioned in any writings before 1738 and the earliest known drawing of it is in the Bodleian library and entitled ‘Crux Saxonica' dated 1742, perhaps referring to a history stretching back to the Saxon times. . Whiteleaf Cross stands on the face of a promontory of the Chilterns above Whiteleaf and can be seen clearly across the Vale of Aylesbury. By the Enclosure Act 9 of George IV it was declared to be public property.