Halton, Buckinghamshire

History and development

Medieval Halton was held by the monastery of Christchurch, Canterbury, along with Monks Risborough, and after the Reformation, passed to the Bradshawe family of Wendover and later to the Fermor family. In 1720, James Fermor sold the estate to Sir Francis Dashwood of West Wycombe. It remained in the Dashwood's ownership until Baron Lionel de Rothschild acquired the estate in 1851.

In the Chiltern Hills above Halton is Halton House, a country house in the style of a French chateau, which is currently used as the main Officers' Mess for RAF Halton. It was originally built for Alfred de Rothschild in 1880. The RAF demolished its domed winter garden to build an accommodation block.

Halton lies just outside the Metropolitan Green Belt so it has not been protected from postwar housing development. At its southern end it is contiguous with Wendover, but it retains a separate, older village centre anchored by St Michael & All Angels Church, which dates from 1813, built on the site of a 16th-century church, and a community hall. There is a separate, modern Catholic Church.

The Parish also includes RAF Halton, a Royal Air Force (RAF) training station with a grass airfield used for glider training. Most modern housing in the village was built for RAF personnel, but some is now in private hands. A small shop mainly serves the RAF community. The base had a large military hospital employing hundreds of people, which was closed in 1995. The buildings remained until 2007/8 when they were demolished for the Princess Mary Gate housing scheme on land between Halton and Wendover.

Facilities

Halton Community Combined School is a mixed primary school, which takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The school has 200 pupils, with many from Forces backgrounds. In November 2023 the school was judged 'good' overall by OFSTED. The school also contains Halton Preschool, which takes children aged 2 to 4.

The Halton Tennis Centre has a small number of future athletes combining competitive tennis training with home schooling. The centre was formerly run by the RAF, who still train there.

Transport

The nearest railway station is Wendover, on the Chiltern Railways line between Aylesbury and London Marylebone (via Amersham). Journey times to London are under an hour. A single track railway line used to run from Halton, crossing the A413 by way of a level crossing, to a bay platform at the north end of Wendover station.

Route 8 is served by Arriva and is a bus from and to the Main Point at RAF Halton.

The Wendover arm of the Grand Union Canal flows through Halton on its course from Wendover to join the Grand Union beside Marsworth lock near Tring.

Popular culture

Halton gave its name to the Handley Page Halton, a cargo version of the Halifax bomber.

File:Haltonhouse-northface.jpg|Halton House Image:RAF Halton-Geograph-135448-by-Jarvis-Docherty.jpg| RAF Halton Image:Halton Airfield.jpg|Halton Airfield Image:RAF Halton Airfield - geograph.org.uk - 198188.jpg|Aerial view of RAF Halton

References

References

1. [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11124146&c=Halton&d=16&e=62&g=6404094&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359911745973&enc=1 Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 Census], Accessed 3 February 2013
2. (July 2024). "Location of Mid Buckinghamshire".
3. "Parishes: Halton A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 2.". Victoria County History, 1908.
4. "Halton, Buckinghamshire, England".
5. "Ofsted and Performance Data". Halton Community Combined School.
6. "Pre-school". Halton Community Combined School.
7. "Arriva Bus".