Beaconsfield

This is very much a town in two parts: the old town, dating back to medieval times; and, to the north, the new town, which grew up following the construction of the Metropolitan line into central London and consisting chiefly of between-the-wars housing. The old town is best known for its wealth of literary connections. The poet and orator Edmund Waller was born in the nearby village of Coleshill in 1606 and had his family home just outside Beaconsfield. His best-known lines are perhaps the patriotic

Others may use the ocean as their road
Only the English make it their abode.

Waller’s tomb in the churchyard of St Mary and All Saints is marked by a very tall, sharply pointed obelisk with a tribute from fellow poet John Dryden. The church itself is one of the finest in the county and contains the grave of the statesman and political theorist Edmund Burke (1729–1797). Beaconsfield was also the home of the writer of the Father Brown books GK Chesterton (his grave is in the nearby Catholic church), the poet Robert Frost and the much loved children’s author Enid Blyton.

For a unique step back in time to the 1930s, or for anyone wanting to feel like Gulliver in Lilliput, a trip to the model village of Bekonscot is a must. The oldest model village in the world, Bekonscot was begun in the 1920s by Roland Callingham, a London accountant, who started by building models in his garden. As the number grew, Callingham purchased more land and, with the aid of a friend from Ascot who added a model railway, created the village seen today. Within the 1½-acre site are six distinct miniature villages. When the model village first opened, people would throw coins into buckets for charity; the tradition continues and, even today, all surplus profits go to charity. Enid Blyton’s house Green Hedges is depicted in Bekonscot, and she wrote a story about two children who visit the model village. Call: 01494 672919.

South of Beaconsfield, on the other side of the M40 at Wooburn Common, an entertaining day out is guaranteed at Odds Farm Park, home to many rare and interesting animals. The park was created with children in mind and the regular events include pigs’ tea time, pat-a-pet, bottle-feeding lambs and goat milking. As one of 20 approved rare breed centres in the country, the farm combines the family attractions with the breeding and conservation of many of Britain’s rarest farm animals. Open from 10am all year round.