18th December 2008 - by Frederick
Williams
Interesting Bucks, UK Facts
Buckinghamshire (also called Bucks) is a non metropolitan home
county in South East Britain and its county town is Aylesbury.
The largest city in this ceremonial County is Milton
Keynes.
The area that comes under the control of Buckinghamshire County
Council, or (shire county), is distributed into four districts
; Chiltern, Aylesbury Vale, Wycombe and South Bucks. The
Borough of Milton Keynes is a governing authority and it forms
one part of the county for many functions such as Lord
Lieutenant. It does not come under control of county council.
This ceremonial county, the whole of the area including Milton
Keynes borough, shares its borders with Berkshire,
Bedfordshire, Greater London, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and
Northamptonshire.
The name of this County Buckinghamshire is basically Anglo
Saxon in original and it means the District of Bucca s Home .
Bucca s home stands for Buckingham in the northern side of this
county, and it derives its name from an Anglo Saxon landowner.
This county s name exists since 12th century.
The history of this area, however, precedes
the Anglo Saxon period and this county has a rich and a
colorful history starting from the Roman and Celtic periods and
these Anglo Saxons most probably had the greatest impact on
Buckinghamshire s geography. This rural county is vastly as it
was during the Anglo Saxon era.
In later times, however, Buckinghamshire became a significant
political area, with interventions of King Henry VIII in local
politics during the 16th century and a century later the
English Civil War erupted in mid Bucks which was started by
John Hampden.
In the 19th century the biggest change to the county came, when
cholera and famine hit the rural county simultaneously, forcing
many to flee to big cities to find work in order to
survive.
The local economical picture changed and it meant a lot of land
prices were getting cheaper, all this was at a time when the
rich became more mobile and Bucks became a famous rural idyll,
an image that still exists even today. Daily commuters of
London often stay at Buckinghamshire, thus affecting a great
local affluence, but still some pockets of relative adversity
remain.
The county is split into two sections geographically. The
southern side goes from the Thames River up the mild slopes of
the Chiltern Hills to the more sudden and abrupt slopes on the
northern side that leads you to the Vale of Aylesbury, a large,
flat and huge piece of land, that included the path of the
Great Ouse River.
Out of the three longest rivers in Britain, this county has
two. The Thames River shares the southern boundary with
Berkshire, which has grown over its border at Eton and Slough
meaning that the river is no longer the only boundary between
these two counties. The River Great Ouse starts just on the
borders of the county in Northamptonshire and starts flowing
towards east through Buckingham, Milton Keynes and Olney.
The main tributary that belongs to grand Union Canal flows
through this county as does its creeks to Aylesbury, Slough,
Wendover (not in use) and Buckingham (not used). The canal has
been merged into Milton Keynes.
The two highest points are Coombe Hill near Wendover, and
Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire, near
Wendover. At 267 m (876 ft) above sea level, there is a stone
to mark the summit.
Buckinghamshire consists of an area that is governed by Milton
Keynes Borough Council. It is also administered by
Buckinghamshire County Council. This ceremonial county has a
High Sheriff and a Lord Lieutenant. In present times the High
Sheriff of Buckinghamshire is Amanda Nicholson and the Lord
Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire is Sir Henry Aubrey Fletcher.
Since 1702, the Custos rotulorum has been added to the duties
of Lord Lieutenant.
The county council was founded in 1889, with its base at
municipal buildings in Walton Street, Aylesbury (which still
exists there). Local administration is administrated on a two
tier system in Buckinghamshire, it means that public services
are separated between the county council and a number of
district councils.
The council moved into new places in the 1960s: a 15 story very
tall block in the heart of Aylesbury (picture above) sketched
by architect Thomas Pooley. It is said to be one of the most
disliked and unpopular buildings of Buckinghamshire. Now it is
listed a Grade II building.
The northern part of Buckinghamshire in Milton Keynes Borough
got separated in 1997, to form a governing authority; however
for some celebrations and a few other purposes, Milton Keynes
is still regarded as a part of Buckinghamshire.
The County Council is a large employer within Buckinghamshire
and a provider of a huge variety of services, which includes
social services, education (schools, adult education and youth
services), libraries, County Archives and Record Office,
highways, County Museum and Roald Dahl Children s Gallery in
Aylesbury. All these consumer services and some other aspects
like planning and waste disposal.
Article Source: http://www.articlesabroad.com
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