Princes Risborough, a Buckinghamshire market town 40 minutes from London Marylebone by train, offers average house prices of £486,265—£185,345 less than London's median of £671,610. The town of around 9,000 residents has attracted celebrities like Jamiroquai's Jay Kay, former Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, and Apprentice winner Lee McQueen. In 2015, then-PM David Cameron and China's President Xi Jinping visited the Plough pub.
History and nature in abundance
The town's name derives from Edward the Black Prince, who owned a 14th-century manor on the site of today's Stratton Road car park. Queen Elizabeth I stayed at the now-vanished Brooke House; the current Manor House, built around a Jacobean staircase, was bought by the Rothschild family and given to the National Trust in 1925.
Princes Risborough sits within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Whiteleaf Cross, an ancient chalk hill figure, overlooks the town. It lies on the Ridgeway National Trail and connects to the Chilterns Cycleway.
Local perspectives on community life
Jack Smith, area sales manager at estate agent Bonners and Babingtons, has worked there for a decade. He said: "Having everything on your doorstep" is a major selling point. "You've got the High Street with your local amenities, supermarkets and coffee shops, good schools, but you're also right in the Chiltern Hills. The surrounding nature is very pleasant."
Smith noted the community feel: "You go into the bakers, and you end up knowing the people there. It's not like your traditional town, like Aylesbury, where you walk through, see faces, but you don't really get to know people." He described locals as "very down to earth, nice individuals, easy going."
Londoners welcomed
Despite concerns about rising property prices from London movers, Smith said locals have "no problem" with new arrivals. "We get different people here—locals who've been here a long time, people who have upsized or downsized locally, and then your Londoners who have moved out here. They integrate very nicely."
Cemra Nalinpi, 48, has managed Crumbs Too café for 26 years. She said residents are "kind" and the town doesn't get "much trouble," aside from occasional issues with teenagers. The sense of community is "good": "They come together when they need it. It's good communication, and people help each other if somebody needs anything."
