Amersham

Had a really lovely day in Amersham. Was planning to do a two-fer and get to Chesham as well, but, due to inevitable engineering works, it took me just under two hours to get out there.

After realising that my old friend and former AD Eddie Gosney lived not far from Amersham, in Buckinghamshire, I arranged to meet him there for lunch. "I'll take the train", he said. "That way we can have a drink."

Turns out he's been bored. He retired just over a year ago, planning to focus on his photography. But he hasn't been doing much of that recently.

So he took me for lunch in a pub in the old part (there's a newer part, Top Amersham) of Amersham. As we ordered drinks and sat down, he remarked that the last time he was in the pub was when he met a friend there 40 years ago. 40 years ago I'd just gone from being an itch in my daddy's pants to being a little bundle of joy.

After lunch we went to the other old pub in town for a few more ciders. It is an old 16th century coaching in, and was lovely as well.

Eddie is an incredible source of esoteric local and historical knowledge. One gem he produced was that the Metropolitan Line (which is the fastest line in the network, and one of only two that get you out of Greater London), of which Amersham is the terminus, used to run all the way out to Aylesbury, until the service was shortened in 1961.

The other gem was that a number of scenes in Four Weddings and a Funeral were filmed in our lunchtime pub.

Historically, like most places I've been, there is evidence of people having lived here long ago; records go back to pre-Anglo-Saxon times. Then, Queen Edith, wife of Edward the Confessor (who, incidentally, was patron saint of kings, difficult marriages, and seperated couples. WTF. But I guess if advertisers can have a patron saint, then so can couples who don't get along), held the land until her death in 1075, at which time victor William the Conqueror gave it to Geoffery de Mandeville.

Apart from plenty of 16th century buildings, there is also a notable 17th century market building.

Interestingly, Amersham is also the preferred starting point for the Tube Challenge, a race to get through the Tube system in the shortest amount of time. The Guinness World Record stands at 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds. Challengers actually use algorithms to figure out the fastest route!

Fell asleep on the way home, and was chuffed that I woke up just as we were pulling into Baker Street, where I had to change.

The map.