Nos. 40 & 42 – 17th century timber-framed building listed grade II with an old tiled roof.
No. 44 & 46 – 16th century houses with brick re-fronting a century later, hence the date 1693 on the façade with the letters HWK (see photo above left), which refer to William & Kathleen Hailey who then kept the Saracen’s Head Inn, which was then in The Broadway, not in Whielden St.  The Hailey family were glaziers and plumbers and lived there until a Miss Hailey married Thomas Morten in he early 19th century.  Their business premises were then in what is now The Worthies in the High Street.  Originally one house, it was where the famous Amersham black lace was made, which must have been particularly difficult to work on with the very poor lighting then available.  An enormous bread oven was found, big enough to be a children’s playroom. It is thought that it was the communal bakehouse for the town in the 19th Century.  The building is listed grade II.

Nos. 48 & 50(above right) built late 17th century in red and grey brick with an old tiled roof and is listed grade II.  Bright’s shoe shop was in no. 48, but it later moved to 6, The Broadway.

No 52 (Crown Farmhouse)(left) an early 19th century house with a Welsh slate roof and is listed grade II.  It is on the site of another farmhouse owned by the Child family (who ran The Crown Inn) in the early 18th century and was bought by Thomas Tyrrwhitt Drake in 1816. The house was restored in 1993 aqnd it has a large barn at the rear which was restored in 2005/6 after a major fire (see photos below).

 

Listen to Gerald Lee talking in 2004 to Diana Goodbody about the two parts of “Wilson’s Farm” and carrying gas masks as a boy in WWII

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Click on any of the photographs below to enlarge it and to see the description.  Then click on forward or back arrows at the foot of each photograph.  To close the pictures, just click on one.

Plan Your Visit

Opening hours:

Wednesday to Sunday, and Bank Holiday Mondays, 12noon to 4:30pm

49 High Street
Old Amersham
Buckinghamshire
HP7 0DP

01494 723700
[email protected]

 

“Enjoyed our visit to this wonderful interactive museum where you are positively encouraged to touch things!”

“Visited Amersham museum yesterday – lovely place, provides many details on the history of the place. Plenty of cute cafes, pubs and shops around also… not difficult to find free parking nearby. ”

“A well-run, informative and interesting small museum on the main street. It’s mostly volunteer-run and they do a great job in keeping it and making you feel welcome…Check out the herb garden too.”

“Enjoyable film and television location guided walk around Amersham hosted by Amersham Museum – here are the Sun Houses on Highover Park and further up the hill is High & Over.”

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