Scene from the car

I feel as if I've spent much of the week sitting in the car watching scenery and traffic flash past and I'm afraid that pictures taken through the car window is all I can show you this week. On Tuesday we drove 250 miles south to visit  family and friends who live 30 miles west of London in the county of Buckinghamshire (often referred to as Bucks County).

If you live in Pennsylvania USA you might also be familiar with Bucks County situated on your side of the Atlantic. The link is William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. He spent much time in Bucks County (England) and many of the place names in PA are from England.

This is an old picture of Bury Farm in the town of Amersham (Bucks, England) where William Penn visited his future wife. It dates from the sixteenth century and on Tuesday I passed it (in the car of course). I think William Penn might still recognise the house and if you read on you can see if you agree.

After 4 hours travelling from my home in the mountainous Lake District I can at last see the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire rising in the distance. This is where I once lived and although the hills are nowhere near as grand as the Lakeland mountains where I live now I'm very fond of the area as many generations of my family have raised families here.

The Chiltern Hills are made from chalk and the motorway cuts right through them.

If I stay on the motorway I will soon reach London but I'm heading for High Wycombe a town I know very well.

Perhaps I should say 'I thought I knew well'. I moved away over 20 years ago and during that time many of the traditional old buildings I remember have been demolished to make way for modern architecture. This is the Marks and Spencer store.

And here is Sainsbury's. I'm afraid I'm not a lover of these monsters. After driving through High Wycombe we head for the old town of Amersham.

I was relieved to see the old high street had scarcely changed. The buildings date back many hundreds of years and the wide streets that once carried stage coaches are now lined with parked cars. William Penn would have been familiar with many of these buildings and would probably remember a few of them.

And here is Bury farm at the far end of the old street. Today the house peers over its wall at the never ending stream of traffic passing by. I wonder if William Penn would recognise it and what he would think to the changes that have taken place in the 300 years since he stayed here. I'm not sure he would approve!

William Penn 1644 - 1718

Comments

[Helen]

Very nice photos--even though some are from the car. Mr. Penn would probably not recognize either Bucks County, I am sure!

[Marqueta]

Dear Eli,

From the car or not, I enjoyed every photo! The new stores are indeed monsters, but at least they left in plenty of sunshine ;0)!
I liked the older buildings much better, of course.

I used to live in Bucks Co, PA, and never knew William Penn's English history. I've learned something new!

Love,

Marqueta

[clarice]

Akkkkkkkkkkkk, they tore down beautiful old building and built thoses buildings, makes me sooo made !!! Clarice

[Janine W]

Okay I am an Draughtsman and I know this sounds bad cause it is my job but i hate it when old buildings get torn down, it breaks my heart and it blows my mind to see how old everything is over there - here in NZ anything a hundred years old is doing well hee hee

I hope you had a great time catching up with family and friends :) and the weather looks amazing xoxo

[Rhondi]

Hi Eli
We lived in Chester County Pa right next to Bucks. It reminded me a lot of England: lots of winding roads lined with stone fences, houses dating from the 1700s,many stone or tudor style, lots of rododendrons everywhere. I loved living there.
Hope you enjoyed yourself.
((hugs)) Rhondi

[elyse]

what a cool post.

xo

[Jane]

Thanks for sharing that. I'm ashamed to say that you know more about Penn's history than I do and my family has lived in Pennsylvania for centuries! The old buildings are so beautiful! I could spend a month there just looking!

Jane

[Martha]

this was a wonderful virtual drive...thanks so much! I, too, love the quaint villages over the newer constructions.
I love seeing your highway photos driving on the left. Ah, how I long to visit England!!!

[Joy]

Hi. What a lovely blog. I arrived here via Ravelry, in particular your Japanese doll (too cute). I have really enjoyed looking through your charming posts and look forward to more. Thanks for sharing.

[Paula]

Dear Eli,
Thank you for sharing your car trip and lovely photos! I do not like those 'monsters' either, and it was heartbreaking to read they tore down old buildings to put in those new ones! I am glad, however, that the old high street had hardly changed and William Penn would have recognized it. I am sure he would have not liked the changes to Bury Farm! I hope you enjoyed your visit with family and friends!

Love, Paula

[redwood house]

Hi Eli, sounds and looks like a lovely trip, I could not take pictures from the car I would be sick every where...I can't read a map or anything like that if in a car absolutely fine driving but a rubbish passenger.

Hope you are having this lovely sunshine that we are enjoying here.
Jan