Great British Road Journeys - Buckinghamshire - Iver to Chesham Ep. 25

#buckinghamshire #roadtrip #driving
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This week we're continuing to explore Buckinghamshire starting in Iver... one of the most Southernly towns in the county. There's a nice bridge, the M25 and that's about it. But not to worry, on todays journey that will see us heading to Chesham there's plenty more to discover, an old hospital, model village and some trees. oh... and yeh, there's High Wycombe as well.
Using a copy of the 1923 Michelin Guide, I'll be travelling the country to see what remains and what's changed since it's publication. The guide offers suggestions on thing to see and where to stay all with the goal of getting you out there and exploring in your motor vehicle.
*Why not visit these places*
Burnham Beeches - www.cityoflond...
Bekonscot Model Railway and Village - www.bekonscot....
Pann Mill - www.pannmill.o...
St. Peter & St. Paul Church - www.missendenc...
Roald Dahl Museum - www.roalddahlm...

[@RobGibraltar]

I'm waiting with bated breath for the sarcasm and ascerbism of biblical proportions when he finally gets to Milton Keynes.

[@SportyMabamba]

As an MK resident I am looking forward to Jon’s in-depth scarifying 😁

[@RobGibraltar]

@@SportyMabamba he might surprise us all though and say something like 'apart from portway at rush hour, everything moves quite nicely'

[@mb-3faze]

4:03 - nice pointy hat :)

[@willtricks9432]

Looked like a large Iced Gem if you know that Sugary Snack

[@whyyoulidl]

Thx, I missed that!

[@mardymarvin8441]

i love the sarcasm and every time he says the 2nd big disagreement and it interesting to see how things have changed.

[@Thisiswhy1991]

"Iver come to Iver" 😄

[@chrisbardell]

The Iver to Uxbridge road over the M25 was known as the “Iver mile” in the late 80s and was an infamous local boy racer stretch. The nearby road Old Mill Lane was a well-known ‘quiet spot’ where couples could ‘relax’ in their cars. Both those facts: “allegedly”.

[@DW-indeed]

Iver, twinned with Biggun. ... I'll get me coat.

[@Beatlefan67]

Don't be a w*nker! (I have all his albums and performed on two!)

[@samholdsworth420]

Huh

[@rasherbasher8203]

😂😂😂😂

[@David_Crayford]

I was going to do that one. Book title: Size Matters - by Iver Biggun.

[@johnchurch4705]

😂😂😂😂

[@JamesHardiman99]

My dad used to take us for family days out to Beaconscot when I was about 10. I'm 77 now. High Wycombe was a furniture town because of all the beech trees at Burnham Beeches.

[@bobn007]

I live in Wycombe, it definitely got off lightly.

[@abarratt8869]

Ah, the mighty Saab streaks through the countryside, survives High Wycombe. These vids are fabulous!

[@adamjolley8552]

I like this video so I pressed the button specifically for that 👉🏻

[@cullyn]

I also pressed the button specifically for that

[@skipenguins]

As did I.

[@tonytricks]

I press it before I watch it-i'm not sure that's what it's for,but you know,Jon is reliable

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

Nursey says that I'm not allowed buttons, so I have to make do with velcro.

[@willtricks9432]

Thank you Adam for your steadfast dedication to tradition, a sane man in a mad world.

[@richardsmith-jr9wd]

I do like my new Sunday tradition of watching a fresh Auto Shenanigans. It’s like when we used to watch Lost in Space followed by Land of the Giants, then have a roast dinner.

[@ianker7143]

Bekonscot model village has the distinction of being featured (as a murder scene) in a 2009 episode of Midsomer Murders.

[@mike_ctid_taylor]

spent ages trying to identify the murder location and third time around realised the outline of the body was painted on the floor ......

[@andrewcrisp9391]

I led to believe that the house at the beginning is the house of carry on star, Syd James. The house and the bridge also feature in chitty chitty bang bang.

[@roomullan3050]

It’s the way you tell it that makes it interesting (and amusing) x

[@vicky-annedealey479]

Hiya thanks for popping into my home town chesham

[@GladysGordon-zq1wr]

You definitely deserve more recognition for this!

[@vibingwithvinyl]

BOT

[@samholdsworth420]

51 likes lmao wtf is going on

[@archstanton6102]

​@@samholdsworth420 People agree with the sentiment but clueless they are agreeing with a porn bot.

[@samholdsworth420]

@@archstanton6102 the comments never have anything to do with the video either, just generic vague comments...

[@jasonali4122]

Auto Shenanigans with a bit of Time Team thrown in for good measure (Iver). Lovely. Beaconsfield Model Village looks great.

[@ptonpc]

Going to have to add it to my road trip list.

[@Ro99]

I’ve been there quite a few times and I used to love being taken there by my parents when I was really little. It’s so much fun

[@NickDavies75]

It is! It's one of our favourite places to go, though my kids are starting to age out of it, sadly. I have fond memories of going when I was a little kid of roughly my son's age. Though oddly, the most lasting memory of the place was the Bananaman ice lollies they used to sell!

[@seahorseproperty]

You finally made it to my home town, good old Wycombe! Don't live there anymore, if my friends and family weren't there I'd never go back.

[@ShannonGraves-ty9vq]

Love your unique style, never change!

[@vibingwithvinyl]

BOT

[@MichaelAbbott-sl2di]

Sunday complete. I have of course hit the button with the purpose design. Ps "pun intended" wicked sweet awesome indeed. ❤

[@pulaold9310]

I remember being told "the best thing for High Wycombe is the dam both ends and fill it with water". I'm inclined to agree

[@MrGreatplum]

I’ve been to a wedding in that church in Great Missenden - very posh part of the world!

[@garyneilson1833]

Thanks John. High Wycombe was home to RAF Bomber Command HQ during the 2nd small disagreement

[@SpudUNoLike]

It’s now home to Martin Baker, the ejector seat company who have a ‘wall of life’ full of cards from pilots who’ve had the misfortune of using their products with great effect.

[@john07973]

US 8th Air Force were also at HW with their HQ on Wycombe Abbey land which became RAF Daws Hill

[@W2APS]

​@@SpudUNoLikeMartin Baker is in Denham, 3 junctions south on the M40, about half an hour or so away.

[@marklongman3860]

A link to H.Wycombe. - I recall back in the late 70's and early 80's at school practicing for nuclear missile strikes and subsequent fallout because we were close to NATO strike command near High Wycombe, and John you missed out the Golden ball on the mausoleum on the edge of Lord Dashwoods estate.

[@kubricksmith]

Another fascinating road journey. Thanks John!

[@neilknight7626]

One thing you missed when you was in Iver, Sid James's house was opposite you behind the big wall! Love your videos!very interesting ❤

[@Trickydicky99]

He did, Delaford Park.

[@elelegidosf9707]

This episode had me laughing out loud, especially the shot where it looked like that tower thing was sticking out the top of your head 🤣

[@alexsingleton2144]

Wicked sweet awesome! Can't wait to see the next installment!

[@CharityAngelSpectrum]

Fantastic Mr Fox is my favourite too 🙂

[@Cobwobbler]

Road archaeology, bridge hunting, an excellent model village that I've been to, and Rohl Dahl. What an episode. Well done 👍 If this was on ITV or Dave they'd easily stretch this out for 30mins PoP...

[@johnlladron735]

Brilliant video, as always. Thanks very much.

[@VkmSpouge]

My Gran use to take me to Beckonscot Model Village when I was a kid, it was great seeing all the model trains. Invariably I would always get something Thomas the Tank Engine related in the gift shop. High Wycombe is a tip.

[@dukeofaaghisle7324]

I like the fancy hat you were wearing when sitting on that bench in Beaconsfield.

[@Trickydicky99]

Jon, that bridge in Iver was featured in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where the villains attempted to steal Chitty !! You're welcome 😊

[@ianker7143]

Used to go to Burnham Beeches a lot when I was a kid. There was a cafe somewhere there that had a hutch labelled 'water otter' - look close inside and all you saw was a kettle! Ha! Ha! Thought you might appreciate that 😁

[@TheFunkadelicFan]

You know what they say, the old ones are the old ones.

[@john07973]

I remember that nearby was a tacky "fairground" and swimming pool

[@spitfire1962]

Thanks Jon. I had a good week, thanks for asking.

[@StephenBoyd21]

Ahhhh, kicking around my old haunts. It was good to see that everything was still as I left it.

[@petelongrs]

Thanks John. 👋

[@peterclarke4897]

Hi John, well high Wycombe air field was used for those magnificent men and there flying machines, they had to build a replica of brooklands racing circuit at the airfield.

[@ulazygit]

Sooo close to Chalfont St Peter (where family lives), the home of Geoffrey Chaucer (in Beaconsfield) and West Wycombe (childhood memories - also shared with the model village!) … you were also so close to Tranquility House, on the Windsor Road, the elevated M40 built so close you could almost lean out the windows and touch the piers!

[@stephenyates962]

Sundays wouldn't be Sunday without another fwickedsweetawesome video from Jon. Iver come to Iver, and the tower sticking out of your head in Beaconsfield is just Jon being Jon. Keep up the good work 👍

[@jedendwatrzy4189]

I noticed and chortled at that tower sticking out of his head, too!

[@steveraven4028]

Loving your vids, thanks. On the subject of model villages, Gt Yarmouth has one that in the 80's featured only one person of colour, he had a sack on his back marked SWAG, and was running down the street chased by a police constable!

[@minibus9]

awesome video, Fantastic Mr Fox was my favourite Roald Dahl book as well

[@defender1006]

Nice to see my home 'territory' so to speak as I've lived in the area all my life. There's so much more to everywhere you mentioned, but I guess that's true of anywhere you go, so just pick on high/low lights etc?!

[@SebsTruckStop]

You were in Iver?!! I live in Iver 😭 Wish I’d seen you haha Edit: I also visit Beaconsfield very often haha, gf lives there and I go truck spotting at the services. Cool to see these places be featured :)

[@Chrispydotbe]

4:03 Love the mitre on your head 😂 presuming this is intentional. Great entertainment. Keep it up. 😎

[@chriggle1]

I thought someone would notice, I did laugh at it

[@richardashley9108]

Thanks

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks a lot mate

[@davidsecker5161]

I loved the strange hat you was wearing while sitting on that bench

[@jasonsykes7725]

Thanks!

[@JoeStudd96]

Part of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was filmed on the old Iver Bridge. That big house can be seen, with Chitty driving down the old road as it was then.

[@brantnuttall]

I love this series! See you next week (although I enjoy your Facebook page during the week)

[@lollington_bear]

This one is a standout classic. Love it.

[@rumble602]

The High Wycombe fly tipping had me snorting a cheeky Sunday afternoon pastis right up and out of my nose. Cheers, and ouch.

[@twocvbloke]

But you didn't go looking for the Biggun, there has to be a Biggun there in Iver, I hear it talked about all the time that Iver Biggun... :P

[@andrewking4182]

Summed up High Wycombe pretty well, with the flytipping

[@MikeArott]

I'm surprised you made no mention of Pinewood Studios (home of the James Bond movies), just north of Iver, as you drove right by it. Although, I imagine, you couldn't fly your drone too close to it, in case they confuse you for a paparazzi and shoot it down.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

And they frequently used Burnham Beeches for forest scenes across British film and TV history.

[@alantheskinhead]

Chesham is an oddball place as I recall in the not so long ago days you had to change at Amersham on the Met Line and get another part of Met Line to Chesham. I seem to recall it was only a two carriage tube. Even today if you accidentally get the "Semi Fast" train be prepared for a long journey from Aldgate! Funny how High Wycombe looks quite pleasant tucked away off the M40 on a hill.

[@opiejaye]

Ah, Wycombe. I grew up round there, and don't really miss it to be honest.

[@Jackster4505]

Great little nuggets of sarcasm, according to Wiki, 12C John the Baptist Hospital......doesn't have a helipad installed. You just got to laugh.🤣

[@philsteele7151]

Doing a piece to camera next to a pile of fly tipping, class.

[@bornach]

It is difficult to avoid in High Wycombe. In spite of the police warning and CCTV monitoring, if those signs are to be believed, fly tipping is everywhere in this town.

[@darrenaitcheson795]

The Burnham Beeches Hotel used to be where the England football team stayed prior to home games. I remember being put there once because all the hotels around Slough were full (thank goodness) and bumping into Peter Beardsley & Co. while on the way to breakfast.

[@darrenaitcheson795]

...and my car broke down in High Wycombe a couple of weeks back on the way to the ferry in Liverpool, which meant I had to fly back to make a *second visit* to the place. I'm scarred for life.

[@marjon1703]

WOT! No mention of all the great films, filmed in Burnham Beaches from Pinewood Studios! Carry on don't loose your head, Excalibur, Hawk the Slayer (I think) Erm, I've run out, Ooo - Merlin

[@Anonymoususer_2023]

Iver is so close to the M25 London Orbital Motorway and near to Heathrow Airport. And is where the Elizabeth Line serves Iver.

[@James-gf9jl]

Pinewood Studios used Burnham Beeches as a film location for all manner of stuff, most recently Harry Potter. The roads were great for car chase scenes in the 60s and 70s too.

[@Nuts-Bolts]

The other near by film location was Black Park. Burnham had the beech trees and Black Park was conifers - and sometimes fibreglass palm trees.

[@chrisbardell]

Local towns also got used for some sequences. The old HP building in Uxbridge (Harman House?) aka the Dallas Building was often used when a modern 80s-futuristic building was needed.

[@davidking3697]

The other famous person from great missingdon, the missingdon flyer 👍

[@tonybrook7768]

Thanks for asking Jon, Iver had a jolly good week 😊

[@mattsentertainments4430]

wickedsweetawesome

[@LucyEssex]

Best one yet, keep it up, makes my Sunday

[@misterbridger]

I can't believe you visited High Wycombe and didn't mention the multi-roundabout in the town centre where the A404 meets the A40. Back in 1988/89 it was the highlight of my commute from Reading to Amersham, trying to decide which way around I should go to get through fastest.

[@FikuKromoUzuFajrovulpon]

Lovely hat you had at 4:15, quite unique 🤪

[@raynarnslr1966]

Great as always, safe travels Jon atvb.

[@wamgoc]

My home town!!!👏👏👏

[@yellowbird8690]

Something you maybe interested about Beaconsfield is the diversion of the A355 to link up with a roundabout on the A40. It was works casting £80 million. They spent the first £50 million, then stop, just short of Minerva Way. This was a few years ago, when I was having a bit of fun with Google Maps satellite view, following this new road, when it strangely just stopped. Reading news articles, they had a problem of which way to go. Either go through an ancient woods; go through a school; or through a small business park of shack-like buildings. Looking at it now, they went with knocking the shacks down. One bizarre thing I saw in the view at the time; despite having a road not yet going anywhere, some one went to the bother of putting the white line down to the end. (Oh, of course, inflation.)

[@R6AAO]

Chesham Bois and the surrounding areas are stunning, with wild deer and rolling fields..

[@kramer26]

Another fascinating video, Jon, and some great cars in that photo of Chesham Hospital, Volvo 240 estate, Audi 80, Rover 416GSi (?) and most definitely a Mk.2 Fiesta XR2 in the background... quite the car for a staff member, must have been a consultant! I wonder if it's still around..? Unfortunately the Audi appears to have met it's demise in 2006, but strangely enough the Rover is currently SORN'd so could still be around and not disintegrated into a pile of rust like most of them.

[@ggmtv1394]

As public seatwear, your Beconsfield hat is fine.

[@andyreact]

A nice fungi spot! 🍄

[@teacarradale]

As always Mr, the highest highlight of one's week! ❤

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

"pun absolutely intended.". Superb, More please XD

[@AFCManUk]

Ah yes, Burnham Beeches. Now a popular dogging area (probably) and famous in the early 90's for a certain Geri Halliwell (Occasionally Horner) doing a model shoot and getting her norks out.

[@brianallen858]

Well done guy ❤❤

[@user-eo3hd9zw5s]

We stayed in Amersham for a few nights on our UK visit years ago. Would've liked to visit High Wycombe and the ghosts of Arthur Harris and Lord Cherwell. I wonder if the Iver forest preserve inspired the outing scenes in Orwell's "Aspidistra" and "1984." Thanks for a great channel Jon.

[@johnoblein4592]

H.W. my place of birth and education, for a short time in the Technical School behind the Norman Ruins until relocating to a new site. Thank you for this waft of nostalgia.

[@AndyHullMcPenguin]

I've done my civic duty and clicked the "button specifically for that" and a very satisfying click it was. I highly recommend you do the same.

[@garethhiley6388]

Genuinely chortled to myself at the point after you dropped something on the floor through the bench, as I noticed you perfectly positioned the tower behind you to have a pointy hat! 👏👏👏👏

[@nrahim91]

I can't believe you ignored the magic roundabout of High Wycombe!

[@philipmurphy2]

Road Journeys is always worth watching

[@paulkrenz9593]

Very Enjoyable

[@gfdezxdfg]

thamks I love you

[@jasonsykes7725]

smashing!!

[@sandwichbar8226]

Hello Jon, how the devil are you, have you had a good week?

[@ptonpc]

What the the button specifically for liking the video? 🤔 You never tell us!

[@NickDavies75]

Love that arial shot of Bekonscot - been so many times, but that puts it into a whole new perspective.

[@mattstreuli]

Heyy! I live in Iver Heath and the bridge you were on is famous. It's outside Sid James' house and appears in a few films including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[@mojo031]

Hi John, I’ve had a great week thanks hope you too. Enjoyed this as it’s my part of the world, however felt a little bit of a rush around the places than the journey - I like the journey, it’s what helps to not stop belevin’. See you next week. Thanks 👍.

[@NewCastleIndiana]

My head spins you go so fast. I think you could spend minutes on some of the things that you spend 10 to 30 seconds on Franklin. Love the content I keep marking my Google maps with all these places. I bet they just haven’t found the helicopter pad at the Norman ruins yet.

[@tonys1636]

Old enough to remember Cottage Hospitals in the early 50's, my local one had 12 beds in 3 wards, a male, a female and a children's. Not fond memories as was served crispy edged fried egg and cremated streaky bacon for breakfast after having Tonsils removed. Not a day surgery procedure then.

[@alanbrown8296]

Well this is my part of the world to live in and well summed up. Nice escape from High Wycombe, which if one looks really closely around has some lovely old buildings that are now totally obscured by a load of rubbish. Absolute shame. Beaconsfield I like to describe as the most expensive Barratt homes estate in the country. Love the channel and the particularly dry sense of humour.

[@worldVHS]

I'm from High Wycombe, it's shit. You missed out filming the Golden Ball & Hellfire Caves while you there, the bit where the rubbish is where you were filming from is Malvern Close in Downley by the railway footpath.

[@portlandfester7510]

John why the tele haven’t noticed you I don’t know excellent as usual be perfect early evening viewing you could do this then present the weather lol 😂 it would be wicked sweet awesome lol 😂

[@haggielady]

Thanks Jon. My Sunday is complete now.