
The Neighbourhood Area
Burnham Parish

2.1. Burnham parish extends from the built-up area boundary of Slough in the south to Green Common Lane bordering Beaconsfield in the north. The eastern boundary runs along Crown Lane, Bedford Drive, Stewarts Drive, Egypt Lane and the A355 which borders Farnham Common. The western boundary is shared with Taplow parish.
2.2. The built-up area of Slough extends up to the south eastern corner of the parish boundary, running along Lower Britwell Road, Priory Road and then down Huntercombe Lane North. Other significant settlements nearby include Maidenhead, the centre of which is approximately 3 miles from Burnham High Street and Beaconsfield which is approximately 6 miles to the north.
2.3. The parish has a population of 12,512, where 18% are aged 0-14, 62% are aged 15 – 64 and 18% are aged 65+. Source: 2021 Census
2.4. Burnham, with an overall average price of £489,226, was similar in terms of prices to nearby Taplow (£509,033) but was more expensive than Slough (£432,977) and cheaper than Farnham Royal (£714,082) and Beaconsfield (£1,286,339). The majority of sales in Burnham during the last year were flats, selling for an average price of £314,328. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £515,513, with terraced properties fetching £388,249. Overall, sold prices in Burnham over the last year were 4% up on the previous year and 8% up on the 2020 peak of £451,166. Source: Rightmove
2.5. The housing stock in Burnham began to increase at the end of the nineteenth century when larger individual houses were built piecemeal and this continued into the early twentieth century, with small developments in Fairfield Road (early 1900s) and Linkswood (1930s). In 1921 Orchardville was the first council housing estate in Burnham parish, followed by North Burnham Estate in the early 1950s, Clonmel Way in the 1960s and the Lent Green Estate in the 1970s. Private housing estates also catered for the rapid increase in residents with Nursery Estate (late 1950s), Hag Hill Estate (1960s), the Fairway (1960s) and Hatchgate Gardens (1970s). Smaller developments continue up to the present with St Denis Close being the latest (2021), commemorating Burnham’s links with St Denis de l’Hotel in France. Source: Buckinghamshire’s Heritage Portal
2.6. All of the parish lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt, with the main part of the village inset, whilst Littleworth Corner to the north and Huntercombe to the south are ‘washed over’ by the Green Belt.
2.7. There is a large Sainsbury’s to the south of the parish as well as a Tesco Superstore immediately outside the parish boundary. There are 7 other convenience stores within the Parish: Morrisons & Tesco Express in the High Street; three stores – Premier, Simply Local and Dhariwals – in Eastfield Road; Dallas News on the corner of Taplow Road; and Richway Food and Wine on Nursery Road. There is no convenience store provision north of the High Street.
2.8. The parish hosts a variety of educational institutions. The largest of these is Burnham Grammar School which has served Burnham and surrounding communities since 1960 and currently has approximately 1,250 students. The catchment area of the school covers Burnham, parts of Slough and a number of other settlements in south Buckinghamshire. There are also two full primary schools: Lent Rise School to the south of the Parish, and St Peters CofE Primary School in the centre of the parish; and an Infant only school – Dropmore Infant School.
2.9. Burnham Park Academy previously operated in the parish but was closed in 2019. The site is currently being used for filming purposes and is maintained by Buckinghamshire Council; but contains important community assets, including a sports hall paid for by the community and extensive playing fields, which are not currently being utilised for community benefit. A number of young people from the parish currently have to attend schools outside of the Parish; reinstituting non-selective secondary provision within the Parish is a very high priority for the local community. Whilst the Neighbourhood Plan cannot directly deliver a new school, it is seeking to retain the use of the site.
2.10. There are a number of community facilities located in the parish, mainly centred around the High Street and surrounding historic core. This includes Burnham Health Centre, Burnham Community Library, Burnham Park Hall, Burnham Working Mens Club, the Royal British Legion, scout and guide huts and a youth club. There are also the following pubs: The Bee, The Red Lion, Ye Olde Swan, Old Five Bells and Garibaldi. The churches in the parish boundary are as follows: Burnham Methodist Church, St Mary’s Church, United Reformed Church, St Peter’s Church and the Church of St Anne.
2.11. There is extensive Early Years provision in Burnham which consists of: Be Happy Day Nursery (3 months to 5 years, SEND local offer), Beeches Nursery (3 months to 5 years, SEND local offer), Starfish Nursery (Term time only), Old Station Nursery (0 months to 5 years), Oratory Montessori School (0 months to 5 years), Little Fishes and Rainbow Fishes and St Peters C of E primary school (separate admission, 2 to 4 years, SEND Local offer, Term time only), Burnham Methodist Church (Toddler Group, Pre-school, Term time only, Thursday 9.15am to 11.15am), Burnham Family Centre (0 months to 19 years, up to 25 with SEND), Little Angels Baby and Toddler Group (Term time only, O months to 4 years, Thursday 9.30am to 11.30am) and Burnham Montessori (2 to 5 years, Monday to Friday term time only, 8.45am to 3.45pm) at Dropmore Church Hall.
2.12. There are large areas of ancient woodlands to the north and the Burnham Beeches and Littleworth Common Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) to the north of the built-up areas. The Burnham Beeches are a particularly important asset in the parish, although it is coming under increasing recreational pressures. The north of the parish lies within the South Bucks Heaths & Parklands Biodiversity Opportunity Area and the majority of the parish is within the Burnham Beeches Special Area of Conservation (SAC) 3.5 mile (5.6km) Zone of Influence. Some areas of the parish are also within the 500m Presumption Against Development Zone (see Plan B). Dropmore, Nashdom Abbey and Huntercombe Manor Historic Parks and Gardens are all located in the parish.

2.13. There are 2 Conservation Areas (CA) in the parish, both designated in 1977. These are Burnham CA and Huntercombe CA which are further described in Section 3.
2.14. There are 122 Listed Buildings in the parish1: 4 Grade I Listed Buildings, 4 Grade II* Listed Buildings and 114 Grade II Listed Buildings (see Plan C below). The Grade I buildings are Burnham Abbey, Church of St Mary, Dropmore and Huntercombe Manor. The Grade II* buildings are Burnham Beeches Hotel Entrance Gates and Curtain Walls, Church of St Peter, Church of St Anne and Nashdom.
2.15. Change to ‘There are 5 bus routes that operate in the parish, consisting of First Bus (4, 12 and 13), Thames Travel Bus 53 and Red Eagle Bus 68. Crossrail (now called the Elizabeth Line) runs across the south of the parish and the Great Western Line runs from London to Bristol and beyond. Burnham and Taplow stations are just outside the parish to the east and west and serve both lines. Many children travel out of area – for example to Maidenhead or Beaconsfield schools – by bus, train, private coach or taxi; and others come from Slough and Langley to Burnham Grammar school.
2.16. Flood risk in the parish is generally low, especially from fluvial sources (see Plan D). There are however some areas affected by surface water flooding, mainly running down the centre of the parish from north to south (see Plan E).


A Brief History of Burnham
2.17. The Domesday Book of 1086 provides an accessible record of Burnham showing that there were 28 villagers and 7 smallholders with 12 ploughs. The Lord of the Manor had land for a further 3 ploughs, and there were 2 slaves. There was woodland enough for 600 pigs and the whole was valued at £10. The Manor of Burnham was held by Walter Fitz Otho. Subsequently it became divided with part going to the Huntercombe family and part to Richard, Earl of Cornwall (King John’s second son) who gave his portion as an endowment to Burnham Abbey which he founded in 1266. Huntercombe Manor and the Abbey lie to the south of the village. In 1271 the Abbess of Burnham Abbey was granted the right to hold a market in the village every Thursday and a Fair on the Festival of St Matthew. After 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, Burnham Abbey was destroyed, the site reverted to the Crown, was leased out and became a farm. The ruins were restored and re-consecrated in 1916 and continued as the home of nuns of the Society of the Precious Blood until 2024 when the remaining nuns moved out and the abbey was put up for sale.
2.18. A sixteenth century Market Hall existed in Church Street until about 1940. Together with the Church dedicated to St Peter of which the oldest part dates from the 12th century, this became the nucleus of the village together with the 17th century George PH, 18th century Five Bells PH and the 19th century School, Fire Station and Mission Hall. Portions of 16th and 17th century cottages still stand in the High Street most notably Swan Cottage. This was the original Swan Inn. The Church contains many old memorials and items of interest.
2.19. In 1792 Lord Grenville (Prime Minister 1806 – 7) built his house at Dropmore to the north east of the village and became Lord of the Manor. His name heads the deed written to set up Burnham’s first school on The Gore in 1811. This served Burnham, Hitcham and Taplow until 1870 when the school by St Peter’s Church was built. The Infant School was started in 1849 on the site of the old Workhouse at the south end of the churchyard. These schools moved to Minniecroft Road in 1963. The Mission Hall (now a fish restaurant) was built by George Hanbury of Hitcham House in 1880 for less formal Anglican Church Services for working people: later there was a boys’ club offering boxing and sports facilities.
2.20. The first Fire House was built in Church Street to house the manual engine bought with money left in the Will of Henry Sayer of Huntercombe in 1810. A new Fire Station was built in 1908 and the engine and fire crew were a great feature of the village until 1996.
2.21. In the 19th century Burnham was a place of business with blacksmiths, harness makers and saddlers, two foundries, seven shoemakers, tailors and dressmakers, nurserymen and seedsmen, three bakers, two grocers and two butchers. Brickmaking was a local industry. The Bricklayers’ Arms public house, which is now housing, was also the site of brickmaking. In the early 20th century, there was still a farmhouse and yard at the southern end of the High Street. During the 20th century, many businesses closed or moved away, but new ones have taken their place. A regular weekly Market on Wednesdays has been successfully revived.
2.22. For many hundreds of years, the road to London from the west forded the river at Taplow and followed the line of the present Hitcham Lane and Gore Road to the north of the village and on through Farnham Royal and through the villages to London. Mail coaches took the fast route, along what was called the Bath Road, to Maidenhead and letters arrived in Burnham from there by foot post at 8.00am every morning. The Great Western Railway had reached Taplow by 1838, continuing on westwards over the Thames River Bridge. Burnham did not have a station until 1899 when Burnham Beeches Station was opened, partly to meet the demand created after the City of London purchased Burnham Beeches when it was advertised for sale as part of the Dropmore Estate in 1879. It was dedicated for public use and visitors initially used Slough Station. People walked from the new station at Burnham to the Beeches, although there was some road transport available.
2.23. The George PH was the venue for Magistrates’ meetings though these were later held in the Reading Room built over the Fire Station. This also became Burnham’s first library remaining until the purpose-built Library in Burnham Park was opened in 1973. This has a Local History Collection. The first village hall was provided by Edward Clifton Brown in Gore Road (now no.25). He came to Burnham in 1902, developed the Burnham Grove Estate and lived at Burnham Grove (now Burnham Beeches Hotel).
2.24. The Priory just to the south of the village was built in about 1824 by Walter Jackson, an Engraver from the City of London, on what had been agricultural land. He died in 1834. In 1939 it was sold to Sydney Jones of the Manor Park Construction Company who later exchanged land with the Parish Council for land to the south of the churchyard where he built The Precincts and St Peter’s Close, and the first Burnham Park Hall was built on Priory land in 1965. Burnham Park now contains a new replacement building, completed in 2010.
2.25. The new building is the meeting place of Burnham Parish Council which held its first meeting on 31st December 1894, having taken on the role of local government from the Parish Vestry under the Local Government Act of that year. Vestry Meetings continued solely as part of the Church’s administration, having handed over responsibility for appointing constables, road surveyors and lighting among other tasks. The population at that time was about 2700 and the parish covered a larger area than today since Cippenham was included. Hitcham was a separate parish. Parts of Burnham were transferred to Slough in the 1930s, when it was still part of Buckinghamshire.
2.26. Until the late 19th century Burnham consisted of the village High Street and outlying farms and cottages, stretching from Farnham Royal in the east to Hitcham in the west; it included Burnham Beeches. Some of Cippenham’s farm land was used for the Slough Trading Estate in the early 20th century. This was a new concept in the provision of rented industrial buildings whereby planning and services were undertaken by the landlord, leaving companies free to concentrate on developing their products.
2.27. In 1920 Eton Rural District Council, with Burnham Parish Council, built the village’s first council houses at Orchardville. The early 1950s saw the development of Burnham with the building of the Priory Estate to the south of the village and the Grenville Estate to the north. At the same time, the development of a London County Council Estate on what had been Burnham Grove Estate farmland linked the village with Farnham Royal and the Farnham Road. In the 1970s the new Lent Green Estate joined with Lent Rise which was a mainly Victorian development, with some additions for example in the 1930s and 1950s. The old hamlet of Lent centred around Lent Green at the top of the hill, to the west of the village. From the early 20th century private housing developments grew and building has continued up to the present time, thereby increasing the population to over 12,000.
by Mary Bentley of Burnham Historians
- Correct as of February 2025 ↩︎