Shopping in Buckingham Town Centre

Buckingham is a pleasant market town some 15-20 miles from Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford. It is conveniently close to Stowe Gardens (NT), Claydon House (NT) and Silverstone Circuit and is easily reached from the M1 or the M40. The church of St. Peter & St. Paul stands to the south of the town centre on Church Hill, and its steeple dominates the view on the approaches to the town. In the centre, the 17th/18th century Old Town Hall (available for receptions and conferences) faces into Market Square and at the other end of Market Hill is the old stone County Gaol, now a Tourist Information Centre and Museum of local history. Two of the original coaching inns are now hotels. Buckingham has a compact shopping area all within easy walking distance of a free car park, as are the beautiful riverside walks and parks to picnic in on summer days.

The Bull Ring in the centre of the town houses a street market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and the adjacent High Street has a central area used for the Flea Market on Saturdays and the Farmers' Market on the first Tuesday of each month, as well as Craft Fairs and Music Festivals from time to time. Besides fruit and vegetables, clothes, bags and luggage, domestic linens and household items, the street market also has stalls selling fresh fish, and specialist cheeses and other dairy products (both on Tuesdays) and olives and other Mediterranean delicacies (Saturdays). There is also a W.I.Market on Saturdays, selling locally produced cakes and preserves, eggs and honey, plants and produce. The Farmers' Market sells meats, fruit and vegetables, plants, and baked goods and preserves, all produced within the local area.

Branches of the principal banks and building societies and the Post Office are to be found around the Bull Ring, together with branches of Boots, W.H.Smith and Woolworth's, and there is also a modern shopping precinct between the Bull Ring/High Street area and the large (free) car park. Buckingham's strength is the large number of specialist, often family-run, shops which provide a unique shopping experience. There are shops selling Italian furniture, craft pottery, Asian foods, kitchenwares and china, jewellery and gifts, health foods, art supplies; one enhancing the town's link to Silverstone by selling motor racing-related clothing, memorabilia, videos, etc.; there are also a baker & patissier, a butcher, a delicatessen, a cobbler, a locksmith, as well as the usual chemists, shoeshops, pet stores, convenience stores, card shops and newsagents. Budgens supermarket is situated near to the car park and a large Tesco store can be found on the outskirts of the town. It is the home of Britain's only private University - enabling it to support a greater number and variety of eating places than you would expect in a small rural town. The University Bookshop is open to all and carries general interest as well as specialist books.

Buckingham boasts several places to stop for a cup of tea or coffee (and homemade cakes), and a variety of restaurants to suit all purses and tastes. Many of the pubs also serve food and some have live music in the evenings, providing a perfect end to an interesting shopping day.