Speen
Tucked away in the Chilterns (but not in the HS2 zone), Speen has a welcoming community vibe and gorgeous countryside on your doorstep. Part of our Top 300 Places to Live series.
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WHY?
Speen offers country living par excellence – stunning scenery, a charming community feel, and tranquility without quite being in the middle of nowhere. It’s around a 15 min drive from both High Wycombe and Princes Risborough, but it’s peacefully undisturbed by the advent of HS2. Pretty flint cottages and period homes give Speen a chocolate box feel, but there’s plenty going on too to help you get stuck in to village life at this small (less than 1,000 residents) but perfectly formed Chilterns des res.
EAT
The village pub, The King William IV, closed in doors in 2015 – but an active local group is campaigning to get it re-opened as a community pub. In the meantime, your best bet is to head to The Hampden Arms up the road in Great Hampden. Head chef Constantine is Greek, so the menu is peppered with Mediterranean flourishes such as tzatziki, calamari and kleftiko, a traditional Greek slow-roasted lamb dish, alongside trad pub classics. The Polecat Inn in Prestwood has a swanky glass-fronted restaurant, open theatre-style kitchen and wood-fired pizza oven, and Great Missenden is home to the The Nags Head and The Cross Keys. For special occasions, you’re a 20-min drive from the Michelin-starred Artichoke in Old Amersham and superior Spanish tapas restaurant Pluma.
SHOP
Speen’s village shop, the well-run Speen Stores, is open seven days a week to cater for all your day to day needs – it even has a Post Office. For more specialist requests, you’re only a 20-min drive from the local Waitrose mothership at Handy Cross near High Wycombe. Local indies are well-served too: shopping highlights include The Apple Orchard, a furniture shop on West Wycombe high street; the Aladdin’s cave of antiques at Tootell’s Fine Furniture and Interiors; and gifts and homewares stores Little Wren Co and Big Sky, both in Great Missenden. The Muddy Award-winning farm shop at Peterley Manor Farm is stocked with seasonal produce from more than 100 high-quality suppliers.
HEALTH & WELLBEING
You’re in prime Chilterns walking territory here – so pull on your wellies and get a lungful of fresh air on one of the many local walks along The Ridgeway and the Icknield Way – or head to the Prestwood Nature Reserve to soak up the cornucopia of flora and fauna. The village has its own Tennis Club. Beauty-wise, the Oasis Health & Beauty Spa is a much-admired (and former Muddy Award-winning) salon in the centre of Great Missenden.
COMMUNITY
Speen has a village hall and its own playing field with cricket nets (there’s another village cricket pitch at neighbouring Great Hampden too). Speen’s Baptist Church is another community hub, hosting everything from toddler play sessions to ladies’ bible study and informal café-style worship.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Hughenden Manor, the country home of Victorian PM Benjamin Disraeli, is near High Wycombe, or head to the bucolic West Wycombe Estate for the Palladian elegance of the National Trust’s West Wycombe Park, plus The Hellfire Caves and The Walled Garden, where you’ll find two high-end children’s play areas and a great café. Great Missenden is home to the wonderful Road Dahl Museum, a must-visit for kids.
CULTURE
Every two years, the village hosts the Speen Festival, a culture and arts fest that brings the community together to celebrate local musical, artistic and theatrical talent. Every festival since its foundation in 2001 has brought new ideas, such as yoga and wellness sessions, a kids’ park bike challenge and even a community camping night on the playing fields. Chesham’s community Elgiva Theatre is just 15 minutes away, as is the much bigger Wycombe Swan in High Wycombe.
AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES
Property in Speen had an overall average price of £985,000 last year, the majority of sales being detached properties which went for an average of £1,113,750. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £727,500.
HOT PROPERTY
NURSERIES
Speen’s primary school runs the Little Apples Pre School on the same site, for children aged from 3 yrs to school-age. For full-time childcare, Flower Pots Day Nursery in Prestwood covers ages 0 – 5 yrs for full days and is rated Good by Ofsted, or there’s term-time Little Godstowe (ages 3+ yrs) in High Wycombe, with Godstowe Prep as a follow-on primary school option.
SCHOOLS
Speen Church of England School is the local primary up to age 7 yrs. At that point, kids tend to move on to St John’s in Lacey Green for Key Stage 2. The closest state secondary is Princes Risborough School. Private school options include top girls’ Prep school Godstowe and super-high-achieving all-girls secondary Wycombe Abbey, both in High Wycombe, or Pipers Corner girls’ school (3-18 years) in Little Kingshill.
There’s also Gateway School in Great Missenden – a co-ed Prep for ages 2 – 11 yrs – and the sought-after co-ed Chesham Prep. Over in Amersham there’s The Beacon, a Prep school for boys aged 3 – 13 yrs, or there’s boys’ Prep Davenies in Beaconsfield and St Mary’s School in Gerrards Cross, a through day school for girls aged 3 – 18 yrs.
BEST KEPT SECRET
The Garden of Rest for the villages of Speen, Lacey Green and Loosley Row is a former church cemetery rescued from closure after a petition by residents, and it’s become a little pocket of tranquillity for locals.
COMMUTE
The best way to commute to London from Speen is via High Wycombe or Princes Risborough stations. Both are on the line to London Marylebone, with fast trains from 25 mins and 39 mins respectively. Annual season tickets are about £4,450 and £4,600 respectively. Driving takes approx 1hr 30 mins.
View the full Top 300 Places to Live.