Town in Buckinghamshire, England
Aylesbury
Aylesbury gave the world a duck so famous it has its own breed, and the town's bird still turns up on pub signs and football badges.
Key information
- County
- Buckinghamshire
- Nation
- England
- Population
- about 75,000 (74,748; 2011 Census, built-up area)
- Known for
- The Aylesbury duck, John Hampden, John Wilkes and Friars Aylesbury gigs
- What locals are called
- Aylesburians
- Famous people
- John Wilkes, John Hampden, David Bowie (as a performer)
- Football clubs
- Aylesbury United (the Ducks), Aylesbury Vale Dynamos (the Moles)
About Aylesbury
The duck that made a town famous
Aylesbury's best-known export is a white duck with a pale pink bill. The Aylesbury duck was bred in the surrounding Vale for the London table, and for generations cottage households raised ducklings as a sideline. The arrival of the railway in the Victorian era made the trade easier, as the birds could be sent to the capital quickly. The breed became so closely tied to the town that the duck is still its unofficial mascot. You can see the evidence in the town today. Aylesbury United FC are known as the Ducks, and the bird appears on pub signs and local branding.
The man who said no to the King's tax
Aylesbury sits at the heart of Buckinghamshire's political rebel country. John Hampden, from nearby Great Hampden, refused to pay Charles I's Ship Money tax in the 1630s. His trial made him a hero to the Parliamentary cause. Hampden died after being wounded at Chalgrove Field in 1643. Aylesbury itself was held for Parliament during the Civil War, and his statue now stands in the Market Square. A century later the town sent another troublemaker to Westminster. John Wilkes was elected MP for Aylesbury in 1757 and became a champion of press freedom and free speech. His supporters chanted 'Wilkes and Liberty'.
A coaching inn that outlasted the coaches
The Kings Head, tucked just off the Market Square, is one of the town's oldest buildings. It dates from the 15th century and served as a coaching inn. It is now in the care of the National Trust. The Market Square is the town's centre, with its clock tower and the statues of its political heroes. Nearby, Discover Bucks Museum (formerly Buckinghamshire County Museum, renamed in 2021) tells the story of the county and includes a gallery for children named after Roald Dahl, who lived in Great Missenden. The modern Waterside Theatre, which opened in 2010, gives the town a large stage for touring shows.
The night the Metropolitan came to town
In 1892 the Metropolitan Railway reached Aylesbury from London. That connection helped tie the town to the capital, and it is part of the reason Aylesbury became a commuter base. Metropolitan services to Aylesbury ended in 1961. Electric trains never reached Aylesbury: electrification got as far as Amersham in 1960, while the section beyond stayed steam-worked. Today, Chiltern Railways trains run to London Marylebone. From the 1960s Aylesbury also took in Londoners moving out, with estates such as Southcourt and Quarrendon bringing a major expansion. In 2017 it was named a garden town, with more growth planned.
Rock royalty in the Vale
Aylesbury once had a music reputation far bigger than its size. Friars Aylesbury began in 1969 and attracted big names to a market town, with David Bowie among the acts who played there. It became one of the best-known club nights in Britain. Fans travelled from across the south-east to see bands that might otherwise have stuck to London. On the pitch, Aylesbury United are the Ducks. They left Buckingham Road in 2006 and now play at The Meadow in Chesham, groundsharing with Chesham United. Aylesbury Vale Dynamos are known as the Moles, so the town has both a bird and a burrowing mammal on its football badges.