Buckinghamshire · Chilterns · Penn Wood

Penn Street: Penn Wood, Penn House & Chiltern Village History

Discover a small Chiltern village shaped by woodland, estate history, traditional cottages and the long influence of Penn House.

1592 The earliest known written reference to Penn Street.

1849 Holy Trinity Church, the vicarage and school were established.

1992 Penn Street Conservation Area was designated.

Penn Wood Historic woodland forming the green setting of the village.

Penn Street is a small Buckinghamshire village set among the wooded landscape of the Chilterns. Its village green, church, historic cottages, Penn Wood and nearby Penn House create a distinctive settlement closely connected with the history of the surrounding estate.

For walkers travelling from Great Missenden towards Amersham, Penn Street is an important point on the route and provides a transition between open Chiltern countryside and extensive woodland.

A Village Shaped by an Estate

The history of Penn Street is closely connected with Penn House and the estate surrounding it.

The present settlement is believed to have developed as the manor and estate became established nearby, with generations of residents working in agriculture, forestry, domestic service and other estate-related occupations.

A Village Among Woods

Penn Street is surrounded by woodland, giving it a more enclosed and rural character than many other Chiltern settlements.

Penn Wood is particularly important to the landscape. Historic evidence shows that parts of the woodland have been managed for centuries, with old banks, hollow-ways and other features surviving within the woods.

A Short History of Penn Street

Medieval landscape The wider Penn area contained manors, woodland and routes across the Chiltern landscape long before the present village developed.

c.1400 The history of Penn House and the Penn family increasingly influenced the development of the surrounding estate landscape.

1592 The earliest known written reference to Penn Street appears in the parish register.

17th–18th centuries Penn House developed into the country house seen today, with surviving fabric from both centuries and later alterations.

1849 Holy Trinity Church, the vicarage and the village school were built under the patronage of Earl Howe.

1850 Penn Street became an ecclesiastical parish formed from parts of Penn and Little Missenden.

1992 Penn Street Conservation Area was designated to help protect the historic character of the settlement.

Look at the village as a whole. Penn Street's character comes not from a single monument but from the relationship between its green, cottages, church, woodland and the historic Penn House Estate.

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church is one of the principal landmarks of Penn Street. It was built in 1849 in Gothic style using flint and stone.

The church has a cruciform plan with nave, chancel, transepts and a central tower and spire. It was restored in 1900 at the expense of Earl Howe.

Its construction formed part of a wider phase of nineteenth-century development that also included a vicarage and school.

Estate connection: during the nineteenth century the Penn House Estate played a major role in local employment and village life, helping shape the character of Penn Street that remains visible today.

Penn House

Penn House lies just south of the village and has a long association with the Penn, Curzon and Howe families.

The Grade II listed house contains seventeenth- and eighteenth-century fabric together with substantial later alterations. The surrounding park and gardens also contain historic landscape features.

Historic records note royal visitors including William IV and Edward VII, reflecting the social importance of the house and its owners.

Penn Wood and the Chiltern Landscape

Penn Wood forms an important part of the landscape around the village. Beech is particularly characteristic, alongside oak, ash and other woodland species.

The woods also preserve traces of earlier management, including old boundary banks and hollow-ways. These features help show that woodland here has long been a working part of the local economy and landscape, rather than simply a modern recreational space.

Historic Places to Notice

Place	Why it matters	Character
Penn Street Village Green	Forms the historic visual and social centre of the settlement.	Village landscape
Holy Trinity Church	Nineteenth-century flint and stone church built in 1849.	Ecclesiastical heritage
Penn House	Grade II listed country house closely connected with the development of the village and estate.	17th–18th century origins
Penn Wood	Historic woodland surrounding the village and preserving evidence of long-term woodland management.	Natural and historic landscape
Historic cottages	Several older buildings around the settlement contribute to the traditional Chiltern village character.	17th century onwards

Penn Street Through the Centuries

Period	Development	Legacy Today
Medieval	Woodland, manorial estates and historic routes.	Landscape features within Penn Wood.
16th century	First known written reference to Penn Street.	Established settlement identity.
17th–18th centuries	Development of Penn House and estate.	Historic country house and park.
19th century	Church, school and estate-linked village development.	Holy Trinity and the historic village form.
Modern period	Recognition and protection of village character.	Penn Street Conservation Area.

Penn Street on the Great Missenden to Amersham Walk

Penn Street is one of the principal intermediate points on the Great Missenden to Amersham route.

Great Missenden → Little Missenden → Penn Street → Old Amersham

The walk links several contrasting Chiltern landscapes: the Misbourne Valley, historic villages, open countryside, woodland around Penn Street and the historic streets of Old Amersham.

Explore the complete route

Walking Through Penn Street

Penn Street is worth experiencing slowly. Notice how the village green, woodland edges, historic buildings and church combine to create a strong sense of place.

Please remain on public rights of way, respect private property and estate land, close gates where necessary and take extra care on muddy woodland paths after wet weather.

Walk through Penn Street with us

Explore Penn Street and the surrounding Chiltern countryside as part of our Great Missenden to Amersham walk.

View the Great Missenden to Amersham Walk

Research sources:
Buckinghamshire Heritage Portal – Penn Street
Buckinghamshire Heritage Portal – Penn House
Historic England – Penn House