At the time of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 949 there was no distinction made between the three separate villages: the whole area was known as Ceadeles funtan, meaning chalk springs. The villages were however separated by 1237 when in manorial rolls Chalfont St Peter was referred to as Chalfund Sancti Petri. The suffix St Peter is taken from the dedication of the church in the village. Chalfont St Peter was described in 1806 in Magna Britannia as follows:
Modern history
Today, Chalfont St Peter is one of the largest villages in the United Kingdom partly due to the proximity to Gerrards Cross railway station which lies between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill on the Chiltern Main Line. Modern buildings and urbanisation now dominate the village centre and very little historic architecture remains. The first major development of the village were rows of Georgian shops. Much larger developments came in the late 1920s and these shops that run up the main street towards Gold Hill common now comprise most of the village centre. Modernisation and urbanisation continued up until the 1960s when most of the Georgian shops were demolished in favour of a concrete development of flats, offices and shops fronts surrounding a central car park.
Population
Since the building of Gerrards Cross railway station in the late 19th century, the population of Chalfont St Peter has risen dramatically. From 1801 to 1901, the populations of the village only saw a 700-person rise – giving a population of 1700. But from 1901 to the present, it has become one of the largest villages in the United Kingdom, with nearly 13,000 inhabitants.
Chalfont St Peter occasionally appears in media, the most recent being in Channel 4's on 26 October 2012. Several local landmarks featured in the programme including The Village Hall pub, since returned to its former name, the Jolly Farmer, on Goldhill Common and Mr. Crusty on the high street. Chalfont St Peter also appeared in the media after Ozzy Osbourne's near fatal quad bike accident on his property in 2003.
Sport and leisure
Chalfont St Peter has a Non-League football team Chalfont St Peter A.F.C. who play at Mill Meadow.
Transport
Bus routes 105, 335 and 580 run through the main village and the more suburban areas. These bus routes include connections with Slough, Amersham, Chesham, Hemel Hempstead and Uxbridge. It is served by Gerrards Cross railway station, south, which has links to London Marylebone and High Wycombe and Birmingham. The village lies north west of London's Heathrow Airport.
Chalfont Centre
The Chalfont Centre, on Chesham Lane, is a 100 acre site established in 1894. It exists as both the headquarters for the Epilepsy Society and exists to provide residential care for 100 patients with high-level epilepsy. In 1972 the NHS established the Special Assessment Unit, specially designed to treat patients with severe and complicated epilepsy.
Lewis Collins – actor, best known for his role as Bodie in the LWT action series "The Professionals" – He lived at 'Mopes Farmhouse' from the early 1980s until he moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s.
