Chequers
Chequers (/ˈtʃɛkərz/ CHEK-ərz) is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Buckinghamshire, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, 40 miles (64 km) north-west of central London. Coombe Hill is two-thirds of a mile (1.1 km) northeast. Chequers has been the country home of the serving Prime Minister since 1921 after the estate was given to the nation by Sir Arthur Lee by a Deed of Settlement, given full effect in the Chequers Estate Act 1917. The house is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England.[1]
This article is about the British Prime Minister's residence. For the Brexit white paper, see Chequers plan. For the board game, see Checkers. For other uses, see Checkers (disambiguation).Chequers
Chequers Court
Completed
Official residence (weekend home)
Missenden Road
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP17 0UZ
c.1556
William Hawtrey
The Chequers Trust
Red brick with stone dressings and roof tiles
Chequers
21 June 1955
Chequers
30 August 1987
1000595
I
Origin of the name[edit]
The name "Chequers" may derive from an early owner of the manor of Ellesborough in the 12th century, Elias Ostiarius (or de Scaccario).[2] The name "Ostiarius" meant an usher of the Court of the Exchequer and scacchiera means a chessboard in Italian. Elias Ostiarius's coat of arms included the chequer board of the Exchequer, so the estate may be named after his arms and position at court. The house passed through generations of the Scaccario family (spelt many different ways) until it passed into the D'Awtrey family, whose name was eventually anglicised to Hawtrey.
Alternatively, the house could have been named after the chequer trees (Sorbus torminalis) that grow in its grounds.[3] There is a reference to this in the book Elizabeth: Apprenticeship by David Starkey, which describes the early life of Elizabeth I.
Location[edit]
Downing Street and Chequers are approximately 41 miles (66 km) apart, roughly an hour and a half drive.
The Ridgeway National Trail crosses the private drive.
Rear view of Chequers in 2006
Chequers from the Ridgeway with Coombe Hill behind it
Notes
Bibliography
