Cadsden is a hamlet in South Buckinghamshire, England, two miles north east of Princes Risborough. At the time of the 2011 Census, the population of the hamlet was included in the civil parish of Lacey Green.
History
The origin of the name, which also appears as Catsdean, is doubtful and it is not known when it was first used. If it dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when most of the other local place names first appeared, it probably meant 'Valley frequented by wild cats'. It is certainly at the bottom of a steep valley. It is said that in 1643 a wake was held in Cadsden for John Hampden by his beloved Greencoats, whilst escorting his body back to the family home at Great Hampden from Thame, where he died following the Battle of Chalgrove Field. On 30 January 1943 a Royal Air ForceAvro Anson Mk1 serial no. L7964 was on a Night Navigation Training exercise from the Central School of Navigation, flying from RAF Cranage, Cheshire. The weather conditions were poor and at 0250 hrs the Anson crashed at Longdown Farm in Cadsden, killing all four crew members. The accident was witnessed by an instructor in a second aircraft. The names and positions of the deceased were: Sgt Edward A. Merry, Pilot; Sgt James R. Craven, Pilot; Sgt Kenneth R. Blaskey, Pilot; and Sgt Albert C. Poulton, Wireless Operator and Air Gunner.
Transport
The railway service in the area was improved in 2011 with the Chiltern Mainline project. The two nearest mainline railway stations are Princes Risborough and Great Missenden, with a branchline station at Monks Risborough.
Local amenities and traditions
Every year on the first Sunday in August there is a Cherry Pie Festival, which has been a tradition in Cadsden for over 100 years. Grangelands and Pulpit Hill, which stretch from Cadsden to Kimble, are a Site of Special Scientific Interest with an array of wildlife including glow worms and the bee orchid. Up on Pulpit Hill, set within Pulpit Woods, are the remains of an Iron Age hill fort, a scheduled ancient monument. In 2009, Bucks County Council in partnership with Plantlife International started a juniper conservation programme on Pulpit Hill where pens have been created to support juniper growth. Whiteleaf Golf Course, which occupies the land between Whiteleaf and Cadsden, is a 9-hole course established in 1907. During the winter months when it snows, the Cadsden end of the course is used for tobogganing. Local issues are addressed and events organised by the Whiteleaf and Cadsden Resident's Association. Sarah Harding from Girls Aloud was a resident of Cadsden between 2008 and 2017.
Relationship with Prime Ministers
Chequers, the Prime Minister's country residence, is the first property encountered along The Ridgeway path north east from Cadsden. This walk was featured in an article published by the Sunday Times in June 2010. is a country pub which is used by Prime Ministers due to its proximity to Chequers. There is an old picture of Ted Heath at the bar up at the Plough, which can be seen on the Plough's website. Cadsden and the Plough at Cadsden were brought to attention when the Camerons left their 8-year-old daughter, Nancy, behind in the Plough following a Sunday lunch at the Pub. Nancy had wandered off to the toilets while they were arranging lifts. When Cameron left the pub he went home in one car with his bodyguards and thought Nancy was with his wife and their other children in another car. Samantha Cameron had assumed her eldest daughter was with her father. The mistake was only discovered when they got home. "Thankfully when they phoned the pub she was there safe and well. The prime minister went down straight away to get her." said a Downing Street spokesman. In November 2015 David Cameron visit The Plough with the Chinese President Xi Jinping for a pint of real ale and fish and chips.
Millionaires Row
Cadsden is colloquially known as "Millionaires Row" as the average house price on Cadsden Road is over £1 million.
TV location
Cadsden was featured in the Midsomer Murders episode "Down Among the Dead Men" where it was called Cadsden Ridge for TV purposes. Cadsden Road was used in an episode of Hammer House of Horror, where Warren Clarke crashed his car there.
