Quainton is a small village, six miles north-west of Aylesbury. The Old English spelling, Cwene-tun, means Queen’s manor. The half-timbered thatched cottages for which the village is known, line The Green in the centre of the village. At the top of the sloping Green is the base and broken shaft of a 15th century Preaching Cross. Behind the Cross is an 18th century chequered brick farmhouse. The most prominent feature of the village is the tower of a windmill, which was constructed between 1830 and 1832. It is 70 feet high and is the tallest windmill in the county. It was restored between 1976 and 2003 by volunteers from the Quainton Windmill Society.
There is a terrace of eight almshouses in Church Street. They are known as Winwood Almshouses, after Richard Winwood, who built them in 1687. George Lipscomb, who wrote the history of Buckinghamshire in the early 19th century, was born at the top of the village green, in Magpie Cottage. The village pub, The George and Dragon, is popular and very good food is served at The George and Dragon Coffee Shop and Tea Room next door.
At Quainton Railway Station, is the Buckingham Railway Centre, one of the United Kingdom’s largest collection of locomotives and rolling stock. This steam museum has been used as the location for filming episodes of Midsomer Murders and Doctor Who.
