Roman villas, medieval moats and the Chiltern Hills give Saunderton a multifaceted character. For travellers looking to combine a hotel stay with culture and countryside, the town offers several ways to shape a visit: archaeology, church history and walks. You can decide which of these will define your stay based on your own interests.
From Domesday to Roman times
The Domesday Book records Saunderton as a medieval and post-medieval settlement. A description of Saunderton in the Domesday Book also mentions a mill and woodland for 50 pigs. South of the road between Princes Risborough and Bledlow lies a Romano-British villa, sometimes called Saunderton Villa. The historical record of a settlement thus extends back to an archaeological site from Roman times.
At Lodge Hill Farm, a Roman villa overlies the north-eastern corner of a trapezoidal, ditched enclosure dating from the late Iron Age. The villa has an H-shaped plan; a bath may have been located at its southern end. Aerial photographs show cropmarks and soil discoloration associated with the villa. A bath at the southern end remains a possible archaeological interpretation.
Medieval sites and landscape
A well-preserved medieval moated site lies 430 metres north of Church Farm. The Saunderton moat complex also includes the remains, preserved in the ground, of an adjoining medieval church and cemetery. It lies in a sheltered hollow between two converging streams, at the northern end of a broad valley in the Chiltern Hills. Here, archaeological traces and the shape of the landscape form a single picture of the place.
Earthworks of a medieval moat, recorded during a field survey, are located in Roundabout Wood. The field with the moat is thought likely to be the site of Brown’s Manor. These earthworks therefore add to the well-preserved remains of the Saunderton moat complex, and are considered likely to be connected to a named historic site.
Church and services
Saunderton’s parish church, St Mary, is listed at Grade II*. The same church is also known as St Mary & St Nicholas. A Choral Evensong is held there at 6 pm on the fifth Sunday of each month. As service schedules can change, check the current calendar before your visit. This gives you the opportunity to connect the town’s church history with a specific service in the programme.
Nature and walking
A nature article dated 21 July 2026 reports a sighting of the Duke of Burgundy butterfly in a newly restored habitat in Saunderton. This sighting adds a specific wildlife connection to the historical themes. Ecological observations and the condition of a habitat can, however, change over time.
The Chilterns walking series includes various routes that also pass through Saunderton. If you are planning a walk, check the latest information on each route in advance. This will let you include walking in your trip while deciding how much time to give to the archaeological and church-related themes.
Plan your journey
Saunderton railway station is on the route between London Marylebone and Birmingham, operated by Chiltern Railways. If you are planning to travel by train, the station can be a useful starting point for your plans; check the current timetable before departure, as services and operator details may change. Together with its historic sites, service and walking routes, Saunderton offers several starting points for planning your stay.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Hazlemere, Little Horwood, Wing, Cheddington, Loudwater, Farnham Royal, St Leonards, Stokenchurch.
For the wider travel overview: Buckinghamshire.
