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The chalk rock of the Chiltern Hills started forming around 145 million years ago in shallow subtropical seas far from land. Around 65 million years ago, these soft sedimentary rocks started to be compressed and uplifted under huge tectonic forces, and they emerged from the sea. Subsequent weathering and erosion have shaped the gently rolling ...
The Chiltern Hills or the Chilterns are a chalk escarpment in southern England, [1] northwest of London, covering 660 square miles (1,700 km 2) across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire, stretching 45 miles (72 km) from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast. The hills are 12 miles (19 km) at their widest.
The famous flint of the Chiltern Hills is a type of silica that was also formed during this period. Silica-rich organisms like sponges and diatoms died and fell to the seabed, their silica replacing chalk that had dissolved or been burrowed away. Eventually, flint nodules formed in these gaps.
The Chilterns is a landscape that has seen many millennia of change and settlement, from the first humans that arrived in Britain to the growth of modern towns. Its wealth of grasslands, woodlands, chalk stream valleys and fertile soils have drawn human life and activity. This long history of heritage and culture is integral to the identity of ...
Generally, Medieval field systems were large and open, with workable strips allocated to the tenants of the manor. Hedged fields were made by the piecemeal enclosure of Medieval open, arable fields. Most of the Chilterns historic settlements probably originated between the 10th and 13th centuries, gradually developing into their 19th century form.
The Chilterns is a landscape of remarkable beauty and distinctive character, with a unique interaction of geological, ecological and cultural heritage features. Its dramatic chalk escarpment is globally rare, and creates sweeping panoramic views, criss-crossed by ancient routes and hedgerows, trees, orchards and parkland, weaving across farmland.
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Chiltern Hills, range of chalk hills in England, extending some 70 mi (115 km) southwest to northeast through parts of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire, forming a well-marked escarpment to the northwest and a gentle southeast slope to the River Thames. Considerable areas are now cared for by the National Trust and are popular tourist attractions.
