Before the First World War the Chequers Estate, which held extensive land in Kimble Parish, had a very typical history.

Before the Norman Conquest it was held by Leofnoth –“a man of King Edward”, then it passed to Mainou one of William the Conqueror’s Breton Mercenaries. The next owner was a new type of noble a professional administrator who worked in the Exchequer [hence “Chequers”], and who built the original house. He married his offspring into the traditional nobility and the estate’s fortunes rose and declined with the fortunes of its owners. The house was rebuilt three more times over the years.

Following a complex process over several years the Estate became a trust and was to be used as a country estate “..for the rest and recreation of Prime Ministers” from 1921 onwards . Many of the estate staff came from Kimble and so Kimble people developed a very different view of Prime Ministers from that of Historians. The great war leader and social reformer Lloyd George was unpopular, a verdict not helped by his wife’s evident dislike of Chequers, although she was active in Kimble Free Church and her daughter Megan was popular. By contrast the first Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald was popular, as were Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain, although their reputations as Prime Ministers are low. There is a famous story about Baldwin consulting Herbert Howard the station master at Little Kimble to test public opinion on the issue of Edward VIII’s abdication. Winston Churchill was respected rather than liked, but his successor Clement Attlee was popular.

Of more recent Prime Ministers Edward Heath was quite active in the community and was a frequent visitor to the Bernard Arms, and was a ‘pint of bitter’ man, which surprised me. Mrs Thatcher divided opinion very sharply, with some people appreciating her interest in local suppliers, while other people found her high-handed. Her husband Dennis sometimes found Chequers boring, and would often wander up the drive and drop in on neighbours. It was felt that he was far more shrewd and influential than he appeared to be.

There was a famous occasion when John Major and his wife roused the landlord of the Bernard Arms one Sunday afternoon to cook for them and the Russian president Yeltsin and his wife. Mrs Major preferred Huntingdonshire to Chequers but wrote a very well- sourced book on Chequers.

For more on the History of the Chequers Estate see Chapter 5
For more on Prime Ministers see Chapters 7 and 9