Although I was born in London and consider myself something of a Londoner at heart, I actually grew up in the leafy English county of Buckinghamshire. As per Thomas family tradition, we lived all over the county. Which makes me realise I was a bit of a nomad even as a kid.

We first came to Buckinghamshire in the early 1980s when I was just two or three years old. My dad had got a job working at a leisure centre in the historic village of Chalfont St Giles. I have zero memories from that time and in any case our stay totalled just eighteen months.

Photo courtesy of Timo Newton-Syms. 

We then relocated to the market town of Chesham. This was the first of two stints in what my old friends and I call The Chesh. Firstly, we lived in a little council house in Woodland View. There, I have memories of playing with my best friend Daniel and attending Waterside Primary School.

A decade or so later, between 1994-1996, we lived in the town’s Poles Hill neighbourhood. Just a short walk from Chesham Park Community College, where I achieved staggeringly average A-level grades.

Those were some of my fondest teenage years, which included the arrival of my brother Cory and the unforgettable summer months of Euro 96.

In between the two Chesham periods, us Thomases were based in Old Amersham. We lived in a little council house on School lane, next to St. Mary’s Primary School.

Easily the most magical years of my childhood, I wistfully recall games of bike spreaders on Barn Meadow and building camps in the woods down by Mill Stream.

Join me as I revisit the key spots of my life around Buckinghamshire. I also take a look at the local history, attractions and film locations. For the full story, why not Visit Buckinghamshire with my articles on:

Chesham

Old Amersham

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