Archived press release

Date Published: 13/12/07

Claydon House is the place in Aylesbury Vale which residents voted as their ‘Pride of Place’, according to the results of an online poll. Aylesbury Vale District Council took part in the national Pride of Place poll by inviting people...

Claydon House is the place in Aylesbury Vale which residents voted as their ‘Pride of Place’, according to the results of an online poll.

Aylesbury Vale District Council took part in the national Pride of Place poll by inviting people to go online and vote for one of ten top local tourist attractions on its website. Hundreds of people in the district went online to vote for their favourite place in the first national council-led poll across 104 local authorities.

Claydon House was the overall winner with 24 per cent of the votes cast ahead of the Boarstall Duck Decoy, which attracted 21 per cent of the votes. Buckinghamshire County Museum was third with 11 per cent.

The Pride of Place poll is part of the government’s ‘Connect to your Council’ campaign, which aims to encourage citizens to access their local authority services online – anytime, anywhere.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “We would like to thank everybody who took the time to log on to our website and vote for their favourite place in Aylesbury Vale. The result demonstrates the fantastic support for our amazing attractions and shows the pride and passion that we all share for the district. Congratulations to Claydon House which really is a magnificent country home and very deserving of these votes.”

Claydon House is a Georgian home famous for its association with Florence Nightingale and its remarkable interior. Located close to the village of Middle Claydon, this National Trust property was occupied by the Verney family for over 350 years and is filled with mementoes of their fascinating history.

Florence Nightingale was a frequent visitor to Claydon House after her sister married Henry Verney in 1858. The house has a display of many objects associated with her and her experiences in the Crimean War.

Philip Warner, House and Premises Manager at Claydon House, said: “We’re delighted that we took part in the poll and the result was a real pleasant surprise. It’s really encouraging to know that we have such great support in the local community.”

For more information on attractions in Aylesbury Vale, visit www.visitbuckinghamshire.org