There has been a house on the location of Chequers since the Twelfth Century though the current structure is largely of a later period. It gained its name because of the association when it was built with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who lived there. After passing through private hands several times the house was given to the government by Lord Frankland Russell Astley in the early part of the 20th Century.
The property houses one of the largest collections of art and memorabilia pertaining to Oliver Cromwell in the country. The collection is not open to the public.