Formerly a small agricultural village, Great Missenden became a commuter village for London following the arrival of the Metropolitan railway line in 1892. Great Missenden Station is now on the Chiltern Railways line and offers services running into London Marylebone railway station.
The village is overlooked by the medieval parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Missenden Abbey, founded in 1133 as an Augustinian monastery, was ruined following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the remains were incorporated into a Georgian mansion which is now a residential adult education centre.
Gipsy House in Great Missenden was the home of author Roald Dahl until his death in 1990, and many local scenes and characters are reflected in his work.