Hazlemere was a small hamlet in the ancient Desborough Hundred, and the name is recorded as long ago as the 13th century. The crossroads at the centre of the village was originally the meeting point of three different parishes, Penn, Hughenden, and Chepping Wycombe. The ecclesiastical parish of Hazlemere was formed in 1847 when the population was recorded as 766.

At the beginning of the 20th century, farming was still the primary industry in the area and in Edwardian times a large proportion of the area was devoted to cherry orchards. Brickmaking was carried out at the Old Kiln and at Oakengrove. By the 1930s, the area was losing its rural character, and indiscriminate building was increasing, stopped only by the outbreak of the Second World War, when a prisoner of war camp was constructed in the grounds of Hazlemere Park. After the war, the camp was used as temporary accommodation for refugees from the war in Europe. The camp was closed in 1956.

The 1960s and 1970s saw an increase in housing. Huge developments took place on the Park, and Brackley, Hill, and Manor Farms. No provision was made for leisure, and it was not until 1976 with the efforts of the Residents' and the Community Associations that Hazlemere got its own library and Community Centre. In 1987, Hazlemere became a parish.