High Wycombe
Encyclopedia
High Wycombe commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,
is a large town in Buckinghamshire
, England. It is 29 miles (47 km) west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town. According to the 2001 census High Wycombe had a population of 92,300, making it the largest town in the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire now that Milton Keynes
is a unitary authority area, and the second largest in the ceremonial county. The High Wycombe Urban Area
, the conurbation
of which the town is the largest component has a population of 118,219.
High Wycombe is mostly an unparished area
in the Wycombe district. Part of the urban area constitutes a civil parish of Chepping Wycombe
, which had a population of 14,455 according to the 2001 census – this parish represents that part of the ancient parish of Chepping Wycombe which was outside the former municipal borough
of Wycombe.
Wycombe is a combination of industrial and market town
, with a traditional emphasis on furniture production. There has been a market held in the High Street since at least medieval times. The town has always had a presence of industry, which in the 17th century exceeded the market town and now Wycombe remains more industrial in character.
and was noted for having six mills. The town once featured a Roman Villa
(built 150–170 AD) which was excavated three times, most recently in 1954. Mosaics and a bathhouse were uncovered at the site on what is now the Rye parkland. High Wycombe was the site of a minor English Civil War
battle featuring John Hampden
, and the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
The existence of a settlement at High Wycombe was first documented in 970, as Wicumun. The Parish church was consecrated by the visiting Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester
in 1086. The town received market borough status in 1237, although the market has featured in the town since early in the 12th century.
High Wycombe remained a mill town through Medieval and Tudor times, with the manufacture of lace and linen cloth. It was also used as a stopping point on the way from Oxford to London, with many travellers staying in the town's taverns and inns. The paper industry was the most notable in 17th and 18th century High Wycombe. The Wye's waters were rich in chalk, and therefore ideal for bleaching the pulp. The paper industry had soon overtaken from cloth.
Wycombe's most famous industry, furniture (particularly chairs) took hold in the 19th century, with furniture factories setting up all over the town. Many terraced workers houses were built to the east and west of town to accommodate those working in the furniture factories. In 1875, it was estimated that there were 4,700 chairs made per day in High Wycombe. The town's population grew from 13,000 residents in 1881, to 29,000 in 1928. When Queen Victoria visited the town in 1877, the council organised an arch of chairs to be erected over the High Street, with the words "Long live the Queen" printed boldly across the arch for the Queen to pass under. Wycombe was completely dominated socially and economically by the industry and, consequently, there was considerable unemployment and social problems when the industry declined in the 1960s.
By the 1920s, many of the housing areas of Wycombe had decayed into slum conditions. A slum clearance scheme was produced by the council, whereby many areas were completely demolished and the residents were re-housed in new estates, that sprawled above the town on the valley slopes. Some of the districts demolished were truly decrepit, such as Newlands, where most of the houses were condemned unfit for human habitation, with sewage pouring down the street and people sharing one room in cramped courtyards of subdivided flats. However, some areas such as St. Mary's Street contained beautiful old buildings with fine examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, which was a terrible shame and an injustice to the town.
From 1940 to 1968 High Wycombe was the seat of the RAF Bomber Command
. Add to this, during World War II
, from May 1942 to July 1945, the U.S. Army Air Force's 8th Air Force Bomber Command, code-named "Pinetree", was based at a former girls' school at High Wycombe. This became formally Headquarters, 8th Air Force, on 22 February 1944. Since 1968 all commands of the Royal Air Force
are housed at RAF High Wycombe
.
In the 1960s the town centre was redeveloped. This involved culverting the River Wye under concrete, and demolishing most of the old buildings in Wycombe's town centre. Two shopping centres were built along with many new multi-storey car park
s, office blocks, flyovers and roundabouts. Areas of cottages and period buildings have been replaced with a town centre which looked like any other built in the aesthetically challenged decade of the 1960s. On the open area known as Frogmoor the original cast iron fountain and some Georgian buildings have gone. A recent town centre regeneration project (the 'Eden Project') was originally going to uncover the Wye, however in a change of plan the new shopping centre has been built over the whole area, right up to the road which runs parallel with the river.
, Bowerdean, Castlefield, Cressex, Daws Hill, Green Street, Holmers Farm, Micklefield, Sands, Terriers, Totteridge and Wycombe Marsh, as well as some nearby villages: Downley
, Hazlemere
and Tylers Green
.
Although situated in the county of Buckinghamshire which is one of the most affluent parts of the country Wycombe contains some considerably deprived areas. In 2007, a GMB Union
survey ranked the Wycombe district as the 4th dirtiest in the South East and the 26th dirtiest in the whole UK. The survey found litter on 28.5% of streets and highways. Data for the survey was taken from the Government's 2005/06 Audit Commission
.
The town is currently undergoing a large redevelopment of the centre, including the development of the town's existing shopping centre and the completion of the new Eden Shopping centre
and the redevelopment of the Buckinghamshire New University with a large student village and new building on Queen Alexandra road.
These two developments have brought new life to the town and caused an influx of interest in the town, with larger apartment buildings and a new multi-million pound hotel being built in the centre
and a new Sainsbury's store on the Oxford
road next to the Eden shopping centre and bus station.
. At the beginning and end of the mayor's serving year, they are weighed in full view of the public to see whether or not they have gained weight at the taxpayers' expense. The custom, which has survived to the present day, employs the same weighing apparatus used since the 19th century. When the result is known the Town Crier
announces "And no more!" if the Mayor has not gained weight or "And some more!" if they have. The actual weight of the Mayor is not declared.
is now regarded as a suburb of Wycombe and so the population of High Wycombe town is 92,300. The High Wycombe urban area (with some surrounding settlements) population is 118,229.
High Wycombe has a large South Asian population mainly consisting of Pakistan
is and Bangladesh
is.
history spans back to 1295. The Wycombe constituency is currently Conservative
voting. The constituency contains strong Conservative areas outside High Wycombe town, and the town itself where the Liberal Democrats
gain some support, as well as the Conservatives. Over the years it has been a mix of Labour
, Conservative and Liberal Democrats.
High Wycombe has been home to two Prime Ministers; the Earl of Shelburne
lived at what is now Wycombe Abbey
(and was also MP for the town), and Benjamin Disraeli, who was defeated as an independent candidate in 1832. Disraeli made his first political speech in Wycombe, from the portico over the door of the Red Lion Hotel on the High Street (now Iceland/ Pound world).
or a secondary modern school
.
is a further education
college located close to High Wycombe at Flackwell Heath
. It also has campuses at Chesham
and Amersham
.
High Wycombe is home to the main campus of Buckinghamshire New University. The university located in the centre of the town on the former site of the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology. It received its university charter in Summer 2007.
The town made national and international media after anti-terrorism
raids were carried out across the town on 10 August 2006, as part of the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
. Five arrests were made from three different houses in the Totteridge and Micklefield areas of the town. A small number of houses in High Wycombe were evacuated in Walton Drive, which is thought to be because one of the houses raided contained dangerous liquid chemicals.
A three-mile No-flight zone
was issued over the town. Other raids and arrests were also made in East London and Birmingham
.
King's Wood to the north of the town was cordoned off for four months to be searched by police, and many suspicious items have allegedly been found including explosives, detonators, weapons and hate tapes. Other woodlands in the Booker
area of the town, the M40
at High Wycombe and nearby woods were also under observation. Explosive officers were called to the motorway as were forensic officers. A lane of the motorway was closed as a precaution.
On 21 December 2009, heavy snowfalls hit the town, paralysing the town's road network (which is mainly on steep hills), and causing major disruption to refuse services for several weeks. Staff and customers of the John Lewis department store were stranded overnight, leading to national news reports and interviews from GMTV and others on the morning of the 22 December.
which has two junctions serving Wycombe- junction 3 for Loudwater and High Wycombe (east) and junction 4 at Handy Cross roundabout
, for central Wycombe, Marlow
and the surrounding area. Junction 4 is a major interchange between the M40 and A404 trunk road
. It suffered from heavy congestion but was improved by the Highways Agency in 2006. Junction 3 is restricted, only traffic going towards and coming from London can join and exit respectively. The M25
and M4
are also fairly close.
Other roads include the A404
towards Marlow
and Amersham
, the A4010
towards Aylesbury
and the A40
towards Beaconsfield
and Oxford
.
with most services operated by Carousel Buses and Arriva
. Major destinations include Reading
, Slough
, Aylesbury
, Heathrow Airport
, Hemel Hempstead
, Watford
, Chesham
, Uxbridge
and Berkhamsted
. Most recently, First Berkshire
commenced a new hourly express service to Slough. Other operators serving the town include Woottens
and Redline.
Bus routes in the local area
Bus routes in the wider area.
High Wycombe is served by one of Buckinghamshire's Rainbow Routes network of services. Originally piloted in Aylesbury
, its success led to a network being set up in the town. Rainbow Routes is a partnership between the County Council
and local operators Arriva
and Carousel Buses
. They provide regular services within the town and its suburbs, and this network includes:
The town also has a Park and Ride
facility located in Cressex, near J4 of the M40. Services run to the town centre, passing the railway station
.
close to junction 4 of the M40 and linked to the town by local buses and by park and ride buses are currently at planning committee stage.
is the only railway station in the town and is on the Chiltern Main Line
with services to London Marylebone
and Birmingham Snow Hill
as well as services to Aylesbury
via Princes Risborough
. The station is the busiest in South Buckinghamshire. It is possible to reach London
in 30 minutes on faster trains, slower ones can take up to 45 minutes.
The Wycombe Railway
ran from High Wycombe to Maidenhead, through Loudwater and Bourne End
. However this was the victim of the Beeching Axe
with the Wycombe to Bourne End section closed in the 1970s. The southern section remains open as part of the Marlow Branch Line
.
is the nearest international airport, located just outside Buckinghamshire in Hillingdon
. Wycombe Air Park on the southern edge of the town is popular with learning pilots and gliders.
RAF High Wycombe
(site of RAF Air Command
), a station without a runway, is located near the village of Walters Ash
near High Wycombe. Close by, RAF Daws Hill
(now closed) is between Flackwell Heath
and High Wycombe centre.
There are two shopping centres: the Eden Centre
which spreads from the High Street under the Abbey Way flyover to the south of the A40, and the Chilterns Centre, which is located between Queen's Square and Frogmoor to the north.
The High Street (pedestrianised in the early nineties) has a number of 18th and 19th century buildings, and ends at the colonnaded Guildhall that was built in 1757 by Henry Keene
and renovated in 1859. The small octagonal shaped Cornmarket opposite known locally as the Pepper Pot was rebuilt to designs by Robert Adam
in 1761. The large parish church of All Saints was founded in 1086 but enlarged in the 18th century and extensively restored in 1889. There is a large well-equipped theatre, the Wycombe Swan
, which hosts many acts and shows prior to or following the West End
.
In March 2008, a new development in the town centre was completed. This included the demolition and relocation of the bus station. The main feature of the development was the brand new Eden Shopping Centre
, with 107 shops, new restaurants, a large bowling alley and cinema and new housing. The old Octagon shopping centre was connected to the new development. The complex is seen an a major milestone in the regeneration of the town, and is one of the largest in the country.
There are out-of-town retail outlets in the suburbs of Cressex (including John Lewis
, Asda
, and TGI Fridays), and Wycombe Marsh, where there is small retail park of shops and restaurants. Shops include Comet, PC World, Pets At Home, Homebase, M&S Simply Food.. Desborough Road provides a secondary shopping area, with more independent traders, and a number of takeaways,
To the east of the town centre is the extensive Rye park (and the river
) and dyke. The park has an open-air swimming pool (closed in 2009) and the River Wye winds through the green space, which is particularly attractive during the summer. Wycombes yearly Asian Mela takes place on the Rye, and is popular locally and nationally. There is a museum on Priory Avenue in the town centre situated in its own grounds which include a Norman Castle mound. The theme of the museum is the history of Wycombe, but the main focus is the chair industry.
Wycombe town centre is home to many public houses and bars especially in the Frogmoor area, there is a recently refurbished nightclub called Pure & Life On Mars (previously Pure & Obsession, previously Time & Here & Now, previously Club Eden), which has attracted some very famous urban British acts such as Lethal B, Kano
, Heartless Crew
, Soundboy, Shola Ama
, Artful Dodger, and Gemma Fox
. Additionally there is another town centre nightclub, The Garden.
The university students union has seen many celebrities from The Killers, to several Big Brother stars to Vernon Kaye and former England volleyball player Paul Galbraith.
The pub the White Horse appeared on 'Britain's toughest pubs'. They include free strip shows during the day. There is also a nightclub called the Blue Room in the suburb of Hazlemere.
The town features the old Wycombe Summit
, (formerly the largest dry ski slope in England, before it was destroyed in a fire). It was announced that this would be re-built to become Englands third and largest indoor real snow ski centre, however nothing has materialised to date, and it is unknown what will happen to the site.
Town centre bars and pubs include:
Hughenden Manor
borders the northern urban fringe of High Wycombe, approximately 2 miles from the centre of town. Built in the Regency period, the architecturally appealing house was also home to Benjamin Disraeli for three decades in the mid-19th century. The three floor mansion is situated in its own extensive grounds with beautifully landscaped gardens which back into the attractive Chiltern countryside. It is open to the public all year round as an historical attraction.
The local council attempts to maintain two locally beloved landmarks – the statue of a red lion (above the former Woolworths store on the High Street.) and the replacement fountain in Frogmoor Square(the cast iron original was removed in WW2)(the replacement fountain has also been removed and the unit sealed). The red lion's significance dates back to when the building was the Red Lion Hotel. Since its installation, the lion has been replaced several times and has had to undergo extensive repair due to damage from both the elements and from human interference. Another notable landmark is the ruins of the Hospital of St John the Baptist
, which is located on Easton street, just east of the town centre opposite the Rye parkland and dates back to the 12th century. The stone structure is one of the very oldest in Wycombe, and is said in part to contain stone used from the Roman villa on the Rye.
The site of the ancient Desborough Castle
is situated between the Desborough and Castlefield suburbs of the town (hence their names), and appears somewhat out of place due to the surroundings (though some might argue it's the surroundings that are out of place).
making (the town's football team is nicknamed the 'Chairboys') and furniture design remains an important element of the town's university, Buckinghamshire New University. Among the best known furniture companies were Ercol
and E Gomme. The largest remaining furniture maker is Stewart Linford, creating bespoke furniture and limited editions. The Living Chair Museum is sited at Stewart Linford's premises displaying many antique Windsor chairs and the tools that made them. The River Wye
runs through the valley, where beech
trees were cut down by the furniture industry, forming the town centre (circa 1700), with housing along the slopes (some areas still surrounded by woods). The town was also home to the worldwide postage stamp and banknote printer Harrison and Sons
. More recent industries in the town include the production of paper, precision instruments, clothing and plastics. Many of these are situated in an industrial area of the Cressex district, to the south west of the town centre. The two largest sites are those belonging to the companies Swan (tobacco papers, filters and matches) and Verco (office furniture) who until 2004 sponsored the local football team, Wycombe Wanderers.
club and two flying schools at Wycombe Air Park, the modern name for Booker Airfield, to the south of the M40 motorway on the western edge of the town. Many of the replica aircraft used in the film industry, for example in films such as Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
, Aces High
and The Blue Max
were built and flown there. There is a restaurant (The Pad) with outdoor picnic tables that is open to visitors beneath the control tower
. Wycombe Air Park is one of the busiest general aviation
airfields in the UK. The Air Park is also home to Buckinghamshire Squash and Racketball Club.
There is also a large leisure centre
to the south of town at the top of Marlow Hill. Many sporting activities take place here and there is an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the pool having can be split into two 25 metre pools with a raising and lowering wall. The leisure centre was designed by renowned architect John Attenborough. The council are currently finalising plans for the new centre, its location still not public knowledge.
and replace them with housing association
properties was approved by John Prescott
in 2003 after overwhelming approval by council residents. There are many different housing areas within the town, some of which such as the Castlefield district have gained a bad reputation for crime and drug related problems. Castlefield is also noted for being the most deprived estate in the county, with the highest level of child poverty in the whole of the Thames Valley.
The town is a diverse mixture of large council estates built in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s which sprawl up the valley sides, compact Victorian terraces in the bottom of the valley to the east and west of town, and desirable areas for wealthy commuters. The Amersham Hill area is noted for its large period properties, and leafy streets. Recent developments are showing a tendency towards blocks of flats, and developers are mainly making use of brownfield sites.
, play at Adams Park
, named after Frank Adams who donated the old Loakes Park ground to the club. They relocated to their current stadium, in 1990. They are currently members of Football League One
and have been members of the Football League since 1993 when they were promoted as champions of the GM Vauxhall Conference
. Since then they have enjoyed two notable cup runs (to the semi finals of the FA Cup
in 2001 and the Football League Cup
in 2007) and three recent promotions from the fourth tier of the English league to League One (via the playoffs in 1994 and automatically in 2009 and 2011). They have been managed by a number of high profile football figures including Martin O'Neill
, Lawrie Sanchez
and Tony Adams
. Their current manager is formed QPR manager Gary Waddock
.
London Wasps
rugby union team have also played at Adams Park
for home games since the 2002–03 season, during the club's most successful spell. Nicola Sanders
, a female track and field
athlete who is current European Indoor Champion and World outdoor silver medalist on 400 metres
, and also current world bronze on outdoor 4x400 metres relay, is a High Wycombe native. High Wycombe Amateur Boxing Club is located on Leigh Street.
is a large town in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England. It is 29 miles (47 km) west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town. According to the 2001 census High Wycombe had a population of 92,300, making it the largest town in the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire now that Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
is a unitary authority area, and the second largest in the ceremonial county. The High Wycombe Urban Area
High Wycombe Urban Area
The High Wycombe Urban Area is defined by the Office for National Statistics as a conurbation is southern Buckinghamshire. It had a population of 118,229 at the 2001 census. The largest population centre is High Wycombe itself at 92,000.-Demographics:...
, the conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
of which the town is the largest component has a population of 118,219.
High Wycombe is mostly an unparished area
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
in the Wycombe district. Part of the urban area constitutes a civil parish of Chepping Wycombe
Chepping Wycombe
Chepping Wycombe is a civil parish within Wycombe district in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. The parish includes the three large villages of Tylers Green, Loudwater and Flackwell Heath...
, which had a population of 14,455 according to the 2001 census – this parish represents that part of the ancient parish of Chepping Wycombe which was outside the former municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Wycombe.
Wycombe is a combination of industrial and market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, with a traditional emphasis on furniture production. There has been a market held in the High Street since at least medieval times. The town has always had a presence of industry, which in the 17th century exceeded the market town and now Wycombe remains more industrial in character.
History
The name Wycombe comes from the river Wye, and the old English word for a wooded valley, combe. Wycombe appears in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and was noted for having six mills. The town once featured a Roman Villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
(built 150–170 AD) which was excavated three times, most recently in 1954. Mosaics and a bathhouse were uncovered at the site on what is now the Rye parkland. High Wycombe was the site of a minor English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
battle featuring John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
, and the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
The existence of a settlement at High Wycombe was first documented in 970, as Wicumun. The Parish church was consecrated by the visiting Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester
Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester
Wulfstan , Bishop of Worcester, was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop and the only English-born bishop after 1075. Wulfstan is a Christian saint.-Denomination:His denomination as Wulfstan II is to indicate that he is the second Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester...
in 1086. The town received market borough status in 1237, although the market has featured in the town since early in the 12th century.
High Wycombe remained a mill town through Medieval and Tudor times, with the manufacture of lace and linen cloth. It was also used as a stopping point on the way from Oxford to London, with many travellers staying in the town's taverns and inns. The paper industry was the most notable in 17th and 18th century High Wycombe. The Wye's waters were rich in chalk, and therefore ideal for bleaching the pulp. The paper industry had soon overtaken from cloth.
Wycombe's most famous industry, furniture (particularly chairs) took hold in the 19th century, with furniture factories setting up all over the town. Many terraced workers houses were built to the east and west of town to accommodate those working in the furniture factories. In 1875, it was estimated that there were 4,700 chairs made per day in High Wycombe. The town's population grew from 13,000 residents in 1881, to 29,000 in 1928. When Queen Victoria visited the town in 1877, the council organised an arch of chairs to be erected over the High Street, with the words "Long live the Queen" printed boldly across the arch for the Queen to pass under. Wycombe was completely dominated socially and economically by the industry and, consequently, there was considerable unemployment and social problems when the industry declined in the 1960s.
By the 1920s, many of the housing areas of Wycombe had decayed into slum conditions. A slum clearance scheme was produced by the council, whereby many areas were completely demolished and the residents were re-housed in new estates, that sprawled above the town on the valley slopes. Some of the districts demolished were truly decrepit, such as Newlands, where most of the houses were condemned unfit for human habitation, with sewage pouring down the street and people sharing one room in cramped courtyards of subdivided flats. However, some areas such as St. Mary's Street contained beautiful old buildings with fine examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, which was a terrible shame and an injustice to the town.
From 1940 to 1968 High Wycombe was the seat of the RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
. Add to this, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, from May 1942 to July 1945, the U.S. Army Air Force's 8th Air Force Bomber Command, code-named "Pinetree", was based at a former girls' school at High Wycombe. This became formally Headquarters, 8th Air Force, on 22 February 1944. Since 1968 all commands of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
are housed at RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Its purpose is to serve the needs of the RAF Air Command, situated on the site. It is also the headquarters of the European Air Group...
.
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
s, office blocks, flyovers and roundabouts. Areas of cottages and period buildings have been replaced with a town centre which looked like any other built in the aesthetically challenged decade of the 1960s. On the open area known as Frogmoor the original cast iron fountain and some Georgian buildings have gone. A recent town centre regeneration project (the 'Eden Project') was originally going to uncover the Wye, however in a change of plan the new shopping centre has been built over the whole area, right up to the road which runs parallel with the river.
Modern Day High Wycombe
High Wycombe comprises a number of suburbs including BookerBooker, Buckinghamshire
Booker is a hamlet within the parish of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, which has absorbed into the expanding suburbs of High Wycombe...
, Bowerdean, Castlefield, Cressex, Daws Hill, Green Street, Holmers Farm, Micklefield, Sands, Terriers, Totteridge and Wycombe Marsh, as well as some nearby villages: Downley
Downley
Downley is a village and civil parish in the Wycombe district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is high in the Chiltern Hills, overlooking the town of High Wycombe. Although today it is almost indistinguishable from the urban spread of the latter town....
, Hazlemere
Hazlemere
Hazlemere is a suburb of High Wycombe and a civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the north east of the town along the A404 in the direction of Amersham....
and Tylers Green
Tylers Green
Tylers Green is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, situated in the parish of Chepping Wycombe.The name is derived from the large tiling industry that used to exist here. In ancient times, the village was known as Garrett or Gerrard Green...
.
Although situated in the county of Buckinghamshire which is one of the most affluent parts of the country Wycombe contains some considerably deprived areas. In 2007, a GMB Union
GMB Union
The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom, and has more than 600,000 members. Its members are drawn from many sectors, with particular strength amongst manual workers in local government and the health service...
survey ranked the Wycombe district as the 4th dirtiest in the South East and the 26th dirtiest in the whole UK. The survey found litter on 28.5% of streets and highways. Data for the survey was taken from the Government's 2005/06 Audit Commission
Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom.The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money...
.
The town is currently undergoing a large redevelopment of the centre, including the development of the town's existing shopping centre and the completion of the new Eden Shopping centre
Eden, High Wycombe
Eden is a shopping and entertainment complex in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in the south east of England. With a floor area of , it is the 28th largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and the largest in the surrounding area....
and the redevelopment of the Buckinghamshire New University with a large student village and new building on Queen Alexandra road.
These two developments have brought new life to the town and caused an influx of interest in the town, with larger apartment buildings and a new multi-million pound hotel being built in the centre
and a new Sainsbury's store on the Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
road next to the Eden shopping centre and bus station.
Weighing the Mayor
A ceremony, carried out in the town since 1678, involves the weighing of the mayorMayor of High Wycombe
The High Wycombe Mayoralty is the only one of its kind in the whole of the world, whereby their Mayor and all his officers get weighed every year...
. At the beginning and end of the mayor's serving year, they are weighed in full view of the public to see whether or not they have gained weight at the taxpayers' expense. The custom, which has survived to the present day, employs the same weighing apparatus used since the 19th century. When the result is known the Town Crier
Town crier
A town crier, or bellman, is an officer of the court who makes public pronouncements as required by the court . The crier can also be used to make public announcements in the streets...
announces "And no more!" if the Mayor has not gained weight or "And some more!" if they have. The actual weight of the Mayor is not declared.
Demographics
High Wycombe's population figure differs due to the varying definitions of the town's area. The town proper (that is with none of the suburbs) is 77,178. However HazlemereHazlemere
Hazlemere is a suburb of High Wycombe and a civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the north east of the town along the A404 in the direction of Amersham....
is now regarded as a suburb of Wycombe and so the population of High Wycombe town is 92,300. The High Wycombe urban area (with some surrounding settlements) population is 118,229.
| Place | Population |
| Bourne End Bourne End, Buckinghamshire Bourne End is a village predominantly in the parish of Wooburn and Bourne End, but also in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire, near where the River Wye meets the River Thames... /Flackwell Heath Flackwell Heath Flackwell Heath is a village in the civil parish of Chepping Wycombe on the outskirts of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire England. It is at an elevation of about 150m as it sits on the top of one of the Chiltern Hills. It has a population of around 6000.-History:... |
12,795 |
| Cookham Cookham Cookham is a village and civil parish in the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames, notable as the home of the artist Stanley Spencer. It lies north of Maidenhead close to the border with Buckinghamshire... |
5,304 |
| Great Kingshill Great Kingshill Great Kingshill and Little Kingshill are small villages in the parishes of Hughenden and Little Missenden respectively in Buckinghamshire, England. They are located in the Chiltern Hills, about five miles west of Amersham and two and a half miles south of Great Missenden.The village name... |
2,452 |
| Hazlemere Hazlemere Hazlemere is a suburb of High Wycombe and a civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the north east of the town along the A404 in the direction of Amersham.... /Tylers Green Tylers Green Tylers Green is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, situated in the parish of Chepping Wycombe.The name is derived from the large tiling industry that used to exist here. In ancient times, the village was known as Garrett or Gerrard Green... |
20,500 |
| High Wycombe | 77,178 |
| TOTAL | 118,229 |
High Wycombe has a large South Asian population mainly consisting of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
is and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
is.
Politics
Wycombe's politicalWycombe (UK Parliament constituency)
Wycombe is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It currently elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of elections....
history spans back to 1295. The Wycombe constituency is currently Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
voting. The constituency contains strong Conservative areas outside High Wycombe town, and the town itself where the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
gain some support, as well as the Conservatives. Over the years it has been a mix of Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, Conservative and Liberal Democrats.
High Wycombe has been home to two Prime Ministers; the Earl of Shelburne
William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...
lived at what is now Wycombe Abbey
Wycombe Abbey
Wycombe Abbey is an independent girls' boarding school situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is academically one of the top schools in the United Kingdom, and the top girls' boarding school...
(and was also MP for the town), and Benjamin Disraeli, who was defeated as an independent candidate in 1832. Disraeli made his first political speech in Wycombe, from the portico over the door of the Red Lion Hotel on the High Street (now Iceland/ Pound world).
Education
Buckinghamshire is one of the few counties that still has a selective educational system. Students in their last year at primary school take what is commonly known as the 11+ exam. Their score in this exam determines whether they are accepted into a grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
or a secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
.
Primary Schools
- Ash Hill Primary School
- Beechview School
- Booker Hill School
- Carrington Junior School
- Castlefield School
- Cedar Park School
- Chepping View Primary School
- Hamilton Primary School
- Hannah Ball Infant School
- Hazlemere Church of England Combined School
- High Wycombe Church of England Combined School
- Highworth Combined School and Nursery
- Juniper Hill School
- Kings Wood Combined School
- Loudwater Combined School
- Manor Farm Combined School
- Marsh School
- Millbrook Combined School
- Naphill and Walters Ash School
- Oakridge School
- St Paul's Church of England Combined School
- The Disraeli School and Children's Centre
- The Downley School
Secondary Schools
- Cressex Community SchoolCressex Community SchoolCressex Community School is a cooperative trust secondary school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is a community school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18...
- Highcrest Academy
- John Hampden Grammar SchoolJohn Hampden Grammar SchoolJohn Hampden Grammar School is a boys' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is named after politician and English Civil War participant John Hampden.-History:...
- St Augustine and St Bernard's Catholic School (Combined primary and secondary school)
- The Royal Grammar SchoolRoyal Grammar School, High WycombeSee Royal Grammar School for the other schools with the name RGS.The Royal Grammar School High Wycombe is a selective grammar school situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. As a state school it does not charge fees for students to attend, but they must pass an entrance exam...
- Wycombe High SchoolWycombe High SchoolWycombe High School is a girls' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is an Academy, taking girls from the age of 11 through to the age of 18. The school has approximately 1,340 pupils...
Independent Schools
- Crown House School
- Godstowe Preparatory School
- Pipers Corner SchoolPipers Corner SchoolPipers Corner School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Great Kingshill, Buckinghamshire, England.There are 580 pupils aged from 3 to 18 years...
- Wycombe AbbeyWycombe AbbeyWycombe Abbey is an independent girls' boarding school situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is academically one of the top schools in the United Kingdom, and the top girls' boarding school...
Further and Higher Education
Amersham & Wycombe CollegeAmersham & Wycombe College
Amersham & Wycombe College is a further education college situated in Buckinghamshire, England.The college consists of three campuses; the primary site being located in Amersham, with two smaller additional campuses located in neighbouring towns of High Wycombe and Chesham.A training centre also...
is a further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college located close to High Wycombe at Flackwell Heath
Flackwell Heath
Flackwell Heath is a village in the civil parish of Chepping Wycombe on the outskirts of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire England. It is at an elevation of about 150m as it sits on the top of one of the Chiltern Hills. It has a population of around 6000.-History:...
. It also has campuses at Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
and Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
.
High Wycombe is home to the main campus of Buckinghamshire New University. The university located in the centre of the town on the former site of the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology. It received its university charter in Summer 2007.
Featuring in the media
High Wycombe has featured in the national media in recent history for a number of different reasons including seasonal coverage of the local library's refusal to display a Christmas carol service poster and more serious stories such as the triple shooting of three young Asian men; a small-scale riot between feuding families and gangs in which knives, metal poles, and an axe were used, whilst a gunman sprayed bullets; and the shooting and murder of Natasha Derby at point-blank range in the middle of a busy dancefloor at town centre venue.The town made national and international media after anti-terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
raids were carried out across the town on 10 August 2006, as part of the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada...
. Five arrests were made from three different houses in the Totteridge and Micklefield areas of the town. A small number of houses in High Wycombe were evacuated in Walton Drive, which is thought to be because one of the houses raided contained dangerous liquid chemicals.
A three-mile No-flight zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
was issued over the town. Other raids and arrests were also made in East London and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
King's Wood to the north of the town was cordoned off for four months to be searched by police, and many suspicious items have allegedly been found including explosives, detonators, weapons and hate tapes. Other woodlands in the Booker
Booker, Buckinghamshire
Booker is a hamlet within the parish of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, which has absorbed into the expanding suburbs of High Wycombe...
area of the town, the M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
at High Wycombe and nearby woods were also under observation. Explosive officers were called to the motorway as were forensic officers. A lane of the motorway was closed as a precaution.
On 21 December 2009, heavy snowfalls hit the town, paralysing the town's road network (which is mainly on steep hills), and causing major disruption to refuse services for several weeks. Staff and customers of the John Lewis department store were stranded overnight, leading to national news reports and interviews from GMTV and others on the morning of the 22 December.
Famous residents (past and present)
- Colin BakerColin BakerColin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
– Actor, who played the sixth incarnationSixth DoctorThe Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
of the DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
in Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, and columnist for the Bucks Free Press. - Elliot BenyonElliot BenyonElliot Benyon is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a Striker, on loan from Swindon Town-Career:Benyon began his career as a trainee at Bristol City...
- Footballer currently playing for Wycombe WanderersWycombe Wanderers F.C.Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
on loan from Swindon TownSwindon Town F.C.Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... - Dominic BlizzardDominic BlizzardDominic John Blizzard is an English football midfielder who plays for League One side Yeovil Town....
– Footballer currently playing for Yeovil Town F.C.Yeovil Town F.C.Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
. - Heston BlumenthalHeston BlumenthalHeston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
– Celebrity chef and owner of the 3-Michelin star Fat Duck restaurant. He was born in the town and educated at John Hampden Grammar School. - Judy BoucherJudy BoucherJudy Boucher is a singer who moved to High Wycombe, England in the 1970s.After joining her brother's band, ‘Judy Jack and the Beanstalk’, she became a solo artist and had a No 1 hit in the reggae charts with the song, "Dreaming Of A Little Island", in 1985...
– A country and RnB singer originally from St. Vincent. - Fern BrittonFern BrittonFern Britton is an English television presenter, known as the former main co-presenter on the ITV magazine programme This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield. She left the show on 17 July 2009, her 52nd birthday.- Early life :...
– TV presenter. - Jimmy CarrJimmy CarrJames Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr is an English-Irish comedian and humourist. He is known for his deadpan delivery and dark humour. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television....
– TV & stand-up comedian. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School. - Simon ChurchSimon ChurchSimon Richard Church is a Wales international footballer who plays for Football League Championship club Reading as a striker.-Club:Church was spotted as a youngster while playing at a youth tournament and joined hometown club Wycombe Wanderers Centre of Excellence as a nine-year-old upon...
– Welsh international footballer. - James CordenJames CordenJames Kimberley Corden is an English actor, television writer, producer and presenter. He is co-creator and star of BBC comedy shows Gavin & Stacey and Horne & Corden, and acted in the 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers....
– Actor and writer. - Matt DawsonMatt DawsonMatthew James Sutherland "Daws" Dawson, MBE is a retired English rugby union player who played scrum half for Wasps and Northampton Saints. During his international career he toured with the British and Irish Lions three times and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side...
– England rugby union scrum half who won the rugby world cup in 2003. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School. - Geoffrey De HavillandGeoffrey de HavillandCaptain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, OM, CBE, AFC, RDI, FRAeS, was a British aviation pioneer and aircraft engineer...
– Aviation pioneer and aircraft engineer. Born at Terriers House. - Benjamin Disraeli – Politician, Prime Minister & literary figure.
- Luke DonaldLuke DonaldLuke Campbell Donald is an English professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. In January 2007, he...
– Golfer, educated at the Royal Grammar School. - Ian DuryIan DuryIan Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
– Rock & roll singer and songwriter. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School. - Eric GillEric GillArthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
– Sculptor and print maker. - Isa GuhaIsa GuhaIsa Tara Guha is an England cricketer who played in the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa . A right arm fast medium bowler, she made her Test debut at the age of 17 against India in 2002 when she was named BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year...
– England Women's cricketer and Women's World Cup winner. - Alex KewAlex KewAlex Kew is an actor, musician and singer-songwriter from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.-TV & Film:He is best known for playing Josh Barker in the children's sitcom My Parents Are Aliens. He has also played a variety of other parts, most notably Declan in the final series of 2point4 children...
– Actor and musician. - Adam Paul HarveyAdam Paul Harvey-Early life:Harvey was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, the son of Andrea and Gordon Harvey, an engineer. He attended Sir William Ramsay School in Hazlemere, High Wycombe and in 1998 enrolled at JPA School of Drama and Dance, after which he began auditioning.-Career:His first professional...
– Actor. - Aaron Johnson – Actor.
- Howard JonesHoward Jones (musician)Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
– Singer and songwriter. - Mike KeenMike KeenMichael Thomas "Mike" Keen was an English former footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the father of former West Ham United and Stoke City player Kevin Keen....
– Former footballer & manager, winner of the League Cup in 1967. - Robbie KerrRobbie KerrRobert "Robbie" Kerr is a British race car driver from England.-Early career:In 2002 he became the British Formula Three Champion for Alan Docking Racing with 306 points ahead of Australian racing driver James Courtney.Following an abortive attempt at International Formula 3000 in 2003, Kerr did...
– Motor racing driver current member of the British A1GP team. - Eric KnowlesEric KnowlesEric Knowles is a British antiques expert whose main interest is in ceramics.He first became famous after being a ceramics expert on the Antiques Roadshow. He has also appeared in such programmes as, Going for a Song, Going, Going, Gone, Noel's House Party, Call My Bluff and 20th Century Roadshow...
– Antiques Roadshow, currently lives in the town. - Phil NewportPhil NewportPhilip John Newport is a former English cricketer, who played primarily as a seam and swing bowler. Newport was a stalwart of Worcestershire County Cricket Club for most of the 1980s and 1990s, and played a key part in the county's triumphs in the late 1980s...
- Former Worcestershire and England cricketer. - Sally Philips – Comic actress.
- Karl PopperKarl PopperSir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
– Philosopher. - Tom ReesTom Rees (rugby player)Thomas Rees is a rugby union footballer who plays flanker for London Wasps and has represented England at senior, Under-21, Under-19, Under-18 and Under-16 levels as well as sevens.-Career:...
– England and London Wasps Rugby Flanker. - Charlotte RocheCharlotte RocheCharlotte Elisabeth Grace Roche is a British-born German television presenter, actress, singer and author.- Life and career :...
– a British-born German television presenter, actress, singer and author of the world's best-selling novel in March 2008. - Nicola SandersNicola SandersNicola Clare Sanders is a British sprinter and hurdler.-Early achievements:Nicola won a bronze medal in the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships in Riga at 400 m hurdles. That same year she was 4th in the 400 m hurdles at the World Youth Championships...
– Olympic athlete. - Wilf SlackWilf SlackWilfred Norris "Wilf" Slack was an English cricketer, who played in three Test matches and two One Day Internationals for England in 1986....
– Middlesex and England cricketer. - Dusty SpringfieldDusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
– Singer. - Heather Stewart-WhyteHeather Stewart-WhyteHeather Stewart-Whyte is a British model.-Early life:Born in East Sussex, England, Stewart-Whyte found success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, garnering several runway shows for Versace, Armani, Saint-Laurent and Lagerfeld...
– Supermodel. - Sy ThomasSy ThomasSy Thomas is a British TV presenter, stand-up comedian and actor.-Early years and career:Thomas attended Aberystwyth University, Wales, where he studied drama from 1998 to 2001 and received a BA upper second....
- TV presenter and standup comedian and actor. - Bill TurnbullBill TurnbullWilliam Robert "Bill" Turnbull is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by the BBC and best known for presenting BBC Breakfast...
- journalist and presenter. - Frankie VaughanFrankie VaughanFrankie Vaughan, CBE, DL was an English singer of traditional pop music, who issued more than 80 recordings in his lifetime. He was known as "Mr. Moonlight" after one of his early hits.-Life and career:...
– Traditional pop singer. - Young Guns (band)Young Guns (band)Young Guns are an English alternative rock band from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. On 22 June 2009 they released their debut EP Mirrors, and their debut album All Our Kings Are Dead was released a year later on 12 July 2010, peaking at #43 in the UK Albums Chart, and #3 in both the UK Rock and...
– High Wycombe-based band. - Mighty Boosh stars Noel FieldingNoel FieldingNoel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
and Dave BrownDave Brown (comedian)Dave Brown is a British comedian, choreographer designer and photographer.He is most famous for his work with The Mighty Boosh.His most prominent role is that of Bollo the ape...
both met when they attended Bucks New University in Wycombe. Julian BarrattJulian BarrattJulian Barratt is an English comedian, musician, music producer and actor. Barratt is best known for playing the character of Howard Moon in the cult comedy The Mighty Boosh, which he also co-writes with comedy partner, Noel Fielding.-The Mighty Boosh:Barratt stars as the character Howard Moon...
then joined the group after Fielding scouted him performing in the Wycombe SwanWycombe SwanWycombe Swan is an HQ theatre in High Wycombe. The theatre in opened in November 1992 by Wycombe District Council and has been acquired by HQ Theatre since. it has a capacity of 1076. It presents a varied programme including a pantomime every Christmas. At the Swan itself there were 280...
theatre. - Jim Jones (musician) – Former member of Thee HypnoticsThee HypnoticsThee Hypnotics were a 1990s British garage/psychedelic/hard rock band. They were part of the early alternative rock scene, releasing two full-length albums and an EP from 1989-1990 before taking an enforced hiatus due to their drummer breaking his back in a car accident while they were on tour in...
, Black MosesBlack MosesBlack Moses may refer to:*St. Moses the Black*Black Moses , an album by Isaac Hayes*Harriet Tubman, also known as Black Moses...
and currently frontman of The Jim Jones RevueThe Jim Jones RevueThe Jim Jones Revue is an English garage rock band comprising Jim Jones , Rupert Orton, Gavin Jay, Nick Jones and Henri Herbert...
Road
The town's nearest motorway is the M40M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
which has two junctions serving Wycombe- junction 3 for Loudwater and High Wycombe (east) and junction 4 at Handy Cross roundabout
Handy Cross roundabout
Handy Cross roundabout is a major road interchange near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in south-east England. Its name is derived from the neighbouring hamlet of Handy Cross. It is the principal motorway junction for High Wycombe and the junction between the M40 motorway and the A404 dual-carriageway...
, for central Wycombe, Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
and the surrounding area. Junction 4 is a major interchange between the M40 and A404 trunk road
A404 road
The A404 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Paddington in London and leads to Maidenhead in Berkshire.The road initially follows a course through London and its suburbs including Harlesden, Wembley, Harrow Pinner, and Rickmansworth...
. It suffered from heavy congestion but was improved by the Highways Agency in 2006. Junction 3 is restricted, only traffic going towards and coming from London can join and exit respectively. The M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
and M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
are also fairly close.
Other roads include the A404
A404 road
The A404 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Paddington in London and leads to Maidenhead in Berkshire.The road initially follows a course through London and its suburbs including Harlesden, Wembley, Harrow Pinner, and Rickmansworth...
towards Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
and Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, the A4010
A4010 road
The A4010 is an important primary north-south road in Buckinghamshire, Southern England. It runs from High Wycombe at Junction 4 of the M40 motorway to Stoke Mandeville, near Aylesbury on the A413.-High Wycombe:...
towards Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
and the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
towards Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Bus
The town has a new central bus station attached to the Eden Shopping CentreEden, High Wycombe
Eden is a shopping and entertainment complex in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in the south east of England. With a floor area of , it is the 28th largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and the largest in the surrounding area....
with most services operated by Carousel Buses and Arriva
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
. Major destinations include Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
, Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
and Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
. Most recently, First Berkshire
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley is a bus operator serving Bracknell, Slough and Wokingham, in England. It is part of First Group, a major bus and train operator with a turnover of nearly £2.5 billion a year and 62,000 employees across the UK and North America...
commenced a new hourly express service to Slough. Other operators serving the town include Woottens
Woottens Luxury Travel
Woottens Luxury Travel are a coach company in Buckinghamshire, England and the surrounding counties. They run local bus services under the name Tiger Line.-History:...
and Redline.
Bus routes in the local area
Bus routes in the wider area.
High Wycombe is served by one of Buckinghamshire's Rainbow Routes network of services. Originally piloted in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, its success led to a network being set up in the town. Rainbow Routes is a partnership between the County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
and local operators Arriva
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
and Carousel Buses
Carousel Buses
Carousel Buses is an independent bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England which operates a network of local and inter-urban bus services.-History:Carousel Buses was formed in 2000...
. They provide regular services within the town and its suburbs, and this network includes:
- Green Route 31 – ArrivaArriva Shires & EssexArriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
, every 15 minutes to PennPenn, BuckinghamshirePenn is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of Beaconsfield and east of High Wycombe...
, HazlemereHazlemereHazlemere is a suburb of High Wycombe and a civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the north east of the town along the A404 in the direction of Amersham....
and DownleyDownleyDownley is a village and civil parish in the Wycombe district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is high in the Chiltern Hills, overlooking the town of High Wycombe. Although today it is almost indistinguishable from the urban spread of the latter town....
; - Blue Route 32 – ArrivaArriva Shires & EssexArriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
, every 15 minutes to MicklefieldMicklefieldMicklefield is a village and civil parish east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It neighbours Garforth, Aberford and Brotherton and is close to the A1 Motorway. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. It has a population of 1,852.-Geography:...
and BookerBooker, BuckinghamshireBooker is a hamlet within the parish of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, which has absorbed into the expanding suburbs of High Wycombe...
; - Red Route 33 – ArrivaArriva Shires & EssexArriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
, every 12 minutes to Totteridge and Castlefield; - Purple Route 35/36 – Carousel BusesCarousel BusesCarousel Buses is an independent bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England which operates a network of local and inter-urban bus services.-History:Carousel Buses was formed in 2000...
, every 30 minutes to Flackwell HeathFlackwell HeathFlackwell Heath is a village in the civil parish of Chepping Wycombe on the outskirts of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire England. It is at an elevation of about 150m as it sits on the top of one of the Chiltern Hills. It has a population of around 6000.-History:...
; - Orange Route 39 – ArrivaArriva Shires & EssexArriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
, every 30 minutes to Hicks Farm.
- Rainbow Routes website http://www.rainbowroutes.co.uk/
The town also has a Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
facility located in Cressex, near J4 of the M40. Services run to the town centre, passing the railway station
High Wycombe railway station
High Wycombe railway station is situated in High Wycombe in South Buckinghamshire. The station is served by Chiltern Railways trains on the Chiltern Main Line from Marylebone towards Birmingham Snow Hill. It is situated between Beaconsfield and Saunderton stations.-History:The station was built...
.
Coach
The town is currently poorly served by coach services, with only the 737 service from Oxford to Stansted passing through the town. Plans for a High Wycombe CoachwayHigh Wycombe Coachway
The High Wycombe Coachway is a planned coachway interchange close to junction 4 of the M40 motorway to the west of High Wycombe. Currently some 150 coaches on the Oxford to London coach route pass High Wycombe each day without stopping because it would cause too much delay for other passengers to...
close to junction 4 of the M40 and linked to the town by local buses and by park and ride buses are currently at planning committee stage.
Rail
High Wycombe railway stationHigh Wycombe railway station
High Wycombe railway station is situated in High Wycombe in South Buckinghamshire. The station is served by Chiltern Railways trains on the Chiltern Main Line from Marylebone towards Birmingham Snow Hill. It is situated between Beaconsfield and Saunderton stations.-History:The station was built...
is the only railway station in the town and is on the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
with services to London Marylebone
Marylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
and Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
as well as services to Aylesbury
Aylesbury railway station
Aylesbury railway station is a railway station in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England and is a major stop on the London to Aylesbury Line from Marylebone station via Amersham. It is 37.75 miles from Aylesbury Station to Marylebone Station...
via Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough railway station
Princes Risborough station is a railway station on the Chiltern Main Line that serves the town of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, England...
. The station is the busiest in South Buckinghamshire. It is possible to reach London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 30 minutes on faster trains, slower ones can take up to 45 minutes.
The Wycombe Railway
Wycombe Railway
The Wycombe Railway was a British railway between and that connected with the Great Western Railway at both ends; there was one branch, to .-History:The Wycombe Railway Company was incorporated by an act of Parliament passed in 1846...
ran from High Wycombe to Maidenhead, through Loudwater and Bourne End
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
Bourne End is a village predominantly in the parish of Wooburn and Bourne End, but also in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire, near where the River Wye meets the River Thames...
. However this was the victim of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
with the Wycombe to Bourne End section closed in the 1970s. The southern section remains open as part of the Marlow Branch Line
Marlow Branch Line
The Marlow Branch Line is a single track railway line between Maidenhead, Berkshire, Bourne End and Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. Passenger services are operated by First Great Western using Class 165 diesel trains...
.
Air
Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
is the nearest international airport, located just outside Buckinghamshire in Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
. Wycombe Air Park on the southern edge of the town is popular with learning pilots and gliders.
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Its purpose is to serve the needs of the RAF Air Command, situated on the site. It is also the headquarters of the European Air Group...
(site of RAF Air Command
RAF Air Command
Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training Commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire....
), a station without a runway, is located near the village of Walters Ash
Walters Ash
Walters Ash is a village in the parish of Bradenham, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, to the west of the main village, adjacent to Naphill. Between 1983 and 1985 there was a peace camp outside the RAF station which dominates the village...
near High Wycombe. Close by, RAF Daws Hill
RAF Daws Hill
RAF Daws Hill is a Royal Air Force station on the outskirts of High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, England. The base is situated on Daws Hill Lane, the road between Flackwell Heath and Marlow Hill, High Wycombe, off the A404 road and adjacent to the M40 motorway....
(now closed) is between Flackwell Heath
Flackwell Heath
Flackwell Heath is a village in the civil parish of Chepping Wycombe on the outskirts of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire England. It is at an elevation of about 150m as it sits on the top of one of the Chiltern Hills. It has a population of around 6000.-History:...
and High Wycombe centre.
Facilities and places of interest
There are two shopping centres: the Eden Centre
Eden, High Wycombe
Eden is a shopping and entertainment complex in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in the south east of England. With a floor area of , it is the 28th largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and the largest in the surrounding area....
which spreads from the High Street under the Abbey Way flyover to the south of the A40, and the Chilterns Centre, which is located between Queen's Square and Frogmoor to the north.
The High Street (pedestrianised in the early nineties) has a number of 18th and 19th century buildings, and ends at the colonnaded Guildhall that was built in 1757 by Henry Keene
Henry Keene
Henry Keene was an English architect, notable for designing buildings in the Gothic Revival and Neoclassical style.- Life and work :...
and renovated in 1859. The small octagonal shaped Cornmarket opposite known locally as the Pepper Pot was rebuilt to designs by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
in 1761. The large parish church of All Saints was founded in 1086 but enlarged in the 18th century and extensively restored in 1889. There is a large well-equipped theatre, the Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Swan is an HQ theatre in High Wycombe. The theatre in opened in November 1992 by Wycombe District Council and has been acquired by HQ Theatre since. it has a capacity of 1076. It presents a varied programme including a pantomime every Christmas. At the Swan itself there were 280...
, which hosts many acts and shows prior to or following the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
In March 2008, a new development in the town centre was completed. This included the demolition and relocation of the bus station. The main feature of the development was the brand new Eden Shopping Centre
Eden, High Wycombe
Eden is a shopping and entertainment complex in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in the south east of England. With a floor area of , it is the 28th largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and the largest in the surrounding area....
, with 107 shops, new restaurants, a large bowling alley and cinema and new housing. The old Octagon shopping centre was connected to the new development. The complex is seen an a major milestone in the regeneration of the town, and is one of the largest in the country.
There are out-of-town retail outlets in the suburbs of Cressex (including John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
, Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, and TGI Fridays), and Wycombe Marsh, where there is small retail park of shops and restaurants. Shops include Comet, PC World, Pets At Home, Homebase, M&S Simply Food.. Desborough Road provides a secondary shopping area, with more independent traders, and a number of takeaways,
To the east of the town centre is the extensive Rye park (and the river
River Wye, Buckinghamshire
The River Wye in Buckinghamshire is a river in England that rises in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire. It flows for around , through High Wycombe on its way down to Bourne End, where it meets the River Thames on the reach above Cookham Lock....
) and dyke. The park has an open-air swimming pool (closed in 2009) and the River Wye winds through the green space, which is particularly attractive during the summer. Wycombes yearly Asian Mela takes place on the Rye, and is popular locally and nationally. There is a museum on Priory Avenue in the town centre situated in its own grounds which include a Norman Castle mound. The theme of the museum is the history of Wycombe, but the main focus is the chair industry.
Wycombe town centre is home to many public houses and bars especially in the Frogmoor area, there is a recently refurbished nightclub called Pure & Life On Mars (previously Pure & Obsession, previously Time & Here & Now, previously Club Eden), which has attracted some very famous urban British acts such as Lethal B, Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...
, Heartless Crew
Heartless Crew
Heartless Crew were a British UK garage sound system from London, that consisted of three members MC's Bushkin, Mighty Moe and DJ Fonti. Mighty Moe started out as a hip-hop DJ. His parents are from the Middle-East. Bushkin and Fonti have West Indian backgrounds....
, Soundboy, Shola Ama
Shola Ama
Shola Ama is an English singer who scored her biggest hit in 1997 with a cover of Turley Richards' "You Might Need Somebody".-Early life and career:...
, Artful Dodger, and Gemma Fox
Gemma Fox
Gemma Fox is a UK pop, R&B and hip hop singer, best known for her 2004 album Messy. The lead single, "Girlfriends Story", was released in April of that year and featured MC Lyte. The second single, "Gone", featured Juelz Santana...
. Additionally there is another town centre nightclub, The Garden.
The university students union has seen many celebrities from The Killers, to several Big Brother stars to Vernon Kaye and former England volleyball player Paul Galbraith.
The pub the White Horse appeared on 'Britain's toughest pubs'. They include free strip shows during the day. There is also a nightclub called the Blue Room in the suburb of Hazlemere.
The town features the old Wycombe Summit
Wycombe Summit
The Wycombe Summit was a dry ski slope situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It has been closed since 22nd November 2006, when a fire destroyed the lodge.-Dry Ski Slope Centre:...
, (formerly the largest dry ski slope in England, before it was destroyed in a fire). It was announced that this would be re-built to become Englands third and largest indoor real snow ski centre, however nothing has materialised to date, and it is unknown what will happen to the site.
Town centre bars and pubs include:
- The Antelope
- The Bell
- Bird in Hand
- Butlers (was once called the Toad)
- The Falcon (JD Wetherspoons)
- Half Moon
- Scorpios (formerly Finn McCoul's, formerly the White Lion)
- The Bootlegger (formerly "The Flint Cottage" – building faced with flint pieces)
- The Glasshouse (formerly The Anchor)
- The Hobgoblin (formerly The Three Tuns)
- Obsession (upstairs) Life on Mars (downstairs) – Only nightclubs in the town
- O'Neills
- The Belle Vue
- The Nags Head (live music venue hosting bands of all different genres)
- The Rose and Crown
- The Roundabout
- The Wendover Arms (also bed and breakfast and Thai Restaurant)
- The White Horse (doubles as a strip club and a source for alternative music)
- The William Robert Loosley (JD Wetherspoon)
- Yates (formerly the Litten Tree)
Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor is a red brick Victorian mansion, located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. In the 19th century, it was the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli...
borders the northern urban fringe of High Wycombe, approximately 2 miles from the centre of town. Built in the Regency period, the architecturally appealing house was also home to Benjamin Disraeli for three decades in the mid-19th century. The three floor mansion is situated in its own extensive grounds with beautifully landscaped gardens which back into the attractive Chiltern countryside. It is open to the public all year round as an historical attraction.
The local council attempts to maintain two locally beloved landmarks – the statue of a red lion (above the former Woolworths store on the High Street.) and the replacement fountain in Frogmoor Square(the cast iron original was removed in WW2)(the replacement fountain has also been removed and the unit sealed). The red lion's significance dates back to when the building was the Red Lion Hotel. Since its installation, the lion has been replaced several times and has had to undergo extensive repair due to damage from both the elements and from human interference. Another notable landmark is the ruins of the Hospital of St John the Baptist
Hospital of St John the Baptist, High Wycombe
The Hospital of St John the Baptist was a hospital in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England between 1180 and 1548. It was situated on the main road that ran from Oxford to London east of the town centre.-The Hospital:...
, which is located on Easton street, just east of the town centre opposite the Rye parkland and dates back to the 12th century. The stone structure is one of the very oldest in Wycombe, and is said in part to contain stone used from the Roman villa on the Rye.
The site of the ancient Desborough Castle
Desborough Castle
Desborough Castle is an Iron Age hill fort which lies on the southern side of the valley of the River Wye in Buckinghamshire, which runs through the Chiltern Hills from the Ridgeway and Vale of Aylesbury to the river Thames.-Details:...
is situated between the Desborough and Castlefield suburbs of the town (hence their names), and appears somewhat out of place due to the surroundings (though some might argue it's the surroundings that are out of place).
Industry
Wycombe was once renowned for furnitureFurniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
making (the town's football team is nicknamed the 'Chairboys') and furniture design remains an important element of the town's university, Buckinghamshire New University. Among the best known furniture companies were Ercol
Ercol
Ercol is the name of a British furniture manufacturer. The firm dates back to 1920, when it was established in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, as Furniture Industries by Lucian Ercolani ....
and E Gomme. The largest remaining furniture maker is Stewart Linford, creating bespoke furniture and limited editions. The Living Chair Museum is sited at Stewart Linford's premises displaying many antique Windsor chairs and the tools that made them. The River Wye
River Wye, Buckinghamshire
The River Wye in Buckinghamshire is a river in England that rises in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire. It flows for around , through High Wycombe on its way down to Bourne End, where it meets the River Thames on the reach above Cookham Lock....
runs through the valley, where beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
trees were cut down by the furniture industry, forming the town centre (circa 1700), with housing along the slopes (some areas still surrounded by woods). The town was also home to the worldwide postage stamp and banknote printer Harrison and Sons
Harrison and Sons
Harrison and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver and printer of Postage stamps and Banknotes.The company was established in 1750 by Thomas Harrison and it obtained its first Post Office contract in 1881. The company won the contract to print the single colour United Kingdom Edward VII...
. More recent industries in the town include the production of paper, precision instruments, clothing and plastics. Many of these are situated in an industrial area of the Cressex district, to the south west of the town centre. The two largest sites are those belonging to the companies Swan (tobacco papers, filters and matches) and Verco (office furniture) who until 2004 sponsored the local football team, Wycombe Wanderers.
Local attractions
BradenhamBradenham, BuckinghamshireBradenham is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near Saunderton, off the main A4010 road between Princes Risborough and High Wycombe.- Village :...
Chiltern HillsChiltern HillsThe Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
Hughenden ManorHughenden ManorHughenden Manor is a red brick Victorian mansion, located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. In the 19th century, it was the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli....png)
West Wycombe CavesWest Wycombe CavesWest Wycombe Caves are a network of man-made chalk and flint caverns which extend one quarter of a mile underground, situated above the village of West Wycombe, at the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Southeast England.They were excavated between 1748 and...- West Wycombe ParkWest Wycombe ParkWest Wycombe Park is a country house near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, built between 1740 and 1800. It was conceived as a pleasure palace for the 18th century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet. The house is a long rectangle with four façades that...
Wycombe MuseumWycombe MuseumWycombe Museum is a free local museum located in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is run by Wycombe District Council....- Odds Farm Park
Recreation
There is a glidingGliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
club and two flying schools at Wycombe Air Park, the modern name for Booker Airfield, to the south of the M40 motorway on the western edge of the town. Many of the replica aircraft used in the film industry, for example in films such as Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
, Aces High
Aces High (film)
Aces High is a 1976 British war film directed by Jack Gold and starring Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer and Simon Ward. The screenplay was written by Howard Barker. As acknowledged in the opening credits, the film is based on the 1930s play Journey's End by R. C. Sherriff and the memoir...
and The Blue Max
The Blue Max
The Blue Max is an 1966 British war film about a German fighter pilot on the Western Front during World War I. It was directed by John Guillermin, stars George Peppard, James Mason and Ursula Andress, and features Karl Michael Vogler and Jeremy Kemp. The screenplay was written by David Pursall,...
were built and flown there. There is a restaurant (The Pad) with outdoor picnic tables that is open to visitors beneath the control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
. Wycombe Air Park is one of the busiest general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airfields in the UK. The Air Park is also home to Buckinghamshire Squash and Racketball Club.
There is also a large leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
to the south of town at the top of Marlow Hill. Many sporting activities take place here and there is an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the pool having can be split into two 25 metre pools with a raising and lowering wall. The leisure centre was designed by renowned architect John Attenborough. The council are currently finalising plans for the new centre, its location still not public knowledge.
Housing
A new experimental scheme to knock down old council flats in MicklefieldMicklefield, High Wycombe
Micklefield is a district of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, located on the eastern side of the town. Surrounded on one side by the Chiltern Hills and King's Wood, it neighbours the villages of Penn and Tylers Green, as well as being adjacent to Wycombe Marsh...
and replace them with housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
properties was approved by John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
in 2003 after overwhelming approval by council residents. There are many different housing areas within the town, some of which such as the Castlefield district have gained a bad reputation for crime and drug related problems. Castlefield is also noted for being the most deprived estate in the county, with the highest level of child poverty in the whole of the Thames Valley.
The town is a diverse mixture of large council estates built in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s which sprawl up the valley sides, compact Victorian terraces in the bottom of the valley to the east and west of town, and desirable areas for wealthy commuters. The Amersham Hill area is noted for its large period properties, and leafy streets. Recent developments are showing a tendency towards blocks of flats, and developers are mainly making use of brownfield sites.
Sport
The town's football team, Wycombe WanderersWycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
, play at Adams Park
Adams Park
Adams Park is a football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is the home ground of Wycombe Wanderers F.C. and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club London Wasps...
, named after Frank Adams who donated the old Loakes Park ground to the club. They relocated to their current stadium, in 1990. They are currently members of Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
and have been members of the Football League since 1993 when they were promoted as champions of the GM Vauxhall Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
. Since then they have enjoyed two notable cup runs (to the semi finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 2001 and the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 2007) and three recent promotions from the fourth tier of the English league to League One (via the playoffs in 1994 and automatically in 2009 and 2011). They have been managed by a number of high profile football figures including Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
, Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...
and Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
. Their current manager is formed QPR manager Gary Waddock
Gary Waddock
Gary Patrick Waddock is a former professional and international footballer. He is currently manager at League One club Wycombe Wanderers. He formerly managed Queens Park Rangers and Aldershot Town...
.
London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
rugby union team have also played at Adams Park
Adams Park
Adams Park is a football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is the home ground of Wycombe Wanderers F.C. and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club London Wasps...
for home games since the 2002–03 season, during the club's most successful spell. Nicola Sanders
Nicola Sanders
Nicola Clare Sanders is a British sprinter and hurdler.-Early achievements:Nicola won a bronze medal in the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships in Riga at 400 m hurdles. That same year she was 4th in the 400 m hurdles at the World Youth Championships...
, a female track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who is current European Indoor Champion and World outdoor silver medalist on 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
, and also current world bronze on outdoor 4x400 metres relay, is a High Wycombe native. High Wycombe Amateur Boxing Club is located on Leigh Street.