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High Wycombe, (previously Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe) South Buckinghamshire, is 29 miles (46.4 kilometres) WNW of London, England. According to the 2001 census the High Wycombe Urban Area had a population of 118,229, making it the largest town in Buckinghamshire now that Milton Keynes is a unitary authority.

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.

Wycombe is a combination of industrial and market town. There has been a market held in the High Street since Medieval times. There is also a craft market found in between the Octagon shopping centre and the bus station.

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. An interesting and individual custom of High Wycombe is that it is the only place in the world, that weighs its Mayors.

History

The name Wycombe comes from the river Wye, and the old English word for a valley, Combe. Wycombe appears in the Domesday Book and was noted for having six mills. The town once featured a Roman Villa (2 A.D) 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 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 Turdor 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 towns taverns and inns. The paper industry was the most notable in 17th and 18th century High Wycombe. The Wyes waters were rich in chalk, and therefore ideal for bleaching the pulp. The paper industry had soon overtaken from cloth.

Wycombes 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 4700 chairs made per day in High Wycombe. This figured consistently increased towards the end of the century. The towns population also grw quite rapidly, 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, so it came as no surprise that there were considerable problems of unemployment and social problems when the industry declined in the 1960's.

By the 1920's, 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 truely decrepid, such as Newlands, where most of the houses were condemed 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.

In the 1960's the town centre was redeveloped. This involved tunneling the River Wye under concrete, and demolishing most of the old buildings in Wycombes town centre. Two shopping centres were built along with many new multi-storey car parks, office blocks, flyovers and roundabouts. Areas of quaint old cottages and grand period buildings have been replaced with a town centre which looked like any other built in the aesthetically challenged decade of the 60's. A few pleasant old buildings remain on the High Street, and on Frogmoor (although the original cast iron fountain and some Georgian buildings have gone). A current town centre regeneration project is bringing the Wye back to surface, and is focusing on the conservation rather exploitation of the town centre.

A traditional ceremony of the town since the medieval period is the weighing of the mayor, where at the beginning and end of the mayors serving year, they are weighed in full view of the public to see whether or not they have gained weight at the taxpayers' expense. This custom is still in order, and the same weighing apparatus are used as in the 19th century.

Politics

Wycombe's political 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 Labour gains some support, as well as the Conservatives. Over the years it has been a mix of Labour, Conservative and Liberal.

High Wycombe was home to 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 Woolworths).

Education

Buckinghamshire is one of the few counties that still has a selective educational system, and therefore, Wycombe contains some grammar schools that do very well in league tables, and in contrast, secondary modern schools, some of which have faced problems and have needed government funding. Local grammar schools include Wycombe High School, John Hampden Grammar School and the Royal Grammar School. The Wycombe Abbey School is a private all girls school, where students can board.

High Wycombe is home to the main campus of Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (BCUC). The university has plans for expansion in the Hughenden area of High Wycombe, which will provide more up to date facilities, and a better environment for the establishment.

Schools in High Wycombe

For ages 5-11:

Ash Hill Primary School

Beechview School

Booker Hill School

Castlefield School

Chepping View Primary School

Hamilton Primary School

Hannah Ball Infant School

High Wycombe Church of England Combined School

Highworth Combined School and Nursery

Kings Wood School

Loudwater Combined School

Marsh School

Millbrook Combined School

Oakridge School

St Augustine's Catholic Primary School

The Disraeli School

The Downley School

For ages 11-16

Cressex Community School

Highcrest Community School

John Hampden Grammar School

Sir William Ramsay School

St Bernard's Catholic School

The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe

Wycombe Abbey School

Wycombe High School

Population

Wycombe houses a large and growing Asian community from various parts of the sub-continent, and a sizable West Indian community almost exclusively from Saint Vincent. There are also smaller Polish, Irish, Italian and Somalian communities. Over a quarter of the residents in Wycombe are ethnic minorities.

The Asian community is well established, and has settled mainly in the Castlefield, Desborough and Totteridge areas of the town. There are four mosques and two Gudwaras in High Wycombe town centre and some of the housing estates. Wycombe is a town with a very diverse population; all kinds of different races and classes are housed in a small geographical area. There is a considerable wealth gap between the rich and poor in the town.

The population of High Wycombe: (1991) 71,700. (2006) 81,117 according to the world gazetteer which contains census information *

Famous Residents from the Past and Present

Transport

The town has a central bus station, with bus routes to suburbs and surrounding towns, which are run bu the company Arriva. There is a railway station on Chiltern Line between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill which is just to the east of the town centre and has plans for expansion to be completed in correspondence with town centre redevelopment. One of the largest retaining walls in Europe is used to support Amersham Hill, to the north of the railway. It is possible to get to London in 30 minutes from Wycombe station on the faster trains. Saunderton is the next station in the direction of Birmingham, and Beaconsfield is the next station towards London.

The M40 has two junctions for High Wycombe. Junction 3A "High Wycombe east" is to the southeast of town and is restricted as you can only leave westbound, and join eastbound (towards London). At this junction, the M40 passes over the Loudwater viaduct, a large construction across a chiltern valley on the Wycombe by-pass. Junction 4 "High Wycombe and Marlow" is to the southwest of Wycombe near the John Lewis outlet, and is home to the infamous Handycross roundabout. Although this is not a restricted junction, work is set for a multi-million pound redevelopment to ease traffic congestion, especially during the rush hour. The M40 eastbound links High Wycombe to London, Uxbridge and the nearby M25. To the northwest the M40 links Wycombe to Thame, Oxford, Bicester, Banbury and Birmingham.

Local roads are the A404 which travels south to Marlow and Maidenhead, and northeast to Amersham and Chesham. The A4010 links Wycombe to the town of Aylesbury, while the A40 carries local traffic east to Beaconsfield and west to Stokenchurch and West Wycombe.

The nearest international airport to High Wycombe is Heathrow which is approximately 20 miles away, while a local airport is at Booker on the edge of the town. Other airports that are not too far away include Luton, Gatwick and Stanstead, all of which can be reached by a short drive down the M40 and then the M25.

Facilities and places of interest

There is a town centre, revamped at the beginning of the nineties, with arcades and many brand name shops. There are two shopping centres: the Octagon centre which spreads from the High Street under the Abbey Way flyover to Newlands Car park, and the Chilterns centre, which is located in the Forgmoor area of central Wycombe. The High Street, with a number of 18th and 19th century buildings, ends at the colonnaded Guildhall, and small octagonal shaped Cornmarket, known locally as the Pepper Pot. Opposite stands the large medieval parish church of All Saints, which was founded in 1086. There is a large well-equipped theatre, the Wycombe Swan, which hosts many acts and shows prior to or following the West End.

High Wycombe is currently undergoing a massive reconstruction of the town centre whereby relocation of the Bus station is taking place along with the relocation and expansion of the cinema which is currently based in Cressex near the M40. The new development named "Project Eden" will also include a bowling alley, housing, restaurants, bars, a civic square, and an extensive shopping centre which will feature relocated shops from smaller premises in the town, as well as many new shops such as a massive four level House of Fraser, Waterstones, HMV and Zara. The current Octagon shopping centre will be connected to the Eden centre and is undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment itself. The new development is expected to open in the Spring of 2008.

There are out-of-town retail outlets in the suburbs of Cressex where there is a John Lewis, Asda, and numerous restaurants, like TGI Fridays, and Wycombe Marsh, where there are more shops including Currys, PC World, Land of Leather, Homebase, M&S Simply Food and a large Tesco store at Loudweater. This is in addition to large supermarkets in the town centre. Desborough Road provides a secondary shopping area, with more independent traders, and a large amount of takeaways, which are flooded with students and locals after a night out. By night the Desborough area has become troubled with crime (numerous stabbings and shotgun offences have taken place), vandalism, drug pushers and prostitution. This is evident by the shuttered, graffitied and boarded up buildings along Desborough Road.

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 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 & Obsession, which has attracted some very famous urban British acts such as Lethal B, Kano, Heartless Crew, Soundboy, Shola Ama, Artful Dodger, and Gemma Fox. There is also a nightclub called the Blue Room in the suburb of Hazlemere. The town features the Wycombe Summit, the largest dry ski slope in the UK. This has currently closed after a fire, but is soon to re-open as a real snow slope.

Hughenden Manor borders the northern urban fringe of High Wycombe, approximately 2 miles from the centre of town. Built in the Regency period, the architectually 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 Woolworths store on the High Street.) and the replacement fountain in Frogmoor Square (the cast iron original was removed in WW2). The red lion's significance dates back to when the building was the Red Lion Hotel. Since it's 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 eldest in Wycombe, and is said in part to contain stone used from Roman remains.

The site of the ancient Desborough castle is situated between the Desborough and Castlefield suburbs of the town (hence their names), and appears some what out of place due to the surroundings.

Industry

Wycombe was once renowned for furniture making (the town's football team is nicknamed the 'Chairboys') and furniture design remains an important element of the town's university, Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. 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). 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.

Recreation

There is a gliding club, two flying schools and a voluntary aviation museum 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 and The Blue Max were built and flown there. There is a restaurant (Happy Landings) 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.

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.

Housing

A new experimental scheme to knock down old council flats in Micklefield and replace them with housing association properties was approved by John Prescott in 2003 after overwhelming approval by 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. Indeed, bus drivers have refused to drive to Castlefield and Micklefield after dark over several periods of time, due to various attacks on the buses and drivers themselves. 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 1930's, 50's and 60's 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 Wanderers F.C., play at Adams Park, named after Frank Adams who donated the old Loakes Park ground to the club. Wycombe currently play in Football League Two, where they have been since 2004 when they were relegated from League One. In 2001 they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup under Lawrie Sanchez, with Keith Ryan scoring in a 2–1 defeat to Liverpool at Villa Park. However, their most prolific era was in the early '90s under the management of Martin O'Neill, who went on to Leicester City and Celtic football clubs. The London Wasps rugby team also rent Adams Park for home games.

Nearby settlements

The only cities within 30 miles of High Wycombe are London and Oxford.

Towns close to Wycombe include:

Small towns and villages within the Wycombe district include:

Suburbs of High Wycombe include:

  • Downley
  • Hughenden
  • Terriers
  • Totteridge
  • Bowerdean
  • Micklefield
  • Wycombe Marsh
  • Loudwater
  • Desborough
  • Castlefield
  • Cressex
  • Booker
  • Holmers Farm
  • Sands
  • Hazlemere (formerly a nearby village).

External links

Towns in Buckinghamshire

High Wycombe | High Wycombe

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "High Wycombe".

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