High Wycombe has been home to many venues where people have been able to meet friends, dance, socialise and have a merry time through the years.

One of those is the Town Hall, in Queen Victoria Road, which was the main social hub of the town in the 1950s and 60, with all sorts of events and activities taking place there.

Indeed, the Bucks Free Press’ nostalgia volunteer and writer Mike Dewey remembers his father taking him to a boxing tournament there, despite not particularly being interested in boxing!

And members of the BFP’s We Grew Up in Wycombe Facebook group have also discussed the venue on several occasions, with Mick Day asking earlier this year: “Does anyone remember the Town Hall dances in the early 60s?”

Andrea Blundell replied: “I went to a few dances there but also got taken to a wrestling match there too, scared the living daylights out of me”, with Helen Thompson adding: “My husband went to the wrestling matches. Still has signed programmes.”

Vivienne Green commented: “They used to have some fantastic live groups at the Town Hall on a Tuesday and a Saturday night, they were all the top chart groups.”

And Michelle Planterose wrote: “My dad used to take me to the kids’ Christmas parties in the very early 70s. I used to love dressing up in big girl dresses. I must have been seven or eight years old.”

Derek Milner and Elizabeth Riley remembered “going there regularly”, while Brian Slater added: “Yes I played in a band every Saturday.

“The band was called Jimmy Mac, and the Beatfinders we were the support band for the main acts.

“We were there for a long time, some of you people here would have remembered us for sure, after that we went on to bigger things.”

And June Simmons said: “Used to go every Saturday night way, way back in the 40s and 50s.

Bucks Free Press: Pop singer Screaming Lord Sutch performing at the venue in August 1961Pop singer Screaming Lord Sutch performing at the venue in August 1961

“Had a regular band every Saturday called Ken Madalin (think that’s how it’s spelt).

“I think it was an eight-piece with singer. Great! Also went to the legion, dancing was my favourite pastime. Remember the Americans coming to town from Keep Hill base, taught us the jitterbug.”

Sandra Edwards wrote: “Yes I used to go to the Town Hall Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Great times back then”, while Alfred Hale said: “We remember the Town Hall dances of the late 50s. Some superb groups. We always went home tired not drunk.”

Patricia Boyle recalled: “I used to go with my cousin who came to live with us for a while in 1960. Said he could dance, but he got us round dancing his way. One, two then shuffle, certainly not ballroom dancing”, while Sue Taylor commented: “Remember the town hall dances in the 60s. They had some great well-known groups. Went there with my boyfriend (now my hubby).”

And Janet Delahunty said she saw The Herd and The Move at the Town Hall, adding: “Always had to leave before the end because the last bus home to Piddington was 10.38pm.

“My dad would meet me off the bus at the Dashwood Arms. There were no street lights so it was pitch black and I could always just make out his lit cigarette.”

Nostalgia writer Mike Dewey wrote in his piece in the July 23 edition of the BFP that a British Restaurant – which was essentially a community feeding centre for people who were bombed out of their homes in the 1940s – was established in the Town Hall in 1941.

The people who frequented the restaurant were representative of all sections of the community in the town – shop assistants, clerks, factory workers and others.

By the early 1950s it was back to being the main social hub of the town.

Correction: In last week’s edition (July 30) we published that the founder of W A Child & Sons was William Parker, and that Diane and Judith were the founder’s great-grandchildren. The name of the shop’s founder was William Albert Child and Diane and Judith were his granddaughters. We apologise for any confusion caused.