High Wycombe

Comprehensive transport connections allow easy access to a variety of major destinations, with the nearby M40 providing links to London and the M25, as well as to Oxford, the Midlands and Birmingham. A fast, 45-minute rail service is available to London Marylebone, while half-hourly trains also run to Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham. Heathrow and Gatwick Airports are both easily accessible via the M25, and a comprehensive bus and coach network provides access to neighbouring areas and important towns.

Shopping:
High Wycombe also enjoys excellent retail facilities, with a mix of high street names and traditional retailers located throughout the town. A popular street market is held on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, while two modern shopping centres and the recently pedestrianised High Street provide shoppers with a pleasant, traffic-free environment. Out-of-town superstores are situated at Cressex and Loudwater.

Entertainment:
Arts and entertainment are especially well catered for with an impressive range of facilities and events. The renowned Wycombe Swan theatre hosts an annual programme of drama, cabaret, music and opera as well as a traditional pantomime. A further venue is provided by the Town Hall, which boasts a refurbished Victorian interior and modern facilities for theatre, concerts and exhibitions. Wycombe Arts Centre includes performance spaces for theatre, music and dance, together with a gallery, cafe and bar. For movie buffs, a 6-screen cinema complex is located within easy reach of the town on the M40.

Several major festivals provide further entertainment throughout the year. In spring, The Wycombe Arts Festival features an exciting selection of drama, music and dance, while an annual programme of street theatre takes place during summer and winter months. A Jazz Festival is an established August highlight, and the region s first Festival of Asian Culture is also scheduled for August 1999. The annual Wycombe Show, held in the Rye, features a wide range of family entertainment for residents and visitors alike. In addition to these events, a further variety of activities take place in halls and community centres throughout High Wycombe.

Sport:
Sports enthusiasts are also offered a wide range of facilities and resources. The Wycombe Sports Centre features an extensive range of amenities including a multi-purpose sports hall, pools, gym, squash courts, athletics track, bowls hall, dance studio and fitness suite. An open-air pool for summer use is located in High Wycombes town park, the Rye, where an artificial lake is also available for boating and fishing. The River Wye offers excellent opportunities for rowing and canoeing, while water-skiing or windsurfing are available at Westhorpe Park in nearby Marlow. The Wycombe Summit Ski Centre, one of the town s newest attractions, boasts the longest dry-ski run in Britain.

Keen golfers are also well catered for, with the Wycombe Heights Golf Centre providing an 18-hole course on a "pay as you play" basis. In addition, a fine selection of courses are available at Hazlemere, Flackwell Heath and Ellesborough.

For those in search of more leisurely pursuits, an abundance of green spaces is available around the town. To the east, the expanse known as The Rye includes a lake, a nature trail, childrens playground and various leisure facilities. The beautifully landscaped gardens of the Wycombe Museum provide a tranquil oasis at the heart of the town centre, while the museum itself offers a fascinating insight into the area s history through a permanent and changing programme of displays. Beyond the town, attractions such as Hughenden Manor (the Victorian Gothic home of former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli) and the unique West Wycombe Caves are in easy reach, while the countryside of the beautiful Chiltern Hills provides a perfect setting for walks and quiet recreation.

HISTORY: High Wycombe was first granted a market charter in 1237 and prospered for centuries through its market trading and other rural industries such as lace-making, rush-weaving and small-scale furniture production. However, it was as an early centre of mass manufacturing that the town rose to real prominence. Mills powered by the River Wye and timber gathered from the woodlands of the Chilterns were used to produce items such as paper and furniture, with chairmaking a particular speciality. As a result, High Wycombe rapidly evolved into the undisputed furniture capital of England, a position it held for two hundred years. At the height of its output in the 19th Century, 5000 chairs were being manufactured per day, a fact celebrated in 1880 when an arch consisting entirely of chairs was constructed to commemorate a visit by the Prince of Wales.

Many handsome 17th and 18th Century buildings still line the town's wide High Street. At its western end, the Little Market House was built to a design by Robert Adam, and is known locally as the pepperpot due to its unusual rounded shape. Behind it, the parish church was founded by the Normans and enlarged to almost its present size in the 12th Century. Also in the High Street, the historic Guildhall provides the setting for a unique ceremony thought to date from Mediaeval times - the Weighing-in of the Mayor and Charter Trustees. During the event, the incoming and outgoing mayor and other dignitaries are weighed before the public. The results are announced together with the words "and no more" for those who weigh less or remain the same, or "and some more" if any pounds have been gained. If the latter is heard, the crowd jeers (and in past centuries threw rotten eggs and fruit) due to the fact that the extra weight has been gained at the town s expense.

LINKS:
www.wycombe.gov.uk is the official guide to Wycombe District - the comprehensive one-stop-shop to guide to District Council services.

www.highwycombesociety.org.uk The High Wycombe Society was founded more than 30 years ago to bring together people who valued the town.