High Wycombe

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See also High Wycombe, Western Australia
High Wycombe
High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire)
High Wycombe

High Wycombe shown within Buckinghamshire
Population 118,229
OS grid reference SU867929
Parish Unparished area
District Wycombe
Shire county Buckinghamshire
Region South East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town High Wycombe
Postcode district HP10-15
Dialling code 01494
Police Thames Valley
Fire Buckinghamshire
Ambulance South Central
UK Parliament Wycombe
European Parliament South East England
List of places: UK • England • Buckinghamshire

Coordinates: 51°37′43″N 0°44′54″W / 51.628661, -0.748238

High Wycombe, (previously Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe as late as 1911[1]) is a town in South Buckinghamshire, England. It is 29 miles west-north-west of London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town. According to the 2001 census the High Wycombe urban area had a population of 118,229, making it the largest town in the shire county of Buckinghamshire now that Milton Keynes is a unitary authority, and the second largest in the ceremonial county.

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. There has been a market held in the High Street since Medieval times. There is also a craft market found in the Octagon shopping centre.

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[citation needed].

Although situated in the county of Buckinghamshire which is one of the most affluent parts of the country[2] Wycombe contains some considerably deprived areas[3].

Contents

A map of High Wycombe from 1945
A map of High Wycombe from 1945

The name Wycombe comes from the river Wye, and the old English word for a wooded 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 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. This figure consistently increased towards the end of the century. The towns population also grew 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 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.

During World War II, from May 1942 to July 1945, the U.S. Army Air Force's 8th Air Force Bomber Command was based at a former girls' school at High Wycombe. This became formally Headquarters, 8th Air Force, on February 22, 1944. [1].

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 parks, 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 a new shopping centre has been built over the whole area, right up to the road which runs parallel with the river.

A traditional ceremony of the town since the medieval period is the weighing of the mayor, where 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. This custom is still in use, and the same weighing apparatus is used as in the 19th century. The Town Crier announces "And no more!" if the Mayor has not put weight on or " And some more!" if they have. The actual weight of the Mayor is not declared.

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).

Buckinghamshire is one of the few counties that still has a selective educational system. Students in their last year of middle school take what is commonly known as the 11+ exam (consisting of verbal reasoning). Their score in this exam determines whether they are accepted into a state grammar or a secondary modern school. 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[citation needed]. Local grammar schools include Wycombe High School, John Hampden Grammar School and the Royal Grammar School. The Wycombe Abbey School is an exclusive private single-sex (girls) school, for day pupils, and boarders.

High Wycombe is also home to RAF Daws Hill (formerly a USAF base) and the American School, London Central Elementary High School, formerly of Bushy Park.

High Wycombe is home to the main campus of Buckinghamshire New University (BNU). The university college had plans for expansion in the Hughenden area of High Wycombe, and while these plans fell through, there are now plans to enlarge the main campus which will provide more up to date facilities. The university has now achieved full university status, (summer, 07) and it is now called Buckinghamshire New University / Bucks New Uni for short.

  • Ash Hill Primary School
  • Beechview School
  • Booker Hill School
  • Castlefield School
  • Cedar Park School
  • Chepping View Primary School
  • Godstowe Preparatory School
  • Great Kingshill Combined School
  • Hamilton Primary School
  • Hannah Ball Infant School
  • High Wycombe Church of England Combined School
  • Highworth Combined School and Nursery
  • Holmer Green Junior School
  • 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

Wycombe houses a large and growing Asian community mainly from Pakistan and India, and a sizable African Caribbean mainly from Saint Vincent. There are also smaller Chinese, Polish, Irish, Italian and Somalian communities. The most recent census on ethnicity reveals that 87.9% of Wycombe District people classify themselves as white, although this accounts for a large area of predominantly white population outside of the town itself. [4] Within the High Wycombe urban area, nearly a quarter of the population is from a Black or Minority Ethnic background. The Asian community is well established, and has settled mainly in the Castlefield, Desborough and Totteridge areas of the town, especially along the Green Street area of Castlefield, in which nearly all business are Asian designed and owned (for example, the 'Halal Meat Market').There are five mosques and Islamic centres, two Gurudhwaras in High Wycombe. Indeed the Oakridge and Castlefield Ward is one of 36 BEM majority wards in the country. The town has a large Polish population, some of whom were refugees from the 1940's, and areas of the town such as Desborough are highly populated with Polish nationals, and even include a small Polish Delicatessen/Supermarket.

The population of High Wycombe: (1991) 71,700. (2006) 81,117 according to the world gazetteer which contains census information.[5]

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 raids were carried out across the town on August 10, 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 amount of housing in High Wycombe was evacuated in Walton Drive, which is thought to be because one of the houses raided contained dangerous liquid chemicals. Many commercial and residential premises were thoroughly searched, although police have been tight-lipped about what has been recovered.

A three mile no-flight zone was issued over the town. Other raids and arrests were also made in East London and Birmingham. On August 20, 2006 (10 days after the first raids) a man was murdered in the Micklefield area of Wycombe - it is unknown whether this was related to the terrorism raids.

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.

The towns and suburbs crime problems are regularly featured on UK Sky One shows 'Road Wars' and 'Street Wars' which follow the Thames Valley Police.

The town has a central bus station, with bus routes to suburbs and surrounding towns, which are run by the companies Carousel Buses and Arriva. Arriva & Carousel run major bus routes to Aylesbury, Thame, Reading, Uxbridge, Amersham, Chesham, Heathrow, Gerrards Cross, Slough, Maidenhead and Beaconsfield, alongside all local routes.

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. Three tiers of trains are available towards London; Direct Trains which are non-stop to London Marylebone, Trains which stop at Beaconsfield, Seer Green & Gerrards Cross and then Marylebone, and finally the 'slow' trains which stop at Beaconsfield, Seer Green, Gerrards Cross, Denham, Denham Golf Club, West Ruislip, South Ruislip, Wembley (Stadium) and finally, London Marylebone.

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 Handy Cross 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 located at Booker on the edge of the town. Other nearby airports include Luton, Gatwick, and Stansted, all of which can be reached by a short drive down the M40 and then the M25.

RAF High Wycombe, a station without a runway, is located near the village of Walters Ash near High Wycombe.

High Wycombe Town Centre
High Wycombe Town Centre

The town centre (revamped at the beginning of the nineties), consists of 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 Frogmoor area of central Wycombe. The High Street, with a number of 18th and 19th century buildings, 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[6] 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.

High Wycombe Guildhall
High Wycombe Guildhall
High Wycombe Town Centre covered by snow in Feb 2007
High Wycombe Town Centre covered by snow in Feb 2007

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 (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. The shopping centre will also include many new shops such as: House of Fraser, Waterstones, HMV and Zara. The current Octagon shopping centre will be connected to the Eden Shopping 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 (including John Lewis, Asda, and TGI Fridays), and Wycombe Marsh, where there are more shops including Comet, PC World, Land of Leather, Homebase, M&S Simply Food and a large Tesco store at Loudwater. 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 (previously Time, previously 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.

The university students union has seen many celebrities from The Killers, to several Big Brother stars to Vernon Kaye.

The pub the White Horse was voted number 1 on Britain's worst 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 Wycombe Summit[7], the largest dry ski slope in England. This has currently closed after a fire, and looks uncertain to open.

Town centre bars and pubs include:

  • The Antelope
  • The Bell
  • Butlers (was once called the Toad)
  • The Falcon (JD Wetherspoons)
  • Finn McCoul's
  • The Flint Cottage (pub made entirely from flints pieced together)
  • The Glasshouse
  • The Hobgoblin
  • Hogshead
  • The Iron Duke
  • Legends Bar
  • Litten Tree
  • Obsession Bar (connected to Pure nightclub)
  • O'Neills
  • The Nags Head
  • The Roundabout
  • The White Horse (doubles as a strip club and a source for alternative music)

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 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 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 Roman remains.

Wycombe Graffiti
Wycombe Graffiti

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. The areas of Micklefield and Desborough in particular are seen as areas of decay, with housing, crime and vandalism problems. A recent police scheme, called 'Operation Falcon' is designed to improve these areas by targeting and combating the significant drug problems in the area through [2]

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 New University. 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. 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.

There is a gliding 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 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, it's location still not public knowledge.

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 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. 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 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.

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. They have also reached the last four of the 2006-7 Carling Cup, meeting former Premiership champions Chelsea F.C. in the two leg semi-final, in which they attracted media attention from the world over after holding the Premiership champions to a 1-1 draw in the home leg before being defeated away in the fortress which is Stamford Bridge. However, their most prolific era was in the early '90s under the management of Martin O'Neill, who took the club from non-league status to Division Two (now League One). O'Neill then went on to Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa football clubs. Wycombe are now managed by ex-Celtic captain Paul Lambert. London Wasps rugby union team have also played at Adams Park for home games since the 2002-03 season, during the clubs most successful spell.

High Wycombe is twinned with:

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
  • Terriers
  • Totteridge
  • Bowerdean
  • Micklefield
  • Wycombe Marsh
  • Green St- GSL- GSS- GSW
  • Daws Hill
  • Castlefield
  • Cressex
  • Booker
  • Holmers Farm
  • Sands
  • Hazlemere (formerly a nearby village)
  • Tylers Green (also formerly a nearby village)
  • Penn (also formerly a nearby village)

  1. ^ 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
  2. ^ Indices of Multiple Deprivation
  3. ^ Report on deprivation from Wycombe District Council
  4. ^ PDF of the area's ethnicity from Wycombe District Council
  5. ^ World Gazetteer
  6. ^ All Saints parish church website
  7. ^ Wycombe Summit
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Wycombe"
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