High Wycombe is Buckinghamshire's largest town, once called the 'Furniture Capital of England’ for its chair-making industry. It has since become a charming retail center, with traditional market days taking place on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. It also has a booming shopping and leisure industry, with the Eden Shopping Centre attracting visitors from across the south-east of England.
Visit the town’s pretty and accessible center, complete with a Georgian High Street and 'Pepper Pot' cornmarket designed by Robert Adam, alongside the arcaded Guildhall. Situated behind the Market House lies a 12th century parish church, the largest in Buckinghamshire, and beyond that is Wycombe Museum. On the eastern fringes of the town is The Rye, which is a peaceful grassland flush with beech woodland.
High Wycombe is also home to one of England’s more curious traditions. To this day, it’s the only town to weigh its mayors. The event takes place during its annual May tradition of ‘Mayor Making’. The eccentric custom is designed to make sure the local dignitary doesn’t get fat at the taxpayer's expense.
High Wycombe heritage
The market town has a long and colorful history, appearing in the Domesday Book and having a Roman presence after the invasion. Shortly afterwards, the Norman conquest brought about the founding of the All Saints Parish Church and thereafter it was re-fashioned in the 13th century on a lavish scale.
Formerly a mill town, High Wycombe’s most famous industry, furniture making, took hold in the 19th century with chair factories setting up across the city. The nearby Chiltern beech woods provided the raw materials to furnish the boom. In the town center, you’ll find a Living Chair Museum that is dedicated to the design and production of Buckinghamshire chairs.
Beautiful Buckinghamshire
If you’re looking for outdoor activities, take some time to drive over to the ‘Hell-Fire’ caves. The caves date back to the 18th century and were initially dug out to help chalk miners build roads. Since that period, the caverns and corridors have become banqueting halls and passages, which are now a popular tourist attraction.
Head to West Wycombe Park for a leafy stroll and a relaxing afternoon. The adjacent country house is open as part of the National Trust program and is popular with locals and visitors alike.
History fans can also visit the West Wycombe Park, a beautiful country house set in 45 acres of landscaped beauty boasting unrivalled views of the Chilterns’ countryside.
Day trips from High Wycombe
The south of Buckinghamshire is less than an hour away from London and is a 30 minute drive from nearby Beaconsfield, Marlow and Amersham. Drive north from High Wycombe, and you can explore Aylesbury Vale with its quaint villages, market towns and English country mansions.
Renting a car in High Wycombe is the best way to get around this idyllic corner of England, so you can combine rural life with day trips to London.