About High Wycombe
High Wycombe
Situated approximately half way between London and
Oxford, High Wycombe is the second largest town in
Buckinghamshire. It’s not just an industrial centre, but also
a market town, as shown by the busy stalls that crowd the high
street three days a week – a tradition stretching right back to the
12
th century.
History and economy
There’s archaeological evidence for a settlement in this area
before Roman times. High Wycombe is certainly mentioned in the
Domesday Book and became a centre for the production of
Buckinghamshire lace and linen cloth during the medieval and Tudor
periods. A Parliamentarian stronghold in the Civil War,
Wycombe threw its weight behind Oliver Cromwell, although the small
battle that was fought in Rye back in 1643 resulted in a victory
for the opposing Royalist forces.
By Georgian times, the area was famous for its manufacture of
paper and the Wye Valley was full of mills, the last of which
closed during the 1990s. Furniture became the dominant
industry in the Victorian era, with beech and elm wood from the
Chiltern Hills helping to create no fewer than 4,700 chairs every
day. There are now just a few small furniture factories left,
as production started to drift away from the area during the 1960s.
In common with many towns in the South East of England, Wycombe now
has mixed economy based on a number of different industry sectors.
(If you're interested in the history of the furniture industry,
visit the High
Wycombe Electronic Furniture Archive.)
Weighing in with an unusual tradition
The town hosts a unique ceremony each year, when the
new mayor of the Borough begins their term of office. The incoming
mayor is weighed on a huge set of 19th-century scales in
full view of the public and their weight is recorded. The outgoing
mayor is re-weighed, to see whether or not they have gained any
weight at the expense of the town’s taxpayers during their term in
office.