Did You Know?

High Wycombe is a large town in south Buckinghamshire. It has a population of about 92,300 people. The town is the second largest town in Buckinghamshire after Milton Keynes. 

The name Wycombe appears to come from the river Wye and the old English word for a wooded valley, combe, but according to the Oxford English Dictionary of Place-Names the name, which was first recorded in 799-802 as 'Wichama', is more likely to be Old English 'wic' and the plural of Old English 'ham', and probably means 'dwellings

High Wycombe was once famed for its furnishing industry, which utilised the towns considerable supply of beechwood.

The Rye is an area of grassland situated outside High Wycombe town centre & has been utilised for entertainment purposes since Medieval times

The existence of a settlement at High Wycombe was first documented as 'Wicumun' in 970. The parish church was consecrated by Wulfstan, the visiting Bishop of Worcester, in 1086. The town received market borough status in 1222.

In about AD 150 the Romans came to this High Wycombe and built a villa on the Rye. This was first discovered in 1724 when workmen uncovered a mosaic pavement, and subsequent digs revealed a large villa with a complex bathhouse.

The first Royal Military College was founded in the High Street, in what was the Antelope Inn.

The Barony of Wycombe's significance earned it a place in global history. Closely aligned with King John, King Henry, and the astonishing force that is still the Magna Carta, the Barony of Wycombe is inextricably connected to many significant historical developments, the rights of individuals and the American Constitution.

Wycombe Wanderers is the only lower league football club to have reached the semi-finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup when in the lower two Leagues.

Wycombe's most famous industry, furniture (particularly Windsor 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.

Mighty Boosh stars Noel Fielding and Dave Brown met when they attended Bucks New University in Wycombe. Julian Barratt then joined the group after Fielding scouted him performing in the High Wycombe Swan theatre.

Ian Dury, founder member of The Blockheads, attended the Royal Grammar School in the 1960s in High Wycombe, while comedy star Jimmy Carr was there alongside rugby player and Question of Sport team captain Matt Dawson.

From 1940 to 1968 High Wycombe was the seat of the RAF Bomber Command. Moreover, during the Second World War, from May 1942 to July 1945, the U.S. Army Air Force's 8th Air Force Bomber Command, codenamed "Pinetree", was based at a former girls' school at High Wycombe.