High Wycombe, United Kingdom
High Wycombe is a city of 133,204 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit High Wycombe
Townapedia lists 17 museums and landmarks, 23 parks and trails, 173 places to eat, 7 places to stay and 6 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Hellfire Caves, High Wycombe Omniplex, Hughenden Manor and West Wycombe Park House.
Weather in High Wycombe
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About High Wycombe
High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe, is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is 29 miles (47 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, 13 miles (21 km) south-southeast of Aylesbury, 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Oxford, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Reading and 8 miles (13 km) north of Maidenhead.
From the Wikipedia article High Wycombe (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: High Wycombe on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of High Wycombe
Things to do6
Hellfire Caves
Monument and historic site · 2.6 mi
Network of man-made caverns in West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
The Tower
Cinema and theater
Former school, swimming pool, skating rink, theatre, now office building, with a clock tower, in High Wycombe, England
Museums and landmarks17
Hughenden Manor
Monument and historic site · 1.5 mi
Grade I listed country house in Hughenden, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
West Wycombe Park House
Museum · 2.5 mi
Country house in West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Wycombe Museum
Museum
Museum in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Priory Avenue, High Wycombe
Desborough Castle
Monument and historic site · 1.2 mi
Hillfort in Buckinghamshire
Disraeli Monument
Monument and historic site · 1.2 mi
Monument in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Kraft Village
Museum · 1.1 mi
Grafton Street, High Wycombe
Mo,Tu 09:00-17:00; We,Th closed; Fr,Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Living Chair Museum
Museum · 0.7 mi
Furniture museum in High Wycombe, England
Naphill War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.8 mi
War memorial in Hughenden, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Pann Mill
Museum
The Rye, London Road, High Wycombe
"Indoors only open a few days a year. Outdoors always accessible"
5 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds23
Chairborough Road
Park · 1.2 mi
Local nature reserve in Buckinghamshire, England
Gomm's Wood
Park · 1.8 mi
Local nature reserve in Buckinghamshire, England
11 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes173
The Falcon
Bar and pub
9 Cornmarket, High Wycombe
Mo-Th 08:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 08:00-01:00; Su 08:00-24:00
Bombay Palace
Restaurant · Indian
6-8 Crendon Street, High Wycombe
Su-Th 12:00-14:00,17:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-14:00,17:00-23:30
Kappad
Restaurant · Indian
21A High Street, High Wycombe
Mo-Th 12:00-14:00,17:30-22:00; Fr 12:00-14:00,17:30-22:30; Sa...
Karak Chaii
Cafe · Indian
44-45 Oxford Street, High Wycombe
Mo-Th 09:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 09:00-24:00; Su 09:00-23:00
The Antelope
Bar and pub
Church Square, High Wycombe
Mo-Th 16:00-03:00; Fr-Sa 14:00-06:00; Su 16:00-03:00
Caipirao
Restaurant · Pizza, Steak House, Pasta
38 Frogmoor, High Wycombe
Mo,Tu,Th,Fr 12:00-22:00; Sa,Su 12:00-24:00; We closed
Grounded Kitchen
Restaurant · Korean
4 Pauls Row, High Wycombe
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-20:00
La Luna Ceylon
Restaurant
Sri Lankan fusion restaurant and cocktail bar
12-13 Pauls Row, High Wycombe
Tu-Su 09:00-23:30
161 more on the map.
History
The town once featured a Roman villa (built 150–170 AD) which has been excavated four times, most recently in 2002. Mosaics and a bathhouse were unearthed at the site on what is now the Rye parkland.
Wycombe appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was noted for having six mills. The parish church was consecrated by Wulfstan, the visiting Bishop of Worcester, also in 1086. The town was described as a borough from at least the 1180s, and built its first moot hall in 1226, with a market hall being built later in 1476.
High Wycombe remained a mill town through Medieval and Tudor times, manufacturing lace and linen cloth. It was also 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 notable in 17th and 18th century High Wycombe. The Wye's waters were rich in chalk, and therefore ideal for bleaching pulp. The paper industry was soon overtaken by the cloth industry.
Read more of the history
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. In 1875, it was estimated that there were 4,700 chairs made per day in High Wycombe. 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 Museum includes many examples of locally made chairs and information on the local furniture and lace industries.
The town's population grew from 13,000 residents in 1881 to 29,000 in 1928. Wycombe was completely dominated socially and economically by the furniture industry.
By the 1920s, many of the housing areas of Wycombe had decayed into slums. A slum clearance scheme was initiated by the council in 1932, whereby many areas were completely demolished and the residents rehoused in new estates that sprawled above the town on the valley slopes. Some of the districts demolished were truly decrepit, such as Newland, where most of the houses were condemned as unfit for human habitation. However, some areas such as St. Mary's Street contained beautiful old buildings with fine examples of 18th and 19th century architecture.
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. This formally became Headquarters, 8th Air Force, on 22 February 1944.
In the 1960s the town centre was redeveloped and many old buildings were demolished. The River Wye was culverted under concrete between 1965 and 1967 from and demolishing most of the old buildings in Wycombe's town centre. Two shopping centres were built (the Octagon in 1970 and the Chilterns' in the 1980s) along with many new multi-storey car parks, office blocks, flyovers and roundabouts.
From the History section of High Wycombe on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about High Wycombe
Arts and culture
Booker Gliding Club and two flying schools are based 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, Aces High and The Blue Max were built and flown from there. 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.
Hollywell Mead, an open swimming pool site in the town's Rye Park, closed in March 2009 due to high running costs and was mothballed. However, in summer 2012, after a £2 million investment into the site, a new sports & leisure facility was reopened. Further redevelopment works later took place, with improved tennis courts reopening in late 2013 and an upgraded pool reopening in May 2016.
Education
Buckinghamshire is one of the few counties that still has a selective educational system based on the former tripartite system. Pupils in their last year at primary school take what is commonly known as the 11+ exam. Their score in this exam determines whether they are accepted into a grammar school or a secondary modern school.
Buckinghamshire College Group is a further education college located near High Wycombe at Flackwell Heath, with campuses also at Aylesbury and Amersham.
High Wycombe is home to the main campus of Buckinghamshire New University. It is located in the centre of the town on the former site of the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology. It received its university charter in summer 2007.
From the Wikipedia article High Wycombe, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from High Wycombe
Aaron Taylor-JohnsonEnglish actor (born 1990)Photo: LucaFazPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jean ShrimptonBritish model and actressPhoto: Joost Evers / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
Charlotte RocheBritish-German television presenter and authorPhoto: JCS, CC BY 3.0
Isa GuhaEngland cricketer (born 1985)Photo: paddynapper, CC BY-SA 2.0
Katy BrandEnglish actress, comedian and writerPhoto: Index on Censorship, CC BY-SA 2.0
Robbie Kerrracing driver, 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans driver, 2006-2009 A1 Grand Prix driverPhoto: ich, Public domain
Matt IngramEnglish association football player (born 1993)Photo: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 3.0- Simon ChurchWelsh association football player (born 1988)
- Geoffrey de HavillandEnglish aircraft engineer (1882–1965)
- Leigh Anne PinnockBritish singer
- Nicola SandersBritish track and field athlete
- Guy Oliver NickallsBritish rower
Born in High Wycombe, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay7
Churches and places of worship35
Shopping38
Gas and EV charging6
Schools, colleges and libraries32
Healthcare13
Saffron House South Bucks Community Mental Health Hub
Clinic and pharmacy
Easton Street, High Wycombe
Abbey Place Children & Young People's Outpatients
Clinic and pharmacy
Easton Street, High Wycombe
Map of High Wycombe
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Wycombe Air Park (HYC) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 miles away.
- Slough 11 mi southeast, about 17 min by car
- Reading 15 mi southwest, about 25 min by car
- Watford 15 mi east, about 25 min by car
- Luton 22 mi northeast, about 36 min by car
- Oxford 23 mi west, about 38 min by car
- Woking 23 mi south, about 37 min by car
- London 28 mi east, about 45 min by car
- City of Westminster 28 mi east, about 45 min by car
- Islington 28 mi east, about 46 min by car
- Milton Keynes 29 mi north, about 46 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near High Wycombe
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- High Wycombe Guildhall, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - July 2026 - 05, Mertbiol, CC0
- Site of the Antelope Inn - 11 High Street High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 2AZ, Spudgun67, CC0
- Site of the Antelope Inn memorial - 11 High Street High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 2AZ, Spudgun67, CC0
- West Wycombe Hellfire Caves 6, Stefan Wolmarans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hughenden Manor Morris edited, Francis Orpen Morris, Public domain
- West Wycombe 3 (Giano), Original author was Giano , converted to PNG format by PNG crusade bot at en.wikipedia, Public domain
- St Lawrence West Wycombe, Amanda Slater, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St. Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden 12, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Paul's West Wycombe, Nigellacey, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Mary and St George Exterior 2, Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gateway building, Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - July 2026 - 01, Mertbiol, CC0
- Jhgsfront, Rotterdam1982, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wycombe - The Falcon Hotel - 20231111090253, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wycombe Abbey Lozenge Grey on Blue for Wikipedia 19.02.20 KL, Marriottc26, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chairborough Road 9, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gomm's Wood 4, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Datitude 080618 House of Fraser UK Customer Reviews, SasatDat, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alexanderar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alexanderar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alfa145, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alfa145, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, swinetown, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, swinetown, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, swinetown, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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