High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK
Created | Updated Mar 21, 2002
Where is High Wycombe and what is it like?
As you will have gathered from the title, High Wycombe is in Buckinghamshire, a county in South-east England. It is a large town with a population of around 80,000 and growing very rapidly. Situated aproximately 28 miles west-north-west of London, 26 miles south-east of Oxford and 10 miles north of Maidenhead, it is in a very good geographical location, for getting out and about to much more interesting and generally nicer places.
Wycombe is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in England, the Chiltern hills. It is a very hilly town, with the town centre being situated in a deep valley, and the hills soaring up around the town, with the sprawling, urban housing estates spread all over the surrounding hills and ruining any character the town once had (along with the 1960's architects who used a great amount of concrete in the centre of town, building many concrete monstrosities, including lots of ugly offices and blocks of flats, a huge flyover, and managing to hide the beautiful Wye river under a sprawling mass of concrete).
The town is not a particularly nice place, but does have a few redeeming features. Although High Wycombe is not steeped in history, it apparently dates back to the Roman times. There are a few remaining lovely old buildings, and some ancient ruins. There is even the derelict settlement of where Desborough Castle once stood, although now it is used more for fly-tipping than anything grand. Unfortunately, High Wycombe has a reputation of being a somewhat "rough" town, and this reputation is certainly justified. Many of the town's estates and areas have high crime rates, and are very old and run-down. Going into town at night or day time, is a rather intimidating experience.
One of the best things which can be said for the town is that it is very ethnically and culturally diverse (about 35% ethnic minorities), although race relations, sadly, are not particularly good, to the point of riots.
As for travelling, the M40 bypasses Wycombe to the south, connecting it to London, Birmingham, the M25 and the rest of the country. There are about to be millions of pounds spent on a new railway station, and the train journey to London is aproximately 35 minutes. There is a bus service which is rather appalling, as with anywhere in the UK, and the nearest airport is Heathrow, being half-an-hour's drive away.
Interesting things to see:
Not really anything particularly striking in the town itself, but just outside, there are the Chiltern hills (an area of outstanding natural beauty), the West Wycombe caves, and Hughenden Manor, a beautiful old mansion well worth a visit if you are into that sort of thing. Actually in the town, there is the aforementioned ruins (which will occupy the average person for about 1 minute), and two interesting buildings in the High Street. The Market House (the Guildhall), and the Corn Market (the Pepperpot). Both of which are nice buildings, but again, do not occupy your attention for a considerable length of time.
Other than those, there is the "Chair Museum". Wycombes claim to fame is that it was once the furniture-making capital of the world, but that industry has declined now, which partly goes to explain why the town is poorer than the surrounding towns, as it suffered the same fate as Northern England's industry (the large amount of mills, along the valley in the Eastern side of town also fell into decline). The "All Saints" church in the High Street is a very beautiful building, but there is nothing much else of any intrest in High Wycombe other than a couple of mosques and Gurdwaras, which do have some architectual beauty.
Leisure and shopping:
Wycombe has a typical amount of shops for a town of its size, including many along the High Street, and the surrounding streets such as Frogmoor, and there are also two indoor shopping malls, and plans to build a third, which would help Wycombe attract more shoppers, as they usually head out of town towards Watford and Uxbridge, and if they are feeling like going on a real shopping spree, they will head to London or Milton Keynes. There is also a wide variety of the usual out-of-town superstores, many of which are very good and other than that there is a big John Lewis store, and the odd retail park with Currys and that sort of thing. Many of Wycombe's different districts have parades of shops to satisfy the local communities' needs.
As for sport, there is the "Wycombe Summit", the highlight of High Wycombe. This is apparently Britain's longest ski slope, and makes good use of the big hills in the town. There is also a reasonable sports centre with all the usual anemities, like swimming pools etc, but you have to travel to Slough for an ice rink, or bowling alley (at least I don't think there is a bowling alley).
For entertainment, there is a superb theatre (very modern and big), which is one of the best outside London (God knows what it's doing in Wycombe!), and of course one of those souless multiplex cinemas (complete with a few restaurants), and a Laser Quest as well.
Pubs and Clubs:
Loads of pubs, most of which are very noisy, and attract a rowdy crowd. You will find most in the town centre around the newly refurbished Frogmoor area. There are also quite a few clubs. The newest is Time, which took over Eden, which is a very good thing, as Eden was the meeting place for the local criminals to let out their anger. Time is actually OK, but be prepared for trouble, but then again what else could you expect in Wycombe? It is situated in the town centre which is, well, convenient I guess.
There is also Unit 3, which has got a good reputation, but is situated in Leigh Street, in the Desborough area of Wycombe, which is the most rough area of Wycombe, so when leaving the club you should be very wary.
Other than that there is Club Anchor, the Orchid, and a few others, which I don't really know much about.
Eating out:
A poor selection of restaurants aside from those at the local cinema, but if you like kebab vans and fast food then you have come to the right place, although there is no guarantee on the safety of eating at these places.
Some of the different districts within Wycombe:
Amersham Hill - the nicest suburb, with a wide variety of housing. The safest place to live in Wycombe, but that's not saying much.
Micklefield - A large council estate on the eastern edge of town, built mainly in the 1950's. Not particularly nice - there have been a lot of shootings over drugs amongst the afro-carribean community.
Wycombe Marsh - Lots of older terraced properties, and again, it is somewhat run-down. But there have been lots of community schemes to improve the area, and the council have been granted some money to help regenerate it.
Loudwater village - In the far south-east corner of the town, this village is very mixed and has a wide range of properties. House prices are quite high in this area of town though.
Totteridge - This is a large estate with a mix of private and council housing. The periods of properties range from the 1930's, to the present day.
Terriers - A popular estate in the northern suburbs of Wycombe, more recent housing, but it got itself a bad reputation, for there were Asian gang fights there a few years ago, which were very serious, and shootings, etc. Everyone was so shocked as this is thought of as one of Wycombe's best areas.
Desborough - This is a very urban area, and is predominantly old back-to-back terraces. The area has a very high crime and deprivation rate, and is one of the most notorious districts in the southeast. It has a very high amount of ethnic minorities, and is home to a number of mosques for the local Asian community. Unemployment is also very high, and the area is feared by outsiders. Very poverty stricken.
Castlefield - A very big council estate. This estate has the worst reputation in Wycombe, and also has a very high crime and suffers severe deprivation. It was built in the 1930's and is very run-down, but there is a considerable amount of money granted by the government for regeneration, and things are set to improve.
Cressex - Another 1930's council estate, with a big industrial estate to the south of the houses. Not really a bad estate, but has had its fair share of problems.
Holmers Farm - More recently built council estate, also with many social problems.
Booker - A mixed estate of council housing and owner-occupied housing, but with low social-economic factors. It covers a large area in the far west end of the town. Mainly older properties.
Sands - A rather nice suburb, with a mixture of old and new housing, and a mixture of people.
Plomer Hill - A newer development of council and private housing, and is quite a popular area for first-time buyers. Here the hills are very steep, (as with all of the estates in High Wycombe), and the hills appear to be at an angle of more than 30 degrees.
Downley and Hughenden - both north-western suburbs. Hughenden has yet another big industrial estate within it, but the housing is not too bad (again very mixed). Downley is thought of as an affluent area, but this is not entirely true. It has its good and bad sides, and some of it has a big crime rate.
In conclusion, High Wycombe is not a paricularly nice place, and can be quite dangerous, but there are some advantages to living there.
As you will have gathered from the title, High Wycombe is in Buckinghamshire, a county in South-east England. It is a large town with a population of around 80,000 and growing very rapidly. Situated aproximately 28 miles west-north-west of London, 26 miles south-east of Oxford and 10 miles north of Maidenhead, it is in a very good geographical location, for getting out and about to much more interesting and generally nicer places.
Wycombe is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in England, the Chiltern hills. It is a very hilly town, with the town centre being situated in a deep valley, and the hills soaring up around the town, with the sprawling, urban housing estates spread all over the surrounding hills and ruining any character the town once had (along with the 1960's architects who used a great amount of concrete in the centre of town, building many concrete monstrosities, including lots of ugly offices and blocks of flats, a huge flyover, and managing to hide the beautiful Wye river under a sprawling mass of concrete).
The town is not a particularly nice place, but does have a few redeeming features. Although High Wycombe is not steeped in history, it apparently dates back to the Roman times. There are a few remaining lovely old buildings, and some ancient ruins. There is even the derelict settlement of where Desborough Castle once stood, although now it is used more for fly-tipping than anything grand. Unfortunately, High Wycombe has a reputation of being a somewhat "rough" town, and this reputation is certainly justified. Many of the town's estates and areas have high crime rates, and are very old and run-down. Going into town at night or day time, is a rather intimidating experience.
One of the best things which can be said for the town is that it is very ethnically and culturally diverse (about 35% ethnic minorities), although race relations, sadly, are not particularly good, to the point of riots.
As for travelling, the M40 bypasses Wycombe to the south, connecting it to London, Birmingham, the M25 and the rest of the country. There are about to be millions of pounds spent on a new railway station, and the train journey to London is aproximately 35 minutes. There is a bus service which is rather appalling, as with anywhere in the UK, and the nearest airport is Heathrow, being half-an-hour's drive away.
Interesting things to see:
Not really anything particularly striking in the town itself, but just outside, there are the Chiltern hills (an area of outstanding natural beauty), the West Wycombe caves, and Hughenden Manor, a beautiful old mansion well worth a visit if you are into that sort of thing. Actually in the town, there is the aforementioned ruins (which will occupy the average person for about 1 minute), and two interesting buildings in the High Street. The Market House (the Guildhall), and the Corn Market (the Pepperpot). Both of which are nice buildings, but again, do not occupy your attention for a considerable length of time.
Other than those, there is the "Chair Museum". Wycombes claim to fame is that it was once the furniture-making capital of the world, but that industry has declined now, which partly goes to explain why the town is poorer than the surrounding towns, as it suffered the same fate as Northern England's industry (the large amount of mills, along the valley in the Eastern side of town also fell into decline). The "All Saints" church in the High Street is a very beautiful building, but there is nothing much else of any intrest in High Wycombe other than a couple of mosques and Gurdwaras, which do have some architectual beauty.
Leisure and shopping:
Wycombe has a typical amount of shops for a town of its size, including many along the High Street, and the surrounding streets such as Frogmoor, and there are also two indoor shopping malls, and plans to build a third, which would help Wycombe attract more shoppers, as they usually head out of town towards Watford and Uxbridge, and if they are feeling like going on a real shopping spree, they will head to London or Milton Keynes. There is also a wide variety of the usual out-of-town superstores, many of which are very good and other than that there is a big John Lewis store, and the odd retail park with Currys and that sort of thing. Many of Wycombe's different districts have parades of shops to satisfy the local communities' needs.
As for sport, there is the "Wycombe Summit", the highlight of High Wycombe. This is apparently Britain's longest ski slope, and makes good use of the big hills in the town. There is also a reasonable sports centre with all the usual anemities, like swimming pools etc, but you have to travel to Slough for an ice rink, or bowling alley (at least I don't think there is a bowling alley).
For entertainment, there is a superb theatre (very modern and big), which is one of the best outside London (God knows what it's doing in Wycombe!), and of course one of those souless multiplex cinemas (complete with a few restaurants), and a Laser Quest as well.
Pubs and Clubs:
Loads of pubs, most of which are very noisy, and attract a rowdy crowd. You will find most in the town centre around the newly refurbished Frogmoor area. There are also quite a few clubs. The newest is Time, which took over Eden, which is a very good thing, as Eden was the meeting place for the local criminals to let out their anger. Time is actually OK, but be prepared for trouble, but then again what else could you expect in Wycombe? It is situated in the town centre which is, well, convenient I guess.
There is also Unit 3, which has got a good reputation, but is situated in Leigh Street, in the Desborough area of Wycombe, which is the most rough area of Wycombe, so when leaving the club you should be very wary.
Other than that there is Club Anchor, the Orchid, and a few others, which I don't really know much about.
Eating out:
A poor selection of restaurants aside from those at the local cinema, but if you like kebab vans and fast food then you have come to the right place, although there is no guarantee on the safety of eating at these places.
Some of the different districts within Wycombe:
Amersham Hill - the nicest suburb, with a wide variety of housing. The safest place to live in Wycombe, but that's not saying much.
Micklefield - A large council estate on the eastern edge of town, built mainly in the 1950's. Not particularly nice - there have been a lot of shootings over drugs amongst the afro-carribean community.
Wycombe Marsh - Lots of older terraced properties, and again, it is somewhat run-down. But there have been lots of community schemes to improve the area, and the council have been granted some money to help regenerate it.
Loudwater village - In the far south-east corner of the town, this village is very mixed and has a wide range of properties. House prices are quite high in this area of town though.
Totteridge - This is a large estate with a mix of private and council housing. The periods of properties range from the 1930's, to the present day.
Terriers - A popular estate in the northern suburbs of Wycombe, more recent housing, but it got itself a bad reputation, for there were Asian gang fights there a few years ago, which were very serious, and shootings, etc. Everyone was so shocked as this is thought of as one of Wycombe's best areas.
Desborough - This is a very urban area, and is predominantly old back-to-back terraces. The area has a very high crime and deprivation rate, and is one of the most notorious districts in the southeast. It has a very high amount of ethnic minorities, and is home to a number of mosques for the local Asian community. Unemployment is also very high, and the area is feared by outsiders. Very poverty stricken.
Castlefield - A very big council estate. This estate has the worst reputation in Wycombe, and also has a very high crime and suffers severe deprivation. It was built in the 1930's and is very run-down, but there is a considerable amount of money granted by the government for regeneration, and things are set to improve.
Cressex - Another 1930's council estate, with a big industrial estate to the south of the houses. Not really a bad estate, but has had its fair share of problems.
Holmers Farm - More recently built council estate, also with many social problems.
Booker - A mixed estate of council housing and owner-occupied housing, but with low social-economic factors. It covers a large area in the far west end of the town. Mainly older properties.
Sands - A rather nice suburb, with a mixture of old and new housing, and a mixture of people.
Plomer Hill - A newer development of council and private housing, and is quite a popular area for first-time buyers. Here the hills are very steep, (as with all of the estates in High Wycombe), and the hills appear to be at an angle of more than 30 degrees.
Downley and Hughenden - both north-western suburbs. Hughenden has yet another big industrial estate within it, but the housing is not too bad (again very mixed). Downley is thought of as an affluent area, but this is not entirely true. It has its good and bad sides, and some of it has a big crime rate.
In conclusion, High Wycombe is not a paricularly nice place, and can be quite dangerous, but there are some advantages to living there.
