At the Clare Charity Day on Saturday 11th July, the High Wycombe Society was pleased to be invited to provide guided tours of the Clare Charity Centre building. Although the Centre is in Saunderton, not High Wycombe, so not quite on our usual patch, the site played a significant role in the history of High Wycombe as it was the location of the Wycombe Union Workhouse. Very little remains of the original workhouse (although if you know where to look there is at least a fragment to be seen) – it was mostly demolished prior to the erection of the current building which was built for Ortho Pharmaceuticals Ltd between 1955 and 1958.
The corner of the building which includes the Board Room
Part of the workhouse wall can just be seen through the whitewash
The guided tours included a potted history of both the workhouse and the current building, and their past occupants. Over one hundred visitors took the opportunity to hear about the past, view the grounds from the Board Room, and to see the inner courtyard garden, a relatively recent addition.
Prior to giving the tours, research had been carried out both at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies where the Poor Law Guardians’ minute books provide a wealth of material on the management of the workhouse, and at Wycombe District Council offices where relevant historical planning applications can be viewed on microfiche.