Local pioneer and entrepreneur George Holt Thomas (1870-1929) is the subject of a new book by Dave Scott and Ian Simmons - and will also be the subject of a talk by Dave Scott to the Society at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 12th October at the Riverside. Reviewing the book in the Summer Edition of the High Wycombe Society newsletter, Chris Woodman commented "They've done it again!", reminding readers of … [Read more...]
Please Come to the Mill
On Sunday 16th September, Pann Mill will once again be open to the public from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free. All are welcome. There is free car parking in Railway Place car park opposite. So please come down to the mill. Spread the word. Bring your family and friends. Meet the volunteer millers who will be on hand to talk about their work. Watch the wheel turn to provide the … [Read more...]
The Local Plan Exam
Several members of the High Wycombe Society Planning Group recently attended and participated in the formal 'hearing' sessions as part of the Wycombe District Local Plan Examination. Tuesday 4th September was a particularly important day on which the inspector covered the whole of "Matter 7: Development Framework: High Wycombe". The single question on which the day focused was "Are the … [Read more...]
Golden Anniversary
On 5th August 2018, over 150 mainly local people, mostly (but not all) drawn from the membership of the High Wycombe Society, came to Wycombe Abbey for an event to celebrate the Society's Golden Anniversary. Attendees were offered welcoming pre-lunch drinks in the Fisher library, a room named in honour of Miss Fisher, whose portrait hangs there. She was the headmistress of Wycombe Abbey at the … [Read more...]
Talking of Taplow
For decades before the discovery of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial, the princely burial at Taplow was considered to be the most important burial from Saxon times in the whole of England. At 2.30 p.m. on the afternoon of 28th April 2018 Leslie Webster, former Senior Keeper of the Anglo Saxon and Viking collections at the British Museum, will give a talk entitled "Buckinghamshire's Saxon Prince: the … [Read more...]
Our Local Suffrage Pioneer
At the Society meeting on 23rd March, we were delighted to note that Dame Frances Dove had been recognised on the official list of 100 Suffrage Pioneers compiled by the Women's Local Government Society as part of the commemoration of the centenary of the Representation of the People Act which gave some women the vote. Cllr Lesley Clarke spoke of her work as Chair of the WLGS getting the … [Read more...]
All Saints – A Short History
Visitors to the Parish Church of All Saints in High Wycombe, will find, amid the range of postcards and souvenirs available for purchase, a newly revised "Short History" booklet compiled by High Wycombe Society Trustee, David Snoxell, with a foreword by the Rev'd Hugh Ellis, Vicar and Team Rector. The cover price just one pound (£1) Condensing over 900 years of history into the limited space … [Read more...]
Shared Space – Love it or Hate it?
Mick Lewis's article entitled "The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions", in the Spring 2018 edition of the High Wycombe Society Newsletter, currently on its way out to members, seems to have hit a chord with some readers, and is already provoking discussion. Many people, it seems, are baffled by recent road layout decisions and modern street design enhancements covered by the umbrella term … [Read more...]
Join us in 2018
The Winter Newsletter has now been delivered to Society Members. It's a bumper 16-page edition, and with it members should have received their Programme Cards with brief details of the year ahead. Most of our events are open to the general public, so if you already have your 2018 diaries you may wish to make a note of the dates now. It's a special year for the High Wycombe Society which was … [Read more...]
Wycombe in World War I Walk
Members of the High Wycombe Society were among those invited to an official launch at Wycombe Museum of the Wycombe WWI trail app to which they contributed earlier in the year. The app can be found at wycombetrails.org - it's designed to be used on smartphones while walking round the town, but you can also view it on a PC from the comfort of your armchair, and there is an option to print out a … [Read more...]