THE BIG PICNIC – Free event
Sunday 9 August 2015, 12-4pm
The Rye, London Road, High Wycombe

Did you know that 50 years ago The Rye in High Wycombe was nearly lost to a road development? If it hadn’t been for the vigilance and courage of a few people taking the lead in protecting this precious asset, we would not be able to enjoy its peace and tranquillity today. They were known as the Rye Protection Society – and went on to form the High Wycombe Society.

Having enjoyed 50 years more of our town’s well-loved open space, the High Wycombe Society has joined forces with the Open Spaces Society, in its 150th anniversary year, to host the BIG PICNIC which is a celebration of the Rye for the whole community.

So grab your friends and family, dig out a blanket, find the Frisbee and pack a picnic to come and join us! There will be entertainment!

Click here for details and to download leaflet. See below for a little history.

 

IT ALL BEGAN in 1964 – in a moment of indignation. It could so easily have ended then, but the momentarily indignant Mr Scruton, teacher and High Wycombe resident, aired his views in his local paper. His letter to the editor was amplified by a giant plaintive headline:

Don’t Wycombe People Care what happens to the Town?

On 14th February 1964 it hit a nerve. Newly published plans had sought to build a road across a corner of the Rye. The consent of Wycombe people had been assumed. What happened next was truly remarkable. Wycombe people showed not only that they cared but that they were ready and willing to take action. A flurry of correspondence in the Bucks Free Press brought practical offers of help to fight against the “Danger to the Rye‟ and to prevent its “ruination‟, and in March 1964 the Rye Protection Society (RPS) was formed. Plans for the “Town‟s New Look‟ pressed ahead, despite headlines denouncing the Road across the Rye as “monstrous‟. Offers of help continued to arrive. The RPS appealed first to Sir Keith Joseph, prompting a headline “1257 and all that!‟ as it looked to extracts from the town‟s first ledger book to justify its claim to rights. The text of the Chepping Wycombe Corporation Act of 1927 was helpful. The deeds of custody of the Rye were handed to the Corporation (back in 1927) by Major Coningsby Disraeli, Chairman of the Wycombe Charity Governors. The Act explicitly stated that the Corporation was “to hold the Rye on trust to be held and maintained as an Open Space’. Further that “the Rye shall be deemed to be a public park or pleasure ground and shall be retained for all time for the purposes aforesaid‟. Within a month of its formation, the RPS had collected 3000 signatures on a petition calling for an inquiry. Placards in the town demanded “Hands off our heritage since Norman Times!‟ Through April, May and June, 1964, the war of words continued. The RPS‟s alternative scheme for road layout came under attack as it required the demolition of almshouses on Easton Street, thought to be of historical significance. With headlines such as “Hands off the Rye!‟, the BFP continued to cover the story. Responses included a “blistering reply by the Town Clerk‟ and a surprisingly political first speech from a new Mayor in support of the road. In turn, the Society was said to have “hit back at the Rye Rumpus‟. Headlines included “Keep the Rye off the Road‟ and, predictably, “The Battle of the Rye‟. The Society was accused of practising “Weird sciences – with no substance in fact‟; and Wycombe Abbey was said to have “yielded to Mammon‟.

By July 1964 The Rye was acknowledged to be a “Major issue‟. Harry E. Green more poetically described it as the “Most sacred of God‟s Acres‟. The petition, amounting to some 11000 signatures, itself, came under attack – a page of residents from Flackwell Heath could not be expected to reflect the views of Wycombe people, worse still some schoolgirls had allegedly “signed it for a giggle‟! But others took it more seriously. BBC South East interviewed both the Mayor and Mr Scruton. By September, it had attracted the National media and was mentioned in The Times. Locally it was said that the “Speed up for Wycombe New Centre‟ would be subject to a “hold-up for ministerial inquiry‟. The Society had won the first round of its fight. An inquiry would be held on 27th October at High Wycombe Town Hall. The High Wycombe Arts Association, the John Hampden Society, and the Commons, Footpaths and Open Spaces Society all contributed to the public inquiry. A full report appeared in the local press on 30th October 1964. While the result was awaited, press attention changed to consider the “Move the River‟ scheme. The action taken to culvert the river Wye is well-known, but plans at this time also included creating a “Water feature‟ and “a lagoon‟. The long-awaited result, reported on 12th February 1965, was a win for the Council but the Society resolved to continue its fight. The next headline ran: “Council wins fight for Rye Road – Protection Society to petition parliament?‟ Correspondence abounded with concerns about the cost of such a petition, the legalities, and a growing interest in the new town plans. Another mayor declared his hand against the RPS and its activities, but it was of little consequence. On 4th June 1965, the BFP carried the news that the “Rye Road Battle Flares in the House‟ –the RPS had indeed petitioned parliament and spoken to a parliamentary joint committee. Two weeks later it was announced that the Council had lost its battle. The Rye Protection Society was triumphant. On 2nd July 1965, the Council declared it would appeal, but it took only one week for the Minister to dismiss that appeal – The End of the Rye Road had finally been reached.

Jackie Kay