We are often asked where you can find out more on our local history from. Documented on this page are some of those resources.
Online resources
SWOP, Sharing Wycombes Old Photos. In High Wycombe we are fortunate to have several collections, totalling more than 46,000 photographs, with some dating back to the 1870’s. These are kept at the High Wycombe Library, the Wycombe Museum, and at the local newspaper, the Bucks Free Press.
Bucks Archaeological Society A key source for architecture, history and heritage across the historic county of Buckinghamshire
https://coltmansite.me.uk 1849 Tythe map, Wycombe pubs 1750-1939, Ledger Book 1724-1838, Coroners Court 1761-1834, talks by LJ Mayes.
https://heritageportal.buckinghamshire.gov.uk The database contains over 35,000 Historic Environment Records for the county of Buckinghamshire, not only of traditional archaeological sites, earthworks and stray artefacts, but also historic buildings and landscapes,
Bucks Free Press Many hundreds of articles under the heading of ‘nostalgia’
High Wycombe Society Newsletters a trove of articles by the Society about the town
Mayor and Charter Trustees of High Wycombe
High Wycombe conservation areas. Conservation Areas are areas of special architectural or
historic interest, which are considered worthy of preservation or enhancement
Books
- The History of the Borough of High Wycombe – from its origins until 1880, L.J Ashford, 1960
- The History of the Borough of High Wycombe – from 1880 to the present day, L.J. Mayes, 1960
- The Early History and Antiquities of Wycombe: In Buckinghamshire, John Parker, Butler & son, 1878
- The History of chairmaking in High Wycombe L.J.Mayes, 1960
- High Wycombe, A History and Celebration, M. Andrew, 2005
- The Book of Wycombe, I. Sparkes 1979
Museums
Wycombe Museum The Museum is best known for chairs. The collections include thousands of objects relating to the area’s rich furniture-making heritage, such as chairs, furniture, tools, archives and photographs. Other local crafts and industries represented in the collections include lace making, straw plaiting, paper making and brewing.
Discover Bucks Museum 130,000 objects telling the story of Bucks and beyond from 200 million years ago to the present day.
Chiltern Open Air Museum The Museum is a charity that rescues threatened historic buildings, which would otherwise be demolished, and rebuilds and preserves them in a traditional Chilterns landscape. It contains a number of Wycombe buildings including a furniture factory and toll house.