High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England Quiz

Answer: The Wye

High Wycombe got its name from the River Wye and the word "combe" (the old English word for valley).
The River Wey runs through the county of Surrey.
The Isis and Cherwell (pronounced Charwell) meet in the county of Oxfordshire. Outside of the county's borders the Isis is known as the famous River Thames.
(Information from www.britainexpress.com)

Answer: Benjamin Disraeli

Hughenden Manor is a three-story red-brick Gothicised Georgian house. It is now run by the National Trust and is a popular tourist attraction. Disraeli acquired the manor in 1847 and lived there with his wife, Mary-Ann until he died in 1881.
(Information from www.britainexpress.co.uk)

Answer: to see if the mayor has gained weight at the expense of the taxpayer

This has been a tradition in the town since medieval times. The mayor is weighed in full view of the public to see whether or not he/she has gained weight at the taxpayers' expense. This custom continues to the present day (2006) and the same weighing apparatus are used as in the 19th century.
(Information from mayorofwycombe.co.uk)

Answer: London and Birmingham

The train line runs between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill stations. Fast trains to London from High Wycombe can take as little as 35 minutes.

Answer: Furniture

High Wycombe developed a furniture industry due to the plentiful supply of beechwood. This began with chairs. It is perhaps most famous for the making of the Windsor chair. Between 1851 and 1871, the High Wycombe workshops were turning out approximately 4700 chairs a day. Visits to the town by important people were sometimes celebrated by arches of chairs which were erected across the High Street between the Guildhall and the houses opposite.
The production of chairs grew to include all types of furniture by companies such as Ercol and Parker Knoll.
(Information from Wycombe District Council)

Answer: Bodgers

Most of the lathe-turned chair parts were made by turners or 'bodgers' living in the villages surrounding High Wycombe. Some worked in rough thatched shelters in the wood where the trees were felled. The majority worked in sheds nearer to home.
(Information from Wycombe District Council)

Answer: The Hell-Fire Caves

Sir Francis Dashwood founded a group of monks called the Hell-Fire Club. They used to meet in Medhenham Abbey which Lord Dashwood converted into an erotic garden. Their meetings became so controversial that they moved them to the caves. Sir Francis had the caves enlarged and intricately carved by local workmen who were unemployed due to failed harvests. The activities in the caves were subject to wild gossip and were attended by Sir Francis, the Earl of Sandwich, the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury and other dignitaries.
The caves are now a tourist attraction in the village of West Wycombe.
(Information from www.victorianweb.co.uk)

Answer: swan

The Swan has probably been associated with High Wycombe, and with the county of Buckinghamshire since the lifetime of Humphrey, 6th Earl of Stafford. Humphrey, who became first Duke of Buckingham in 1444, employed the Swan as his crest in the 1400s. The Swan has continued to be used into the 21st century as a local symbol and as a means of identifying the towns and county of Buckinghamshire and their servants. Most town council in Bucks have, or have had, a swan in their Coats of Arms.
(Information from www.mayorofwycombe.co.uk)

Answer: The Rye

The Rye is a large open space that was the flood plain for the River Wye. It has been used for common pasture, special events and recreation since medieval times. The local people's right to use the Rye for pasture ceased in 1927 when its use for recreation began to increase.
High Wycombe once featured a Roman Villa (2 A.D) which was excavated three times, most recently in 1954. Mosaics and a bathhouse were uncovered at the site on what is now the Rye parkland.
(Information from www.petergoodearl.co.uk)

Answer: M40

High Wycombe is found on junction 4 of the M40. The junction is famous for the Handy Cross roundabout, known for the traffic congestion that it creates.
The M40 was built in two sections. Originally it ran from London to Oxford, basically bypassing the congested A40. In the late 1980's and early 1990's it became the last big construction project when it was eventually extended to hit the M42 at Birmingham, to take strain off the M1/M6 route.
(information from www.cbrd.co.uk)