Even the name of this town is historical; it came as a combination of the River Wye and what was then a wooded valley “combe”, forming the name High Wycombe located in Buckinghamshire, England where our legal office is located.
Industries in High Wycombe
In the 11th century, High Wycombe became known for having several mills along the valley that were powered by the river. Throughout the medieval and Tudor times, they focused on mill business, manufacturing linen and lace clothing.
This town was strategically placed, hence they always have attracted customers, and this helped get their product known, which makes it the special shopping experience it is today.
This trade, unfortunately, died down in the 1600s. This was followed by paper mills, the papers were made from rags, and production of paper was done throughout the 17th century, however during the mid-18th century, there was an introduction of machinery to help in paper production, which, unfortunately, meant many people would lose their jobs. Many were not happy about this, and they rioted and destroyed the machines.
In the 19th century, they started to deal with the production of furniture, the most popular for their chairs to date. Fortunately for them, they had the availability of raw materials around them such as the Beech, Elm and Ash trees and they were able to make different types of chairs.
By the time World War two was coming to an end in 1939, the industry had great development and their types of seats were one of a kind. Their furniture was being driven, shipped and driven far and wide, and they were the pioneers of several well-known seat designs.
High Wycombe business isn’t focused too much on furniture production currently the service industry prospers.
Population growth
The growth of the industries in this town led to population growth in the area, as these industries required employees and the employees had to stay close for convenience. The population went from 13,000 to 29,000 in the early 19th century, the population doubled in a short amount of time.
This meant general employment in the town, as with the rise in population came the need for more housing.
Due to people relocating to the town in high numbers, came the rise of slum settlements. These settlements in the 1960s were demolished and the people were relocated to better housing, whereby they were not in danger or prone to diseases.
This led to major developments such as shopping centres, schools, and better roads and led to a major demolition project. Another reason that enables this was the fact that the war was over.
Currently
High Wycombe has greatly developed and has its fair share of suburbs within it. These are estates and properties where the affluent can afford to live. With this development came an increase in shopping centres, stores, hotels, flats, and other property developments.
However, despite this, there are undeveloped areas. The town continues to develop.
The town is visited by tourists on occasion and has several tourist attractions, good food, activities and places to visit, and natural beauty such as the Chiltern Hills, it’s an enjoyable place to be. The best part about this town is that its residents greatly celebrate their growth and history, as they have a museum where one can go and learn about its historic past.
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