High Wycombe is probably best known as the furniture town and, indeed, the industry has greatly influenced its prosperity over the past 250 years. However its history stretches back many centuries before that and the story of its earlier industries, its civic growth in the Middle Ages and the customs which date from that period, are all part of the fascination of this ancient borough which nestles in a valley of the Chilterns.

The burgesses were granted control of the town and its markets as long ago as the 12th century, a privilege confirmed by later royal charters which still enjoy pride of place in its archives. The mills on the River Wye, which were first used for grinding grain, in time were changed to the fulling of cloth and then to paper production, while lacemaking was an important early craft. The Windsor chair came on the scene as another cottage craft, using the beech trees for which Buckinghamshire is famous, as well as elm and ash which were also plentiful. By the middle of the 19th century it was estimated that almost 5,000 chairs a day were being made. The last 100 years have seen strikes, lockouts and a gradual reduction in the furniture trade's workforce as other industries and businesses have moved into the area.

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