West Wycombe

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Not to be confused with West Wickham.

West Wycombe
Church of St. Lawrence, West Wycombe
West Wycombe shown within Buckinghamshire
OS grid reference	SU830945
Parish	Unparished area
District	Wycombe
Shire county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	High Wycombe
Postcode district	HP14
Dialling code	01494
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
European Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Wycombe
List of places: UK • England • Buckinghamshire

Coordinates: 51°38′35″N 0°47′59″W / 51.643143, -0.799635

West Wycombe is a small village three miles due west of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England and is the home of the West Wycombe Caves and the Italianate West Wycombe Park — a stately home accompanied by 5000 acres (20 km²) of land which was built upon in the mid 18th century by Sir Francis Dashwood, founder of the Dilettanti Society and co-founder of the Hellfire Club which was held within the caves. They were a natural formation which was excavated in the 1750s by Sir Francis Dashwood to give work to the local community, straighten the road to London and to provide him with a private meeting place for members of the secretive Hellfire Club to meet.

Dashwood Mausoleum

The 18th century Church of St. Lawrence, with its golden ball on the top of the hill, is a well-known landmark, visible for many miles due its hilltop location, visually dominating the village. The ball can seat up to eight people and gives a panoramic view of the area. The church was remodelled by Sir Francis Dashwood inside and out. The hill is known as 'West Wycombe Hill' and was an Iron Age hill fort. Also situated on the hill is the hexagonal flint and stone Dashwood Mausoleum, inspired by the Colosseum in Rome.

West Wycombe village was sold to the National Trust in 1929 by the Dashwood family to raise assets following that year's Wall Street Crash. The National Trust markets this property under the name 'West Wycombe Village and Hill'. The property features many buildings of architectural value which were built between the 16th and 18th centuries.

The village centre, despite being on a main road (the A40), retains much of its historical charm, and being National Trust-owned for the main part, has resisted modernisation. The High Street consists of a number of 'old-fashioned' shops (in appearance at least), as well as three pubs, some small offices and a well-utilised village hall. Just off the High Street can be found the village Combined School (ages 4-11) and a traditional garden centre. Current population is about 1,000 residents.