High Wycombe - Buckinghamshire - is a fairly large town located just thirty miles from the centre of London.
It is both a market town and industrial centre that has historically played an important role in the British furniture manufacturing industry.
Its name derives from the nearby River Wye as well as the ancient English word for valley - combe.
The original settlement dates back to at least Roman times as has been discovered by the excavation of a Roman Villa close by.
During the Middle Ages High Wycombe developed a status as a settlement for the manufacture of lace and cloth and was often used as a resting point on the ancient road from Oxford to London.
Many weary travellers found comfort at High Wycombe's inns and taverns.
It was discovered during the eighteenth century that the water in the River Wye was heavy in chalk and as this is ideal for bleaching paper pulp a related paper manufacturing enterprise was set up.
During the 1960s the centre of the town underwent major redevelopment which sadly involved destroying many of High Wycombe's historic buildings to be replaced by a town centre comprising of shopping complexes and multi-storey car parks.
To escape the urban sprawl it is possible to spend time in the peaceful Rye Park just east of the town centre.
Here you can still walk along the River Wye which gently meanders through the green space.
It is a great location to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Every year the Park hosts the Asian Mela that attracts performers and visitors from near and far.
Also close to the town centre is a Museum situated in its own well tendered grounds that also contain a mound of a Norman Castle.
There are many interesting exhibitions that give a feel about the cultures both past and present.