Chairmaking heritage celebrated in walking trail

High Wycombe built an arch decorated with chairs in 1877 to welcome Queen Victoria

The "rich chairmaking history" of a town is being showcased through a new walking trail.

High Wycombe became the UK's leading chair producer by the late 1800s, with its football team, Wycombe Wanderers, nicknamed "The Chairboys".

The "Here, Chair and Everywhere" trail is being run by Wycombe Museum and covered seven key locations in the town centre.

The 1.7 mile (2.7km) step-free route passed through notable sites such as the railway station, St Mary Street, High Street, Denmark Street, Frogmoor, and Temple End.

More than 4,000 chairs a day were produced in High Wycombe in the heyday of its furniture industry

High Wycombe was once the UK centre of furniture craftsmanship, with around 4,700 chairs made daily in 1877.

The museum said it had deliberately selected areas around the town centre to make it easy and accessible, rather than trying to be "a comprehensive trail of all furniture sites".

Plans have been submitted to Buckinghamshire Council for several large interpretation boards at various points to ensure visitors can learn about the area’s chairmaking history without needing a guide.

In addition to the trail, the museum will host a "Here, Chair and Everywhere" event in October, part of its interactive "explore" series for children.

Funded by the Chiltern Conservation Board, the trail aimed to celebrate this legacy and offer locals and visitors a deeper connection to the town's history.

Gibbons chair factory off Oxford Road in about 1895, as chairs were taken by wagon to the railway station