Beacon Hill

Taken from the bridge in Ryemead Way, this photo shows the River Wye looking west towards High Wycombe. A weir can be seen in the distance.

Taken from the A40 London Road, this photo shows the River Wye and weir looking west towards High Wycombe.

This metal sculpture is located by the Wycombe Retail Park off the A40 London Road. It has the following wording: Former Paper Mill Site Wycombe Marsh Paper Mill, one of 29 Paper Mills and 14 Corn Mills sited on the River Wye. Stood on this site since before 1724, producing hand made paper. In 1818 the mill passed into the hands of John Hay, a man of vision who installed the first paper making machine. On Monday 29th November 1830, 80 disenfranchised papermakers, led by Thomas Blizzard and John Sawrney, took the law into their own hands and smashed machines in all the mechanised mills. Despite John Hay's appeals and the dismantling of machinery, the mob entered the Mill and smashed the machines. Special police, soldiers and the Royal Staghound Hunt halted the mob and arrested the papermakers. More than 20 were deported and Blizzard and Sawrney only escaped the gallows after a public outcry. John Hay's actions limited the damage and saved the Mill. Disaster struck again in 1862 when part of the Mill burned down. However, once again, it was restored. In 1919 the Mill was leased to the THR National Paper & Pulp Company who operated the site until 1936 when the firm went bankrupt. In 1936 the Mill became Wycombe Marsh Paper Mill and was extensively modernised. The Second World War brought further change when the Admiralty took over the Mill to produce ammunition paper and the production of paper for cigarette filters, setting the stage for the next chapter in the Mill's history. Hugo Bunzl started a cigarette filter business at the end of the war and by 1956 the Mill became a subsidiary of Bunzl Pulp and Paper Ltd. The business flourished and a Royal Visit in 1974 celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Mill. However the future of the Mill declined and in 1993 the Mill was closed. The site was finally sold in 1999 and the current development completed by Kennet Properties Ltd in 2005. This sculpture is dedicated to the people who built, worked and passionately cared about the production of fine paper along the River Wye. 01 November 2006

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By Gomm's Wood

This block was converted from offices to flats in 2016

This block was converted from offices to flats in 2016

Gomm Road is a minor road leading to and industrial complex, and as such, seems to be used mainly for vehicle parking. The railway was built in the early 1900's as the Great Western/Great Central Joint Line from Ashendon Junction to Northolt as an alternative route for Great Central trains to reach London Marylebone Station and a shorter route to Birmingham for the Great Western Railway.