West Wycombe
|
|
West Wycombe is an area due west of High Wycombe in the United Kingdom and is the home of the West Wycombe Caves. The caves were a natural formation which was excavated in the 1750s by Sir Francis Dashwood to give work to the local community and to provide him with a location for members of the secretive Hellfire Club to meet.
The 18th Century church with its golden ball is a well-known landmark, visible for many miles due its hilltop location, dominating the village. The church was created by Sir Francis Dashwood. The hill is known as West Wycombe Hill and was an Iron Age hill fort. Also situated on the hill is the Dashwood Mausoleum.
The village of West Wycombe is home to 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.
West Wycombe village was purchased by the National Trust in 1929. There are many buildings of architectural value which were built between the 16th and 18th centuries.