Chair Making Museum

High Wycombe's furniture-making heritage comes alive in this compact museum dedicated to the town's 200-year reign as Britain's chair capital. You'll find original Victorian workshops recreated down to the last wood shaving, complete with the lathes and tools that once churned out millions of Windsor chairs for export worldwide.

The highlight is watching skilled craftsmen demonstrate bodging - the traditional art of turning chair legs on pole lathes. It's surprisingly mesmerizing, and the kids will be fascinated by the rhythmic foot-powered machinery. Don't expect flashy interactive displays though; this is old-school museum territory with genuine period equipment and plenty of reading.

History buffs will love the social story behind the industry - how entire families worked from dawn to dusk in cramped conditions to meet Victorian demand. The museum does well to explain why High Wycombe became synonymous with chair making when other towns didn't.

Allow about an hour for a proper look around. It's tucked away near Marlow, making it a decent rainy-day option if you're staying at one of the nearby camping spots like Penn Meadow Farm or Home Farm. The museum works best combined with a broader exploration of the Chilterns rather than as a standalone destination. Proper furniture nerds will find it absolutely fascinating; casual visitors might find it a bit niche for their tastes.