Wycombe’s chair collection finally has a home after 10-year hunt
February 17, 2026 | In the PressFrom Museums + Heritage (https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/decade-long-search-for-wycombe-collection-store-ends-with-new-chair-discovery-centre-site/)
Wycombe Museum has announced a second site to house its chair collection after more than a decade searching for a suitable store.
The Chair Discovery Centre will be located above the High Wycombe Social Club on St Mary’s Street. Buckinghamshire Council purchased the building, renovated it and is leasing the top floor, previously a ballroom, to the museum. The council and museum have been working towards the project since 2022 in partnership with the Future High Streets project.
The new site will house almost 250 chairs alongside furniture archives, reference books and study resources.
Items from the collection have been stored off-site for over 25 years, but conditions in those stores became unsuitable, said Wycombe Museum.
Since December 2023, the museum has been conserving and preparing the collection for the move. The Chair Discovery Centre will open in summer 2026, with free admission on regular open days.
“I am so excited that our chairs will finally have a home where everyone can go and visit,” said Roz Currie, the museum’s director.
Catherine Grigg, museum curator, said chairs in the collection include those by one of the earliest known Windsor chair makers, alongside “beautiful hand-drawn designs and manuscripts, a rare ‘upside down’ chair and an example of G-Plan’s ‘Worlds’ Most Comfortable Chair’, and many more iconic locally made chairs.”
The space will be transformed into a sustainable store with advice from English Heritage. Additional funding for the move comes from the Association of Independent Museums, Heart of Bucks, the Julia Rausing Trust, Museums Development South East, Pilgrim Trust, Red Kite Community Housing and the Regional Furniture Society.
Wycombe Museum will remain at its Priory Avenue site and continue to open free of charge five days a week.
