Children were in for a shock at the weekend as they were turned upside down and lowered onto a stone – as people in the town celebrated one of Wycombe’s longest-standing traditions.

The annual Beating of the Bounds ceremony, which was common in towns until the 19th century, saw a number of youngsters turned head over heels on top of Wycombe’s boundary stones by the town’s mayor and other dignitaries on Sunday.

The ritual dates back many centuries to the days before ordnance survey maps, when it was necessary to walk the parish boundaries to mark them out afresh each year.

This year the ceremony was led by current mayor of High Wycombe, councillor Khalil Ahmed, with shoppers and residents of the town happy to get involved in the activities.

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