DID you know that Flackwell Heath was once covered with blooming cherry orchards, Marlow boasted a wealth of lace makers and tennis enthusiasts flocked to RACQUET makers in Holmer Green? Now, thanks to a new pair of galleries at Wycombe Museum, visitors can discover more about the “forgotten” industries that once flourished throughout the district.

The History Rooms, which open fully to the public next week, reveal the story of the district from prehistoric times to modern day, with an eclectic mix of objects.

Museum manager Zara Luxford says she hopes the new galleries will “help tell the important stories of the district”.

She says: “We used to have two old galleries that had seen better days and didn’t really reflect the history of our area.

“So we set about asking visitors, schools and colleges for suggestions as to what we could put into these new galleries. We received more than 300 suggestions and have tried to match what people wanted to learn more about with what we have in our collections.”

Inside the first room, which deals with pre-history to 1700, visitors can find out more about how the Black Death affected each town, the impact of the Roman and Norman invasions and the development of the mill industries.

There’s also a wide range of objects from the museum’s collection on display, including agricultural sheep bells, a farmer’s smock from Radnage and medieval pottery.

One section of the gallery is dedicated to the museum’s own history, detailing the Saxon burial mound, as well as the motte and bailey remains found within its grounds.

Then, as visitors pass through to the second gallery, they can find out more about local history stretching from the 1700s to the modern day. Highlights from the display cases include a large drum dating from the 18th Century and used for mayor making; a decorative truncheon used by a night-watchman; leg irons from High Wycombe’s old town gaol, and a selection of Wycombe Wanderers memorabilia through the decades.

Another charming display shows a host of children’s toys found at Medmenham Lodge Farm which had seemingly fallen through the floorboards over a period stretching from George II’s reign to the Victorian era.

Zara explains: “There were all sorts of objects found there – the tops of skipping ropes, bits of crockery, spoons, marbles, coins, thimbles, even a child’s flute. Either they fell through by accident or were put there deliberately. We even found a pair of shoes, and we know there was once a tradition of placing shoes under the floorboards to deter the elves.”

Another display is dedicated to the district’s World War Two links and focuses on the De Havilland Mosquito bomber, which was mass produced in a factory in High Wycombe.

Among the other striking objects on display in The History Rooms is an authentic two metre-long red lion statue, which once stood on a plinth outside the Red Lion Hotel (now Woolworths) in the High Street in High Wycombe. Zara adds: “We call him Winston, because there’s a photograph of Churchill standing next to him during his re-election campaign in 1945. There were red lions outside the hotel since Disraeli’s day, so there’s a lot of history attached to this statue”.

The History Rooms at Wycombe Museum, Priory Avenue, High Wycombe. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 10am to 5pm and Sundays, 2pm to 5pm. Details: 01494 421895 or www.wycombe.gov.uk/museum