Old Windsor | |
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The lock hut at Old Windsor Lock. | |
Location within Berkshire | |
Population | 4,775 (2001) 4,977 (2011 Census) [1] |
OS grid reference | SU9874 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WINDSOR |
Postcode district | SL4 |
Dialling code | 01753 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Royal Berkshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west.
The name originates from old English Windles-ore, Windlesora, or winch by the riverside. [3] [4] [5] The village was originally called Windsor, until the (now larger) town of "New" Windsor, 3 miles (5 km) from the village, and grew up next to Windsor Castle, assumed the name. Windsor is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle .
Old Windsor was once the site of an important palace of the Saxon Kings. [6] The settlement is documented as a defended royal manor in Edward the Confessor's time, but archaeological evidence suggests royal connections had existed since at least the 9th century. The Saxon royal site was excavated between 1953 and 1958, and the finds are at Reading Museum. [7] Edward gave the manor to the Abbot of Westminster in 1066, but it was soon taken back into royal possession by William the Conqueror. [8]
Old Windsor was popular with the monarch because of its convenient location; near to the River Thames for transport and Windsor Forest for hunting. Old Windsor was also an early minster location and market, probably associated with a lock, and important riverside mill complex. The Saxon palace was eventually superseded by the Norman Windsor Castle, at 'New' Windsor. The palace, however, became a popular royal hunting lodge while Windsor Castle was still a fortress rather than a comfortable residence.
At the southern end of the village is the historic Beaumont Estate. First mention of the estate is recorded around the year 1300, when the estate, and much of the surrounding area was under the ownership of Hugo de Remenham. The estate was, at the time, known as Remenham, and occupied a larger area than it does now, stretching all the way down to the river Thames, and including the historic pub, the Bells of Ouzeley. After changing hands a few times, the estate was bought by Henry Frederick Tynne who had the house redesigned in 1705 by architect James Gibbs, renamed it Bowman's Lodge. The estate was acquired in the mid-eighteenth century by Sophia, Duchess of Kent. In 1751 the estate was bought by the Duke of Roxburghe for his son, the Marquess of Beaumont, who renamed it Beaumont Lodge.
It was bought in 1786 by Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India, and most notable resident of the estate, for £12,000. In 1790, the owner Henry Griffith had Windsorian architect Henry Emlyn rebuild, and modify the house. The estate was sold in 1805 for £14,000 to Viscount Ashbrook, a friend of George IV. After the Viscount's death in 1846, the Bells of Ouzeley pub was sold by his widow, and in 1854, she sold the estate to the Society of Jesus, who used it as Beaumont College. In 1861 it became the St. Stanislaus College, Beaumont; a Catholic boarding school for boys. In 1967, the school closed, and moved to merge with Stonyhurst College, in Lancashire. The estate was subsequently bought by the computer company ICL, and then by Hayley Conference Centres, in 2003.
The parish of Old Windsor contains two Church of England churches: the parish Church of St Peter and St Andrew, and the Mission Church of St Luke. [9] The Parish Church was probably built on the site of a chapel attached to the hunting lodge of Edward the Confessor. After the original building was destroyed by French soldiers, the church was rebuilt in 1218. In 1865, an extensive restoration plan was carried out by Giles Gilbert Scott which included the removal of a porch which had been added onto the building during the Georgian period. A spire was also built to replace the cupola, and three bells were added to the original five, dating from 1775.
On Easter Day 2008, the church suffered a serious fire, but has since been restored. [10] The original church of St Luke was built in 1867, but after falling into disrepair, was replaced by a newer building in the 1960s. The church contains a carpet which was bought in 1960 from Westminster Abbey, where it had been used during the coronation. [11] A chapel at Beaumont is said to be the inspiration for the chapel in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited . Waugh spent time in Windsor, whilst in the armed forces. [12]
Old Windsor is home to six pubs; the Bells of Ouzeley, the Fox and Castle, The Loch and The Tyne by Adam Handling, the Jolly Gardeners, the Toby Carvery, and the Union Inn; [13] and one members club, The Old Windsor Club. [14] There are also a small number of local shops and several restaurants.
Old Windsor is home to two state schools – King's Court First School and St Peter's Church of England Middle School – and St John's Beaumont independent school. St John's Beaumont was opened in 1888, originally a preparatory school for the Jesuit public school, Beaumont College, which was also situated in Old Windsor. Beaumont College was closed in 1967. [15]
Windsor Great Park is largely within the bounds of Old Windsor, including both the Royal and Cumberland Lodges.
Old Windsor is, or has been, the home of several famous people, including:
Old Windsor lies on the south bank of the River Thames, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of the town of Windsor. It is near to the villages of Englefield Green and Datchet, and is connected by a towpath to Old Windsor Lock. The parish church lies on the edge of the village by the river, at the site of the original settlement.
Old Windsor is approximately 5 minutes' drive from Windsor and 20 minutes from London Heathrow Airport, and is near to the M4 and M25 motorways. The nearest railway station is at Datchet and is just under 3 miles (5 km) away.
Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Buckinghamshire. The town is situated 27 miles (43 km) west of Charing Cross, London and 13 miles (21 km) east-northeast of the county town of Reading. The town differs from the Parliamentary constituency of Maidenhead, which includes a number of outer suburbs and villages including parts of the Borough of Wokingham such as Twyford, Charvil, Remenham, Ruscombe and Wargrave.
Sandhurst is a town and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough in Berkshire, England. It is in the south eastern corner of Berkshire, and is situated 32 miles (51 km) west-southwest of central London, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north west of Camberley and 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Bracknell. Sandhurst is known worldwide as the location of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Despite its close proximity to Camberley, Sandhurst is also home to a large and well-known out-of-town mercantile development. The site is named "The Meadows" and has a Tesco Extra hypermarket and a Marks & Spencer, two of the largest in the country. A large Next clothing and homeware store is open on the site of the old Homebase.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It is named after both the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor, the borough also covers the nearby towns of Ascot and Eton. It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland Windsor and Ascot Racecourse. It is one of four boroughs entitled to be prefixed Royal and is one of six unitary authorities in the county, which has historic and ceremonial status.
Wraysbury is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in England. It is under the western approach path of London Heathrow Airport. It is located on the east bank of the River Thames, roughly midway between Windsor and Staines-upon-Thames, and 18 miles (29 km) west by south-west of London. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, Wraysbury was made part of the new non-metropolitan county of Berkshire in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. The Wraysbury Reservoir is located to the east, administratively wholly in the Spelthorne district of Surrey, although it was historically divided between Buckinghamshire and Middlesex.
Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the village was eventually transferred to Berkshire, under the Local Government Act of 1972. The village developed because of its close proximity to Windsor and the ferry service which connected it to the main London Road across the River Thames. The ferry was later replaced by a road bridge at the foot of the High Street, which was rebuilt three times. There is also a rail bridge approaching Windsor across the river, and two road bridges above and below the village.
Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated 21.8 miles (35.1 km) west of Charing Cross, central London, 5.8 miles (9.3 km) southeast of Maidenhead, and 15.8 miles (25.4 km) east of the county town of Reading. It is immediately south of the River Thames, which forms its boundary with its smaller, ancient twin town of Eton. The village of Old Windsor, just over 2 miles (3 km) to the south, predates what is now called Windsor by around 300 years; in the past Windsor was formally referred to as New Windsor to distinguish the two.
Eton is a town in Berkshire, England, on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor, connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The civil parish, which also includes the village of Eton Wick two miles west of the town, had a population of 4,692 at the 2011 Census. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Buckinghamshire, in 1974 it became part of the Berkshire admin area following the Local Government Act 1972; since 1998 it has been part of the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead. The town is best known as the location of Eton College.
Horton is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is between Windsor and Staines-upon-Thames.
Brightwell-cum-Sotwell is a twin-village and civil parish in the Upper Thames Valley in South Oxfordshire. It lies between Didcot to the west and the historic market town of Wallingford to the east. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire to the county of Oxfordshire, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire.
Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book Three Men in a Boat as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river".
Eton Wick is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Eton, in the Windsor and Maidenhead district, in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, close to the historic towns of Windsor and Eton, Slough and Dorney Lake, the rowing venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of 2,020 hectares, including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private 265 hectares Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century. Historically the park covered an area many times the current size known as Windsor Forest, Windsor Royal Park or its current name. The park is managed and funded by the Crown Estate, and is the only royal park not managed by The Royal Parks. Most parts of the park are open to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk, although there is a charge to enter Savill Garden.
Clewer is an ecclesiastical parish and an area of Windsor in the county of Berkshire, England. Clewer makes up three wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, namely Clewer North, Clewer South and Clewer East.
Remenham is a village and civil parish on the Berkshire bank of the River Thames opposite Henley-on-Thames in southern England. It is particularly well known for the steep approach, known as Remenham Hill or White Hill, into Henley.
The Home Park, previously known as the Little Park, is a private 655-acre (265 ha) Royal park, administered by the Crown Estate of the United Kingdom. It lies on the eastern side of Windsor Castle in the town and former civil parish of Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. To its south is Windsor Great Park.
Old Windsor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England on the right bank beside Old Windsor, Berkshire. The lock marks the downstream end of the New Cut, a meander cutoff built in 1822 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners which created Ham Island. The lock and a wider footbridge give access to the island. Two weirs are associated; the smaller adjoins and the larger is upstream. The lock is the ninth lowest of the forty-five on the river.
Datchet Bridge, also known as The Divided Bridge, was a road bridge which crossed the River Thames at Datchet from 1706 until it was demolished in 1848. It was situated on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock and linked Windsor on the Berkshire bank to Datchet on the Buckinghamshire side. The bridge replaced a ferry service which had operated at the site since at least the middle of the 13th century.
The Windsor Castle Act 1848 was an Act of Parliament enacted for the British royal family that reformed land use and rights around Windsor Castle, in Berkshire. The Act's main purpose was to create Home Park. All new roads and bridges were built by 1850. The result turned the former royal estate, which was known as Little Park, into the royal private estate of Home Park.