Datchet
Encyclopedia
Datchet is an English
Thameside
village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority
of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire
. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire
in 1974.
The village developed particularly because of its close proximity to Windsor and the ferry
service which connected the main London road to Windsor across the River Thames. The service was eventually replaced with numerous bridges across the river.
The name "Datchet" is thought to be Celtic in origin, and the last part may be related to cet (meaning wood). In the Domesday Book
it was called "Daceta".
Datchet is first mentioned between 990 and 994, when King Ethelred made small grants of land here. Datchet Manor is in the Domesday Book (1085–86) when it was held by Giles de Pinkney. In 1150 the church already existed in Datchet and was given to the abbey
of St Albans
, Hertfordshire. The Abbot was rector of the parish and had the right to appoint vicars.
There was a ferry at Datchet Ferry which provided a short route from London to Windsor Castle, and was frequently used by royalty. In 1249 King Henry III
gave a great oak from his Windsor forest to make a barge for passage from Windsor to Datchet.
In 1350 Edward III
gave Datchet Church as part of endowment to his new church and college of St George at Windsor Castle
.
In the 17th century, traffic went to London via Horton. Horton Road began to be built up and extended by the wealthy next to the hovels of the poor. The great plague came to Datchet before and after the great plague of London. An unsubstantiated story is that King Charles II
kept his mistress Nell Gwynne at Old Bridge House in Datchet.
The ferry was replaced by Datchet Bridge
at the end of the High Street in 1706. The bridge was replaced three times but finally demolished in 1851, being the only Thames bridge that has been lost.
From 1742 onwards, the Duke of Montagu and family owned Datchet. In 1790, a workhouse was built in Holmlea Road, and in 1820, an Almshouse belonging to the workhouse was turned into a shop. In 1848, the first train went through Datchet to Windsor and in 1860, Datchet Common's oldest beer house The Plough (now Tescos Express) was in existence. In 1886, Datchet was known as Black Datchet because of a large number of bad characters living there. This was borne out by Aylesbury County Jail having one building known as the 'Datchet Wing' filled mostly with poachers. However in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome
's Three Men in a Boat
describes Datchet as a minor riverside resort. He describes both the Manor Hotel and the Royal Stag in his book.
From 1911 to 1914, cars were made at workshops at the end of Holmlea Road, Lord Montagu was the landlord. In 1911, Sir Thomas Sopwith
landed his light aircraft in Datchet eight years after the first flight in the USA by Orville Wright. His company built Sopwith biplanes.
Windsor Guards polo grounds in Horton were where the Queen Mother Reservoir
now stands. The houses opposite were built in the late 19th century to house the workers on the grounds. 140 Horton Road was an old school house.
In 1931, the Pavilion club was built on Datchet riverside. Dame Vera Lynn
sang here and the 'London Set' socialised here. Edward VIII
and Mrs Simpson had secret meetings here.
Datchet Village Football Club was formed in 1987. Datchet still has its own River Frontage from where a Small Boat may be Launched.
is situated in the centre of the village, and is on the line from Windsor & Eton Riverside to London Waterloo
.
One of the landmarks of this village is the Datchet Manor. The manor is currently used as a hotel and conference centre. The history of the manor begins in 1335 when King Edward III
gave the manor of Datchet to William de Montacute, who then passed it on to Sir John Molins, who held it until 1631. The manor changed hands several times until it became the property of the Duchess of Buccleuch in the 18th century. Tescos Express was originally The Plough and following a major fire changed its name to The Sportsmans due to the bare knuckle fighting which took place on the green opposite before the houses were built, bets being wagered in the pub.
There are two other pubs in Datchet, The Royal Stag and The Morning Star.
Datchet is home to two schools — Churchmead School
, a secondary school, and Datchet St. Mary's Primary School.
Datchet also boasts several sporting options including Datchet Village Football Club (Sundays), Datchet Golf Club and the Datchet Health Centre.
Many famous people connected with literature, sport, film and stage live or have lived in Datchet — Valentine Dyall
, Billy Cotton
, Billie Whitelaw
, and Sir Donald Pleasence
. As of 2009 Joan Collins
still retains the house of her late father (a theatrical agent) in the village. Danniella Westbrook
is a former resident; as of 2009 Barry Davies
the sports commentator lived in the village.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Thameside
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in 1974.
The village developed particularly because of its close proximity to Windsor and the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service which connected the main London road to Windsor across the River Thames. The service was eventually replaced with numerous bridges across the river.
The name "Datchet" is thought to be Celtic in origin, and the last part may be related to cet (meaning wood). In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
it was called "Daceta".
History
The story of Datchet starts at the end of the ice-age. Between 1000 and 6500 years ago there was evidence of people living in the area which was to become Datchet. They did not settle but travelled through the area. First evidence of settled village was 440–2700 years ago (Bronze Age).Datchet is first mentioned between 990 and 994, when King Ethelred made small grants of land here. Datchet Manor is in the Domesday Book (1085–86) when it was held by Giles de Pinkney. In 1150 the church already existed in Datchet and was given to the abbey
St Albans Cathedral
St Albans Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral church at St Albans, England. At , its nave is the longest of any cathedral in England...
of St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, Hertfordshire. The Abbot was rector of the parish and had the right to appoint vicars.
There was a ferry at Datchet Ferry which provided a short route from London to Windsor Castle, and was frequently used by royalty. In 1249 King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
gave a great oak from his Windsor forest to make a barge for passage from Windsor to Datchet.
In 1350 Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
gave Datchet Church as part of endowment to his new church and college of St George at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.
In the 17th century, traffic went to London via Horton. Horton Road began to be built up and extended by the wealthy next to the hovels of the poor. The great plague came to Datchet before and after the great plague of London. An unsubstantiated story is that King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
kept his mistress Nell Gwynne at Old Bridge House in Datchet.
The ferry was replaced by Datchet Bridge
Datchet Bridge
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...
at the end of the High Street in 1706. The bridge was replaced three times but finally demolished in 1851, being the only Thames bridge that has been lost.
From 1742 onwards, the Duke of Montagu and family owned Datchet. In 1790, a workhouse was built in Holmlea Road, and in 1820, an Almshouse belonging to the workhouse was turned into a shop. In 1848, the first train went through Datchet to Windsor and in 1860, Datchet Common's oldest beer house The Plough (now Tescos Express) was in existence. In 1886, Datchet was known as Black Datchet because of a large number of bad characters living there. This was borne out by Aylesbury County Jail having one building known as the 'Datchet Wing' filled mostly with poachers. However in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
's Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
describes Datchet as a minor riverside resort. He describes both the Manor Hotel and the Royal Stag in his book.
From 1911 to 1914, cars were made at workshops at the end of Holmlea Road, Lord Montagu was the landlord. In 1911, Sir Thomas Sopwith
Thomas Sopwith
Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, CBE, Hon FRAeS was an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman.-Early life:...
landed his light aircraft in Datchet eight years after the first flight in the USA by Orville Wright. His company built Sopwith biplanes.
Windsor Guards polo grounds in Horton were where the Queen Mother Reservoir
Queen Mother Reservoir
The Queen Mother Reservoir lies between the M4 and the M25 to the west of London. It is in size or about 1 km in diameter - making it one of the largest inland areas in Southern England. It is managed by Thames Water....
now stands. The houses opposite were built in the late 19th century to house the workers on the grounds. 140 Horton Road was an old school house.
In 1931, the Pavilion club was built on Datchet riverside. Dame Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
sang here and the 'London Set' socialised here. Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and Mrs Simpson had secret meetings here.
Datchet Village Football Club was formed in 1987. Datchet still has its own River Frontage from where a Small Boat may be Launched.
Historical people
- William HerschelWilliam HerschelSir Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS, German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel was a German-born British astronomer, technical expert, and composer. Born in Hanover, Wilhelm first followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, but emigrated to Britain at age 19...
(astronomer to George III and discoverer of the planet UranusUranusUranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
) lived with his sister in a house on Horton Road in 1782 and from 1783 to 1785, he occupied "The Lawn" on Horton Road and built a 20 ft telescope in the garden. - Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
was the most famous person known to have used Datchet Station when he varied his routes to SloughSloughSlough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
visiting his mistress. - Hon. Evelyn Ellis drove the first ever motor car to be driven or owned in Britain to his home in Southleigh Road in 1895. The actual car can be seen in The Science Museum in London. Ellis was closely associated with The Prince of Wales (the later King Edward VIIEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
) and gave him his first ever ride in a car. - Hon. John Scott Montagu - Lord of the Manor of Datchet and DittonDitton, SloughDitton is a suburb of the unitary authority of Slough, Berkshire in South East England.It is also covered by the M4 and the Queen Mary Reservoir.It was a hamlet in the parish of Stoke Poges...
was another early motoring pioneer whose families continued interest resulted in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu
Commerce and services
Datchet railway stationDatchet railway station
Datchet railway station is a railway station serving the village of Datchet in Berkshire, England. The station is located on the line between Windsor and Eton Riverside and London Waterloo, which lies to the east....
is situated in the centre of the village, and is on the line from Windsor & Eton Riverside to London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
.
One of the landmarks of this village is the Datchet Manor. The manor is currently used as a hotel and conference centre. The history of the manor begins in 1335 when King Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
gave the manor of Datchet to William de Montacute, who then passed it on to Sir John Molins, who held it until 1631. The manor changed hands several times until it became the property of the Duchess of Buccleuch in the 18th century. Tescos Express was originally The Plough and following a major fire changed its name to The Sportsmans due to the bare knuckle fighting which took place on the green opposite before the houses were built, bets being wagered in the pub.
There are two other pubs in Datchet, The Royal Stag and The Morning Star.
Datchet is home to two schools — Churchmead School
Churchmead School
Churchmead School is a designated Specialist Arts College co-educational comprehensive Church of England voluntary aided community school that caters for 11-18 year olds. It is located in Datchet, Slough, county of Berkshire, England...
, a secondary school, and Datchet St. Mary's Primary School.
Datchet also boasts several sporting options including Datchet Village Football Club (Sundays), Datchet Golf Club and the Datchet Health Centre.
Many famous people connected with literature, sport, film and stage live or have lived in Datchet — Valentine Dyall
Valentine Dyall
Valentine Dyall was an English character actor, the son of veteran actor Franklin Dyall. Dyall was especially popular as a voice actor, due to his very distinctive sepulchral voice, he was known for many years as "The Man in Black", narrator of the BBC Radio horror series Appointment With Fear.In...
, Billy Cotton
Billy Cotton
William Edward Cotton , better known as Billy Cotton, was a British band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the dance band era. Today, he is mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, although his musical talent emerged as early as the 1920s...
, Billie Whitelaw
Billie Whitelaw
Billie Honor Whitelaw, CBE is an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works...
, and Sir Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence
Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
. As of 2009 Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
still retains the house of her late father (a theatrical agent) in the village. Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for being the original actress to play Samantha Mitchell in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Away from EastEnders she has presented various shows, and was also a...
is a former resident; as of 2009 Barry Davies
Barry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE is a British sports commentator. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...
the sports commentator lived in the village.