Britwell
Encyclopedia
Britwell is a residential housing estate
and civil parish
in the north west of Slough
, Berkshire
, in the south of England
. It is about 23 miles west of London
.
The name Britwell derives from the old English beorhtan wiellan meaning 'bright, clear well'.
The place now known as the Britwell Estate was originally farm land. Modern-day Britwell, which has the well-defined geographic boundaries of Farnham Lane (in the north), Lower Britwell Road and Haymill Road (to the west), Whittaker Road and Northborough Road (south) and Long Readings Lane (east), was created as a large overspill
housing estate for bombed-out Londoners
at the end of the Second World War
. Britwell was one of a number of London County Council
estates built at the time, with other estates in places including Langley
and Swindon
. The first of 11,000 tenants arrived in August 1956 and were delighted with the "roomy and modern" houses, complete with large swivel windows – "a boon to housewives". There was a dearth of amenities at first, but after the founding of the community association in 1959, the estate finally got a bus service into Slough, and a community centre in 1966.
When the Britwell Estate was created, its postal address was Farnham Royal
, near Slough. The local authority at the time was Eton Rural District Council
in the county of Buckinghamshire
.
In 1965, the London County Council was one of a number of authorities replaced by the Greater London Council
(GLC). When the GLC was in turn abolished in 1986, the social housing on Britwell was transferred to Slough Borough Council. Mortgages issued by the GLC authority were transferred to the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
.
Following the Local Government Act 1972
, Britwell was transferred to Berkshire, to form part of the borough of Slough. A civil parish was established at that point for the part of the estate that had previously lain in the Burnham
civil parish. The current Parish Council has 13 parish councillors and covers approximately 60% of the Britwell Estate.
The Britwell Electoral ward includes the Parish area and extends westwards to the Five Points crossroads in Burnham. It has 3 borough councillors. The southern part of Long Readings Lane and the south side of Cowper Road became part of the Britwell ward for the first time in 2004 following a Boundary Commission review.
Britwell used to be renowned throughout the local area for its high rate of petty crime. In 2002 bus drivers refused to drive through there at night because of repeated incidents of 3 pre-teenage boys throwing stones at buses..
The Parish Council have provided premises for use as a Neighbourhood Police Office within their parish ground; this is well used by the local beat team, PCSO's and community wardens. The actual police office can be seen at www.slough.info/britwell/b08/b08.html
Britwell's row of shops featured as a backdrop in the dystopia
themed movie V for Vendetta
. Britwell has also featured in the ITV drama Torn. The shops also represented 1970's Belfast in the film Titanic Town starring Julie Walters.
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the north west of Slough
Slough
Slough 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...
, 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...
, in the south of England
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...
. It is about 23 miles west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The name Britwell derives from the old English beorhtan wiellan meaning 'bright, clear well'.
The place now known as the Britwell Estate was originally farm land. Modern-day Britwell, which has the well-defined geographic boundaries of Farnham Lane (in the north), Lower Britwell Road and Haymill Road (to the west), Whittaker Road and Northborough Road (south) and Long Readings Lane (east), was created as a large overspill
Overspill estate
An overspill estate is a housing estate planned and built for the rehousing of people from decaying inner city areas usually as part of the process of slum clearance....
housing estate for bombed-out Londoners
London overspill
London overspill is the term given to the communities created - largely consisting of publicly provided housing - as a result of the Government policy of moving residents out of Greater London, England into other towns around the South East, East Anglia and beyond.-Policy development:The policy...
at the end of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Britwell was one of a number of London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
estates built at the time, with other estates in places including Langley
Langley, Slough
Langley is a large village in the unitary authority of Slough, Berkshire in South East England. It is situated 2 miles east of central Slough, and 20 miles west of London...
and Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
. The first of 11,000 tenants arrived in August 1956 and were delighted with the "roomy and modern" houses, complete with large swivel windows – "a boon to housewives". There was a dearth of amenities at first, but after the founding of the community association in 1959, the estate finally got a bus service into Slough, and a community centre in 1966.
When the Britwell Estate was created, its postal address was Farnham Royal
Farnham Royal
Farnham Royal is a village and civil parish within the South Bucks district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the south of the county, around 22 miles west of Charing Cross, Central London....
, near Slough. The local authority at the time was Eton Rural District Council
Eton Rural District
Eton was a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire, England. It was named after but did not contain Eton, which was an urban district....
in the county of 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 1965, the London County Council was one of a number of authorities replaced by the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
(GLC). When the GLC was in turn abolished in 1986, the social housing on Britwell was transferred to Slough Borough Council. Mortgages issued by the GLC authority were transferred to the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
.
Following the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, Britwell was transferred to Berkshire, to form part of the borough of Slough. A civil parish was established at that point for the part of the estate that had previously lain in the Burnham
Burnham, Buckinghamshire
Burnham is a village and civil parish that lies north of the River Thames in the South Bucks District of Buckinghamshire, and sits on the border with Berkshire, between the towns of Maidenhead and Slough. It is served by Burnham railway station in the west of Slough on the main line between London...
civil parish. The current Parish Council has 13 parish councillors and covers approximately 60% of the Britwell Estate.
The Britwell Electoral ward includes the Parish area and extends westwards to the Five Points crossroads in Burnham. It has 3 borough councillors. The southern part of Long Readings Lane and the south side of Cowper Road became part of the Britwell ward for the first time in 2004 following a Boundary Commission review.
Britwell used to be renowned throughout the local area for its high rate of petty crime. In 2002 bus drivers refused to drive through there at night because of repeated incidents of 3 pre-teenage boys throwing stones at buses..
The Parish Council have provided premises for use as a Neighbourhood Police Office within their parish ground; this is well used by the local beat team, PCSO's and community wardens. The actual police office can be seen at www.slough.info/britwell/b08/b08.html
Britwell's row of shops featured as a backdrop in the dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
themed movie V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
. Britwell has also featured in the ITV drama Torn. The shops also represented 1970's Belfast in the film Titanic Town starring Julie Walters.