Ditton Park
Encyclopedia
Ditton Park was part of the Manor of Ditton
which was in what was formerly the south east corner of the English
county of Buckinghamshire
, before the county boundary reorganisations of 1974 & 1998 which moved it to the Slough
Unitary Authority
, which is in the ceremonial county of Berkshire
.
Ditton Park belonged to the crown in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It then belonged to Sir Ralph Winwood
and passed to Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu
, through marriage. The present house which may have been first built around 1500 was badly damaged by fire in 1812. One of the features is the moat which surrounds the House and the immediate grounds. Park areas lie to the North and West of the moat.
Nearby, on the Great West Road, a public house known as the Montague [sic] Arms stands, now owned and operated as a Harvester Restaurant. The pub dates back to the early 19th Century http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Directories/bucksdirg.html
From the house (locally known as the Ditton Castle), a drive runs to the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin http://www.langleymarish.org/StM.html, Langley, via Conduit Way, Cedar Way, Green Drive and into the churchyard via Minster Way. This drive is evident on historical maps of the area.
In 1917 the property was taken over for the Admiralty Compass Observatory, which used the house and its immediate grounds until it was sold to Computer Associates in the 1990s. It has now been restored and re-landscaped and functions as a conference centre.
In the late 1990s, local concern was raised regarding the issue of radioactive contamination arising from the World War II
era burial of radium
based, luminous paint
s http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo020711/text/20711w16.htm. The Ministry of Defence successfully removed the contaminated material before the sale of the property to Computer Associates.
In 1920 West park started to be used for radio research, and this extended into the North park in 1924, and these activities eventually lead to the formation of the Radio Research Station
which continued to operate on the site until about 1982 when the lands were sold to Calor Gas.
It was at the Radio Research Station in Ditton Park in 1935 that the idea for the development of British Radar
defence system was conceived in 1935.
Ditton, Slough
Ditton 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...
which was in what was formerly the south east corner of the English
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...
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....
, before the county boundary reorganisations of 1974 & 1998 which moved it to the 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...
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...
, which is in the ceremonial 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...
.
Ditton Park belonged to the crown in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It then belonged to Sir Ralph Winwood
Ralph Winwood
Sir Ralph Winwood was an English diplomat and politician.-Life:He was born at Aynhoe in Northamptonshire and educated at St John's College, Oxford....
and passed to Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu
Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu
Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu was an English courtier and diplomat.-Life:He was the second son of Edward Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Boughton and Anne Winwood, daughter of the Secretary of State Ralph Winwood...
, through marriage. The present house which may have been first built around 1500 was badly damaged by fire in 1812. One of the features is the moat which surrounds the House and the immediate grounds. Park areas lie to the North and West of the moat.
Nearby, on the Great West Road, a public house known as the Montague [sic] Arms stands, now owned and operated as a Harvester Restaurant. The pub dates back to the early 19th Century http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Directories/bucksdirg.html
From the house (locally known as the Ditton Castle), a drive runs to the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin http://www.langleymarish.org/StM.html, Langley, via Conduit Way, Cedar Way, Green Drive and into the churchyard via Minster Way. This drive is evident on historical maps of the area.
In 1917 the property was taken over for the Admiralty Compass Observatory, which used the house and its immediate grounds until it was sold to Computer Associates in the 1990s. It has now been restored and re-landscaped and functions as a conference centre.
In the late 1990s, local concern was raised regarding the issue of radioactive contamination arising from the World War II
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...
era burial of radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
based, luminous paint
Luminous paint
Luminous paint or luminescent paint is paint that exhibits luminescence. In other words, it gives off visible light through fluorescence, phosphorescence, or radioluminescence.-Fluorescent paint:...
s http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo020711/text/20711w16.htm. The Ministry of Defence successfully removed the contaminated material before the sale of the property to Computer Associates.
In 1920 West park started to be used for radio research, and this extended into the North park in 1924, and these activities eventually lead to the formation of the Radio Research Station
Radio Research Station
The Radio Research Station 1924 - August 31, 1979 at Ditton Park, Buckinghamshire, England was the UK government research laboratory which pioneered the regular observation of the ionosphere by ionosondes in continuous operation since September 20, 1932, and applied the ionosonde technology for the...
which continued to operate on the site until about 1982 when the lands were sold to Calor Gas.
It was at the Radio Research Station in Ditton Park in 1935 that the idea for the development of British Radar
History of radar
The history of radar starts with experiments by Heinrich Hertz in the late 19th century that showed that radio waves were reflected by metallic objects. This possibility was suggested in James Clerk Maxwell's seminal work on electromagnetism...
defence system was conceived in 1935.