Thatcham
Encyclopedia
Thatcham is a town
in Berkshire
, England
3 miles (5 km) east of Newbury
and 15 miles (24 km) west of Reading
. It covers about 8.75 square miles (22.7 km²) and has a population of 23,000 people (2003). This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.
It lies on the River Kennet
, the Kennet and Avon Canal
, the A4 road and the course of a Roman road
. It is also served by Thatcham railway station
on the line between Newbury
and Reading
. Employment is provided by a number of light industrial units.
. The well-preserved remains of a Mesolithic
settlements dating from 7,700 BC have been found in its vicinity. There is also evidence of Bronze
and Iron Age
settlements and of a Roman
town.
The name may have been derived from that of a Saxon chief called Tace (or perhaps Tac or Tec), who established a village
in around 500. The settlement was known as Taceham - ham meaning village in Saxon. It is also possible that the name may have come from the Saxon thaec (thatch). Wherever it came from, the name Taceham persisted until after the Norman Conquest in 1066 before going through several minor changes until the current one was adopted in the 16th century.
The town had a period of great prosperity around 1304 when the Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr
on the A4, now called the Old Bluecoat School
, was constructed. At this time the population was larger than Newbury's but declined as a result of the Black Death
which decimated the area in 1348.
There is a Norman
parish
St Mary's Church
which was largely reconstructed in 1857. This is believed to be built on the same site as an earlier Saxon church. It was also previously known as St. Luke's.
n 1121 King Henry 1
founded the great Abbey of Reading
and endowed it with many gifts of land, including the Manor of Thatcham. At the same time Thatcham Hundred ceased to exist, the western party being transferred to Farcross Hundred, and the remainder to the Hundred of Reading.
In 1141 Thatcham Church, previously the property of the Diocese of Salisbury
, was granted to Reading Abbey by the Empress Mathilda, who at the same time confirmed her father's gift of the manor to the Abbey.
A large area of Thatcham, including the manors of the borough and Colthrop
, was bought by Brigadier-General Waring from James, Duke of Chandos
in 1722. Waring subsequently built Dunstan House, to the north of Thatcham village, and enclosed a large park around it, planted with trees arranged in the troop positions in the battles in which he had fought. When his descendants put his estates up for auction in 1798, Dunstan House failed to sell and was pulled down. The land is now a housing estate called Dunstan Park.
Two mills were built at Colthrop in 1472, one for corn and one for fulling. The latter was probably converted after the decline of the cloth trade
. These mills were replaced by a paper mill
built on their site by 1799. This Colthrop Mill belonged to the Reed Group in the twentieth century, and produced packaging materials.
Since 1900, industry has been attracted to the area. The Colthrop Board Mills (closed down in 2000), where paper had been produced for over 200 years, grew very quickly, particularly after its acquisition by the worldwide Reed Paper Group. The Sterling Cable Works was established nearby and AWE Aldermaston
and AERE Harwell
, together with the RLC Depot at Station Road, (which sadly closed down in 1999) have all brought employment and increasing prosperity to the area. This growth has in turn brought a further influx of population and has attracted numerous businesses to the town.
The development of industrial sites on the eastern side of the town introduced nationally known names such as Sony
, B.O.C. Transhield, Thermalite
, Panasonic
and The AA
Operations Centre to Thatcham.
Town centre facilities were greatly enhanced in 1997 when a town centre improvement scheme was carried out in the Broadway and the High Street. Shopping facilities include two supermarkets in the town centre and associated smaller retail outlets in arcades which supplement businesses already established in the town.
of West Berkshire
. Thatcham is also a civil parish which includes Colthrop
, Crookham
and Thatcham Reed Beds
.
line, the river Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal
all cross the parish from east to west. Thatcham railway station
lies to the south of the town. The River Lambourn
joins the Kennet in the west of the parish near Ham Mill. The River Enborne
forms part of the southern border of the parish.
, notified in 1974. It is important nationally for its extensive reedbed, species rich alder
woodland and fen habitats. The latter supports Desmoulin's whorl snail
(Vertigo moulinsiana), which is of national and European importance. A large assemblage of breeding birds including nationally rare species such as Cetti's Warbler
(Cettia cetti) is also associated with the reedbed, fen and open water habitats found at Thatcham Reed Beds.
made many roads impassable and stranded hundreds of pupils at Kennet School
who tried to wade with rope across Stoney Lane. Approximately 1100 properties were affected in this period, with many residents being forced to move out into mobile homes.
and immobiliser
, "Thatcham Cat 2" is for a standalone immobiliser and "Thatcham Cat 3" is for additional physical security devices such as steering wheel locks.
by Lady Frances Winchcomb in 1707, providing free education for 30 poor boys of the parishes of Thatcham, Bucklebury
, and Little Shefford, and apprenticing some of them. It discontinued following the attainder of Lord Bolingbroke
, who was the landowner and the only surviving trustee. The school re-opened for 40 boys in June 1794, and continued in existence until 1914.
A National school was built in 1826 on Clapper's Green, land donated by William Mount
.
There was also a British school attached to the Congregational chapel. Berkshire Record Office
holds the minutes for 1900-19, 1952-60.
Thatcham’s secondary school
is Kennet School
. It became an Academy during the first half of 2011. In 2006 it was the highest achieving comprehensive school in West Berkshire using contextual value added
results. In the same year it was also rated as one of the highest achieving schools in England, ranking as the 101st best comprehensive in the Guardian's
league table, based on A-level results and 303rd based on GCSE results. Kennet is also one of very few schools in England to have three specialisms
, Technology College
, Arts College
, and most recently Language College
.
A primary school is named after Francis Baily
, the renowned astronomer who was from an old Thatcham family, and who was eventually buried in the family vault under the parish church.
is served by local services by First Great Western
from Reading
to Newbury
and from London Paddington
to Bedwyn
. A limited number of services starting from Reading continue to Bedwyn. It is also served by a semi-fast HST
service from Paddington to the West Country
. Thatcham station was opened on 21 December 1847 as part of the Berks and Hants Line
to Hungerford. Traffic through the station increased when the line was extended to Taunton
in 1906. The station remained as part of the Great Western Railway
(GWR) until the nationalisation of the railways in 1948. After the sectorisation of British Rail
in 1982 the station became part of Network South East until the point of privatisation. From 1996 services were provided by Thames Trains
until the franchise merged with First Great Western
.
Most local bus services are provided by Newbury Buses, a division of Reading Transport Ltd.
club, Thatcham Town Football Club
which was founded in 1894, who currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. They play their home games at Waterside Park next to the River Kennet
.
There is a cricket
club in Thatcham called Thatcham Town Cricket Club who play in the Thames Valley League, the Berkshire League and the Borders Sunday League. The Club has four senior sides and a number of colt sides. The first recorded match was Gentlemen of Thatcham and The Gentlemen of Aldermaston being played at Thatcham Marsh on July 19, 1786.
quarry
near to the Thatcham Reed Beds
. The Nature Discovery Centre opened in 1995 and currently attracts over 75,000 visitors each year. A further estimated 75,000 visitors use the surrounding site for recreational activities throughout the year. There are a number of paths, a wooden sculpture trail and bird hide
. The Visitor Centre has a café and offers an extensive programme of events.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in 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...
, 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...
3 miles (5 km) east of Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
and 15 miles (24 km) west of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. It covers about 8.75 square miles (22.7 km²) and has a population of 23,000 people (2003). This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.
It lies on the River Kennet
River Kennet
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary of the River Thames. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol...
, the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
, the A4 road and the course of a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
. It is also served by Thatcham railway station
Thatcham railway station
Thatcham railway station is a railway station in Thatcham, Berkshire, England. The station is served by First Great Western local services from to and . Most services are operated by Class 165 DMUs, of either 2 car or 3 car units. It was served before privatisation by Network SouthEast and from...
on the line between Newbury
Newbury railway station
Newbury railway station is a railway station in the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 December 1847 by the Great Western Railway...
and Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
. Employment is provided by a number of light industrial units.
History
The area has evidence of occupation dating from prehistoric times and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest claimant to being the oldest continuously inhabited place in BritainOldest town in Britain
The Oldest town in Britain is a title claimed by a number of settlements in Great Britain.-Thatcham:Thatcham in Berkshire is often claimed as the oldest town in Britain, since its occupation can be traced back to a mesolithic hunting camp, which was discovered there beside a Post-glacial rebound...
. The well-preserved remains of a Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
settlements dating from 7,700 BC have been found in its vicinity. There is also evidence of Bronze
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
settlements and of a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
town.
The name may have been derived from that of a Saxon chief called Tace (or perhaps Tac or Tec), who established a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in around 500. The settlement was known as Taceham - ham meaning village in Saxon. It is also possible that the name may have come from the Saxon thaec (thatch). Wherever it came from, the name Taceham persisted until after the Norman Conquest in 1066 before going through several minor changes until the current one was adopted in the 16th century.
The town had a period of great prosperity around 1304 when the Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
on the A4, now called the Old Bluecoat School
Bluecoat school
Blue Coat School, Bluecoat school etc. may refer to:*Charity school in England, originally known as Blue Coat School-Individual schools:* St Mary's School, Banbury, a primary school founded as Bluecoat School in 1705....
, was constructed. At this time the population was larger than Newbury's but declined as a result of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
which decimated the area in 1348.
There is a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Thatcham
The St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church at Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire. The church, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.- History :...
which was largely reconstructed in 1857. This is believed to be built on the same site as an earlier Saxon church. It was also previously known as St. Luke's.
n 1121 King Henry 1
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
founded the great Abbey of Reading
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...
and endowed it with many gifts of land, including the Manor of Thatcham. At the same time Thatcham Hundred ceased to exist, the western party being transferred to Farcross Hundred, and the remainder to the Hundred of Reading.
In 1141 Thatcham Church, previously the property of the Diocese of Salisbury
Diocese of Salisbury
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England. The diocese covers Dorset and most of Wiltshire and is a constituent diocese of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Salisbury and the diocesan synod...
, was granted to Reading Abbey by the Empress Mathilda, who at the same time confirmed her father's gift of the manor to the Abbey.
A large area of Thatcham, including the manors of the borough and Colthrop
Colthrop
Colthrop is a village in Berkshire, England, and part of the civil parish of Thatcham.The settlement lies on the A4 road, and is the location of numerous industrial parks and haulage depots due to the area's proximity to Thatcham railway station....
, was bought by Brigadier-General Waring from James, Duke of Chandos
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, MP, PC was the first of fourteen children by Sir James Brydges, 3rd Baronet of Wilton Castle, Sheriff of Herefordshire, 8th Baron Chandos; and Elizabeth Barnard...
in 1722. Waring subsequently built Dunstan House, to the north of Thatcham village, and enclosed a large park around it, planted with trees arranged in the troop positions in the battles in which he had fought. When his descendants put his estates up for auction in 1798, Dunstan House failed to sell and was pulled down. The land is now a housing estate called Dunstan Park.
Arte di Calimala
The Arte di Calimala, the guild of the cloth finishers and merchants in foreign cloth, was one of the greater guilds of Florence, the Arti Maggiori, who arrogated to themselves the civic power of the Republic of Florence during the Late Middle Ages...
. These mills were replaced by a paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
built on their site by 1799. This Colthrop Mill belonged to the Reed Group in the twentieth century, and produced packaging materials.
Since 1900, industry has been attracted to the area. The Colthrop Board Mills (closed down in 2000), where paper had been produced for over 200 years, grew very quickly, particularly after its acquisition by the worldwide Reed Paper Group. The Sterling Cable Works was established nearby and AWE Aldermaston
Atomic Weapons Establishment
The Atomic Weapons Establishment is responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent. AWE plc is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AWE...
and AERE Harwell
Atomic Energy Research Establishment
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment near Harwell, Oxfordshire, was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1990s.-Founding:...
, together with the RLC Depot at Station Road, (which sadly closed down in 1999) have all brought employment and increasing prosperity to the area. This growth has in turn brought a further influx of population and has attracted numerous businesses to the town.
The development of industrial sites on the eastern side of the town introduced nationally known names such as Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, B.O.C. Transhield, Thermalite
Thermalite
Thermalite a specific type of fuse used in pyrotechnic applications.This fuse is used in high-power model rocketry as a means of simultaneously igniting multiple "clustered" rocket motors...
, Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
and The AA
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
Operations Centre to Thatcham.
Town centre facilities were greatly enhanced in 1997 when a town centre improvement scheme was carried out in the Broadway and the High Street. Shopping facilities include two supermarkets in the town centre and associated smaller retail outlets in arcades which supplement businesses already established in the town.
Government
Thatcham is part of, and the administrative centre of, the district administered by the unitary authorityUnitary 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 West Berkshire
West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...
. Thatcham is also a civil parish which includes Colthrop
Colthrop
Colthrop is a village in Berkshire, England, and part of the civil parish of Thatcham.The settlement lies on the A4 road, and is the location of numerous industrial parks and haulage depots due to the area's proximity to Thatcham railway station....
, Crookham
Crookham, Berkshire
Crookham is a village in the English county of Berkshire, and part of the civil parish of Greenham.The settlement lies near to the A339 and A4 roads, and is located approximately south-east of Thatcham...
and Thatcham Reed Beds
Thatcham Reed Beds
Thatcham Reed Beds is a 66.9 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest in the civil parish of Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire, notified in 1974....
.
Geography
Thatcham lies three miles east of Newbury. The Great Bath Road (now the A4), the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
line, the river Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
all cross the parish from east to west. Thatcham railway station
Thatcham railway station
Thatcham railway station is a railway station in Thatcham, Berkshire, England. The station is served by First Great Western local services from to and . Most services are operated by Class 165 DMUs, of either 2 car or 3 car units. It was served before privatisation by Network SouthEast and from...
lies to the south of the town. The River Lambourn
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
joins the Kennet in the west of the parish near Ham Mill. The River Enborne
River Enborne
thumb|left|250px|River Enbournethumb|left|250px|River Enbourne at Headley Ford, near Crookham Commonthumb|left|250px|River Enborne at Shalford bridge, near [[Brimpton]]thumb|left|250px|Oxford Bridge over a small tributary of the River Enborne, near Inwood Copse...
forms part of the southern border of the parish.
Thatcham Reed Beds
To the south of Thatcham lies the Thatcham Reed Beds Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, notified in 1974. It is important nationally for its extensive reedbed, species rich alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
woodland and fen habitats. The latter supports Desmoulin's whorl snail
Desmoulin's whorl snail
Desmoulin's whorl snail, scientific name Vertigo moulinsiana, is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Vertiginidae, the vertigo snails....
(Vertigo moulinsiana), which is of national and European importance. A large assemblage of breeding birds including nationally rare species such as Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler , Cettia cetti, is an Old World warbler which breeds in Europe, northwest Africa and east southern temperate Asia as far as Afghanistan and NW Pakistan. It is the only bush warbler to occur outside Asia...
(Cettia cetti) is also associated with the reedbed, fen and open water habitats found at Thatcham Reed Beds.
Flooding
On July 20, 2007, parts of Thatcham were flooded during a period of sustained heavy rain, during which 3 times the average July monthly rainfall hit the town in just 24 hours. While the rivers did not burst, the quantity of water flowing down the hills from Cold Ash and BuckleburyBucklebury
Bucklebury is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire. The village is about north-east of Newbury and about north of the A4 road. It has a population of 2,066.-Geography:...
made many roads impassable and stranded hundreds of pupils at Kennet School
Kennet School
Kennet School is a secondary school in Thatcham, Berkshire, England. Formerly a comprehensive school run by the West Berkshire Education Authority, the school became an independently-run academy on 1 April 2011. In 2006, Kennet was the highest achieving comprehensive school in West Berkshire using...
who tried to wade with rope across Stoney Lane. Approximately 1100 properties were affected in this period, with many residents being forced to move out into mobile homes.
Thatcham ratings
To many people in the UK, the name "Thatcham" is most strongly associated with the approval ratings for car security systems issued by the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre near the town (see link below). For instance, "Thatcham Cat 1" (or just "Cat 1" is the approval for a combined car alarmCar alarm
A car alarm is an electronic device installed in a vehicle in an attempt to discourage theft of the vehicle itself, its contents, or both. Car alarms work by emitting high-volume sound when the conditions necessary for triggering are met, as well as by flashing some of the vehicle's...
and immobiliser
Immobiliser
An immobiliser or immobilizer is an electronic device fitted to an automobile which prevents the engine from running unless the correct key is present...
, "Thatcham Cat 2" is for a standalone immobiliser and "Thatcham Cat 3" is for additional physical security devices such as steering wheel locks.
Education
On the A4 is a small church school, formerly a chapel founded in 1304. It was converted to a Bluecoat schoolCharity school
A charity school, also called Blue Coat School, was significant in the History of education in England. They were erected and maintained in various parishes, by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants, for teaching poor children to read, write, and other necessary parts of education...
by Lady Frances Winchcomb in 1707, providing free education for 30 poor boys of the parishes of Thatcham, Bucklebury
Bucklebury
Bucklebury is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire. The village is about north-east of Newbury and about north of the A4 road. It has a population of 2,066.-Geography:...
, and Little Shefford, and apprenticing some of them. It discontinued following the attainder of Lord Bolingbroke
Viscount Bolingbroke
Viscount Bolingbroke / Viscount St John is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain and is currently held by Nicholas Alexander Mowbray St John, the 9th Viscount Bolingbroke and 10th Viscount St John who lives in Sydney Australia....
, who was the landowner and the only surviving trustee. The school re-opened for 40 boys in June 1794, and continued in existence until 1914.
A National school was built in 1826 on Clapper's Green, land donated by William Mount
William Mount
Sir William Mount of Wasing Place, Berkshire was a British Tory politician.The son of William Mount and wife Sir William Mount of Wasing Place, Berkshire (21 November 1787 – 10 April 1869) was a British Tory politician.The son of William Mount (3 January 1753 – 15 June 1815) and wife Sir...
.
There was also a British school attached to the Congregational chapel. Berkshire Record Office
Berkshire Record Office
The Berkshire Record Office is the county record office for Berkshire, England. It is located in Reading. The Berkshire Record Office opened on 10 August 1948.-Further reading:...
holds the minutes for 1900-19, 1952-60.
Thatcham’s secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
is Kennet School
Kennet School
Kennet School is a secondary school in Thatcham, Berkshire, England. Formerly a comprehensive school run by the West Berkshire Education Authority, the school became an independently-run academy on 1 April 2011. In 2006, Kennet was the highest achieving comprehensive school in West Berkshire using...
. It became an Academy during the first half of 2011. In 2006 it was the highest achieving comprehensive school in West Berkshire using contextual value added
Contextual value added
Contextual value added is a statistic used by the government of the United Kingdom to assess the performance of schools.The statistic is intended to show the progress children have made whilst attending a particular school...
results. In the same year it was also rated as one of the highest achieving schools in England, ranking as the 101st best comprehensive in the Guardian's
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
league table, based on A-level results and 303rd based on GCSE results. Kennet is also one of very few schools in England to have three specialisms
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
, Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
, Arts College
Arts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
, and most recently Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
.
A primary school is named after Francis Baily
Francis Baily
Francis Baily was an English astronomer, most famous for his observations of 'Baily's beads' during an eclipse of the Sun.-Life:Baily was born at Newbury in Berkshire in 1774...
, the renowned astronomer who was from an old Thatcham family, and who was eventually buried in the family vault under the parish church.
Transport
Thatcham railway stationThatcham railway station
Thatcham railway station is a railway station in Thatcham, Berkshire, England. The station is served by First Great Western local services from to and . Most services are operated by Class 165 DMUs, of either 2 car or 3 car units. It was served before privatisation by Network SouthEast and from...
is served by local services by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
from Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
to Newbury
Newbury railway station
Newbury railway station is a railway station in the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 December 1847 by the Great Western Railway...
and from London Paddington
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
to Bedwyn
Bedwyn railway station
Bedwyn railway station is a railway station in the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England. It is also, along with , a station for the market town of Marlborough away...
. A limited number of services starting from Reading continue to Bedwyn. It is also served by a semi-fast HST
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
service from Paddington to the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. Thatcham station was opened on 21 December 1847 as part of the Berks and Hants Line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
to Hungerford. Traffic through the station increased when the line was extended to Taunton
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
in 1906. The station remained as part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) until the nationalisation of the railways in 1948. After the sectorisation of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in 1982 the station became part of Network South East until the point of privatisation. From 1996 services were provided by Thames Trains
Thames Trains
Thames Trains was a British railway company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, franchised to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London like Slough, to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Reading to Gatwick Airport...
until the franchise merged with First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
Most local bus services are provided by Newbury Buses, a division of Reading Transport Ltd.
Sport and leisure
Thatcham has a footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, Thatcham Town Football Club
Thatcham Town F.C.
Thatcham Town Football Club are an English football club based in Thatcham, Berkshire. They are currently members of Division One South and West of the Southern League and play at Waterside Park.-History:...
which was founded in 1894, who currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. They play their home games at Waterside Park next to the River Kennet
River Kennet
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary of the River Thames. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol...
.
There is a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club in Thatcham called Thatcham Town Cricket Club who play in the Thames Valley League, the Berkshire League and the Borders Sunday League. The Club has four senior sides and a number of colt sides. The first recorded match was Gentlemen of Thatcham and The Gentlemen of Aldermaston being played at Thatcham Marsh on July 19, 1786.
Henwick Worthy Sports Ground
This sports ground is ideally situated on the A4/Henwick Lane in West Thatcham with approximately 130 car parking spaces and space for coaches. There are excellent outdoor facilities including 11 grass pitches for football and rugby, 2 cricket pitches, an artificial pitch, 3 tennis courts and 2 netball, a basketball court and children's play area. 14 changing rooms are available. Newbury and Thatcham Hockey Clubhouse is based at the sports ground and its clubhouse is situated there.The Nature Discovery Centre
A local attraction is The Nature Discovery Centre situated at Thatcham Lake, a flooded gravelGravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
near to the Thatcham Reed Beds
Thatcham Reed Beds
Thatcham Reed Beds is a 66.9 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest in the civil parish of Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire, notified in 1974....
. The Nature Discovery Centre opened in 1995 and currently attracts over 75,000 visitors each year. A further estimated 75,000 visitors use the surrounding site for recreational activities throughout the year. There are a number of paths, a wooden sculpture trail and bird hide
Bird hide
A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...
. The Visitor Centre has a café and offers an extensive programme of events.