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{{Infobox UK place
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| country = England
| type= [[Market town]]
| official_name = Maidenhead
| official_name = Maidenhead
| static_image_name = Maidenhead Bridge and River Thames - geograph.org.uk - 205285.jpg
| static_image_name = {{multiple images
| image1 = Maidenhead Town Hall.jpg
| static_image_caption = [[Maidenhead Bridge]] (built 1777) from across the [[River Thames]]
<!--please crop me at the top and bottom-->
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| population = 70,374
| image2 = St Mary's Church, Maidenhead, Jan 2018.jpg
| population_ref = (2019 est.){{cn|date=November 2021}}
| image3 = Maidenhead Bridge on the boundary walk by Maidenhead in Pictures.jpg
⚫
| coordinates = {{coord|51.5217|-0.7177|display=inline,title}}
| image4 = Maidenhead Mosque - geograph.org.uk - 3607593.jpg
| image5 = High Street, Maidenhead.jpg
|align = center |total_width = 280|perrow=1 2
}}
| static_image_caption = Clockwise from top: Maidenhead [[Maidenhead Town Hall|town hall]], [[Maidenhead Bridge|bridge]] on the [[River Thames]], High Street, mosque and [[St Mary's Church, Maidenhead|St Mary's church]]
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| population = 67,375
| population_ref = (Built-up area, 2021)<ref name=ONS>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>
| parts_type = Areas of the town
| p1 = [[Altwood]]
| p2 = [[Boyn Hill]]
| p3 = [[Bray, Berkshire|Bray]] (Village)
| p4 = [[Bray Wick]]
| p5 = [[Furze Platt]]
| p6 = [[Highway, Maidenhead|Highway]]
| p7 = [[Holyport]] (Village)
| p8 = North Town
| p9 = [[Pinkneys Green]]
| p10 = [[White Waltham]] (Village) (part)
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| coordinates = {{coord|51.5217|-0.7177|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| unitary_england = [[Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead|Windsor and Maidenhead]]
| unitary_england = [[Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead|Windsor and Maidenhead]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Berkshire]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Berkshire]]
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| london_distance_mi = 30
| london_distance_mi = 30
}}
}}
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'''Maidenhead''' is a [[market town]] in the [[Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead]] in the county of [[Berkshire]], England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the [[River Thames]], which at this point forms the border with [[Buckinghamshire]]. In the 2021 Census, the Maidenhead built-up area had a population of 67,375. The town is situated {{convert|27|mi|km}} west of [[Charing Cross]], [[London]] and {{convert|13|mi|km}} east-northeast of the [[county town]] of [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]].<!-- {{convert|31|mi|km}} southeast of [[Oxford]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} east-southeast of [[Henley-on-Thames]], {{convert|8|mi|km}} south of [[High Wycombe]], {{convert|8|mi|km}} north of [[Bracknell]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} miles west of [[Slough]] and {{convert|6|mi|km}} northwest of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] --> The town gives its name to the [[Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidenhead constituency]], which extends beyond the town to also include various nearby villages.

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'''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 {{convert|27|mi|km}} west of [[Charing Cross]], [[London]] and {{convert|13|mi|km}} east-northeast of the [[county town]] of [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]].<!-- {{convert|31|mi|km}} southeast of [[Oxford]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} east-southeast of [[Henley-on-Thames]], {{convert|8|mi|km}} south of [[High Wycombe]], {{convert|8|mi|km}} north of [[Bracknell]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} miles west of [[Slough]] and {{convert|6|mi|km}} northwest of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] --> The town differs from the [[Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)|Parliamentary constituency of Maidenhead]], which includes a number of outer suburbs and villages, including villages which form part of the [[Borough of Wokingham]] such as [[Twyford, Berkshire|Twyford]], [[Charvil]], [[Remenham]], [[Ruscombe]] and [[Wargrave]].


==History==
==History==
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[[File:Maidenhead High St - geograph.org.uk - 137057.jpg|thumb|Maidenhead High Street]]
[[File:Maidenhead map 1945.jpg|thumb|Map of Maidenhead from 1945]]
[[File:Maidenhead map 1945.jpg|thumb|Map of Maidenhead from 1945]]
[[File:All Saints Church, Boyne Hill - geograph.org.uk - 119314.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Classic [[Victorian era|Victorian]] architecture—All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill]]
[[File:All Saints Church, Boyne Hill - geograph.org.uk - 119314.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Classic [[Victorian era|Victorian]] architecture—All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill]]
The antiquary [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] claimed that the area around Maidenhead's present town centre was a small Roman settlement called Alaunodunum.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Itinerary of John Leland the Antiquary |publisher=Mr. Thomas Hearne M. A. |year=1768}}</ref> He stated that it had all but disappeared by the end of the Roman occupation. Although his source is unknown, there is documented and physical evidence of Roman settlement in the town. There are two well known villa sites in the town, one being in the suburb of [[Cox Green, Berkshire|Cox Green]], and the other just west of the town centre on Castle Hill. This villa sat on the route of the [[Camlet Way]] which was a Roman road linking [[Silchester]] ([[Calleva Atrebatum]]) and [[Colchester]] ([[Camulodunum]]) via [[St Albans]] ([[Verulamium]]) and passes through the present town centre. Remnants of the road have been unearthed at various locations nearby, but its exact route is unclear.
The antiquary [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] claimed that the area around Maidenhead's present town centre was a small Roman settlement called Alaunodunum.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Itinerary of John Leland the Antiquary |publisher=Mr. Thomas Hearne M. A. |year=1768}}</ref> He stated that it had all but disappeared by the end of the Roman occupation. Although his source is unknown, there is documented and physical evidence of Roman settlement in the town. There are two well known villa sites in the town, one being in the suburb of [[Cox Green, Berkshire|Cox Green]], and the other just west of the town centre on Castle Hill. This villa sat on the route of the [[Camlet Way]] which was a Roman road linking [[Silchester]] ([[Calleva Atrebatum]]) and [[Colchester]] ([[Camulodunum]]) via [[St Albans]] ([[Verulamium]]) and passes through the present town centre. Remnants of the road have been unearthed at various locations nearby, but its exact route is unclear.


Maidenhead's name stems from the riverside area where the first "New [[wharf]]" or "Maiden Hythe" was built, as early as [[Anglo-Saxon England|Saxon times]]. In the year 870, an army of Danes invaded the kingdom of [[Wessex]]. They disembarked from their longboats by the wharf and ferry crossing at Maidenhead and fought their way overland to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] where they set up camp and made it their regional power base.<ref name='Nash Ford'>{{cite web | last = Nash Ford | first = David | author-link = David Nash Ford | title = Royal Berkshire History: Maidenhead- Important Thames Crossing point | publisher = Nash Ford Publishing | year = 2001 | url = http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/maidenhead.html }}</ref> The area of the present town centre was originally a small Anglo-Saxon town known as "South Ellington". The town would have likely developed on the Camlet Way on the site of Alaunodunum as the Bath Road was not re-routed until the 13th century. Maidenhead is recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] as the settlement of Ellington in the hundred of Beynhurst.<ref name='Ackroyd'>{{cite book | last = Ackroyd | first = Peter | author-link = Peter Ackroyd | title=Thames: sacred river | publisher = Random House | year = 2007 | pages = 425–6 | isbn = 978-0-7011-7284-8 }}</ref>
Maidenhead's name stems from the riverside area where the first "New [[wharf]]" or "Maiden Hythe" was built, as early as [[Anglo-Saxon England|Saxon times]]. In the year 870, an army of Danes invaded the kingdom of [[Wessex]]. They disembarked from their longboats by the wharf and ferry crossing at Maidenhead and fought their way overland to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] where they set up camp and made it their regional power base.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} The area of the present town centre was originally a small Anglo-Saxon town known as "South Ellington". The town would have likely developed on the Camlet Way on the site of Alaunodunum as the Bath Road was not re-routed until the 13th century. Maidenhead is recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] as the settlement of Ellington in the hundred of Beynhurst.<ref name="Ackroyd">{{cite book | last = Ackroyd | first = Peter | author-link = Peter Ackroyd | title=Thames: sacred river | publisher = Random House | year = 2007 | pages = 425–6 | isbn = 978-0-7011-7284-8 }}</ref>


A wooden bridge was erected across the river in about 1280 to replace the ferry in South Ellington.<ref name='Phillips'>{{cite book | last = Phillips | first = Geoffrey | title = Thames Crossings | publisher = David and Charles | year = 1981 | url = https://archive.org/details/thamescrossingsb0000phil | isbn = 0-7153-8202-0 | url-access = registration }}</ref> The [[A4 road (England)|Great West Road]] to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Gloucester]] and [[Bristol]] was diverted over the new bridge. Previously, it had kept to the north bank and crossed the Thames by [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] at [[Cookham]], and the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] town, later to become Maidenhead grew up on the site of Alaunodunum and South Ellington, between the new bridge and the bottom of Castle Hill.<ref name='Higham'>{{cite book | last = Higham | first = Roger | title = Berkshire and the Vale of the White Horse | publisher = Batsford | year = 1977 | location = London }}</ref> Within a few years a new wharf was constructed next to the bridge to replace the old Saxon wharf which needed replacing. At this time, the South Ellington name was dropped with the town becoming known as Maidenhythe. The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296.<ref name=Phillips/>
A wooden bridge was erected across the river in about 1280 to replace the ferry in South Ellington.<ref name="Phillips">{{cite book | last = Phillips | first = Geoffrey | title = Thames Crossings | publisher = David and Charles | year = 1981 | url = https://archive.org/details/thamescrossingsb0000phil | isbn = 0-7153-8202-0 | url-access = registration }}</ref> The [[A4 road (England)|Great West Road]] to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Gloucester]] and [[Bristol]] was diverted over the new bridge. Previously, it had kept to the north bank and crossed the Thames by [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] at [[Cookham]], and the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] town, later to become Maidenhead grew up on the site of Alaunodunum and South Ellington, between the new bridge and the bottom of Castle Hill.<ref name="Higham">{{cite book | last = Higham | first = Roger | title = Berkshire and the Vale of the White Horse | publisher = Batsford | year = 1977 | location = London }}</ref> Within a few years a new wharf was constructed next to the bridge to replace the old Saxon wharf which needed replacing. At this time, the South Ellington name was dropped with the town becoming known as Maidenhythe. The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296.<ref name=Phillips/>


The new bridge and wharf led to the growth of medieval Maidenhead as a river port and [[market town]]. The present town was developed as a linear settlement in the 13th century along the newly diverted road with hostelries, a guildhall and a chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was built in the middle of the road. The market was held outside the old guildhall which was set back from the High Street to form the market square. Maidenhead also became the first stopping point for coaches travelling from London to Gloucester and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and the town became populated with numerous [[inn]]s. By the mid 18th century, Maidenhead was one of the busiest coaching towns in England with over ninety coaches a day passing through the town. The late 18th-century Bear Hotel on the High Street is the best of the town's old coaching inns surviving to this day.
The new bridge and wharf led to the growth of medieval Maidenhead as a river port and [[market town]]. The present town was developed as a linear settlement in the 13th century along the newly diverted road with hostelries, a guildhall and a chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was built in the middle of the road. The market was held outside the old guildhall which was set back from the High Street to form the market square. Maidenhead also became the first stopping point for coaches travelling from London to Gloucester and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and the town became populated with numerous [[inn]]s. By the mid 18th century, Maidenhead was one of the busiest coaching towns in England with over ninety coaches a day passing through the town. The late 18th-century Bear Hotel on the High Street is the best of the town's old coaching inns surviving to this day.


The current [[Maidenhead Bridge]], a local landmark, dates from 1777 and was built at a cost of £19,000. [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] met his children for the last time before his execution in 1649 at the Greyhound Inn<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tgtjAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Charles+I%22+Maidenhead+Fairfax&pg=PA359 |title=William Godwin ''History of the Commonwealth of England: To the death of Charles I'' H. Colburn, 1826 |access-date=27 November 2010|last1=Godwin |first1=William |year=1826 }}</ref> on the High Street, the site of which is now a branch of the [[NatWest|NatWest Bank]]. A plaque commemorates their meeting. When the [[Great Western Railway]] came to the town, it began to expand. Muddy roads were replaced and public services were installed. The High Street began to change again, and substantial [[Victorian era|Victorian]] red brick architecture began to appear throughout the town. Maidenhead became its own entity in 1894, being split from the civil parishes of both Bray and [[Cookham]]. Maidenhead Citadel Corps of the [[Salvation Army]] was first opened in the town in the mid-1880s. [[Maidenhead Citadel Band]] was soon founded in 1886 by Bandmaster William Thomas, who later became mayor of the town. By [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] times, nearby [[Boulter's Lock]] became a favoured resort, especially on [[Royal Ascot|Ascot Sunday]], and [[Skindles|Skindles Hotel]] developed a reputation for illicit liaisons.<ref>Paul Goldsack ''River Thames:In the Footsteps of the Famous'' English Heritage/Bradt 2003</ref>
[[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] met his children for the last time before his execution in 1649 at the Greyhound Inn<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tgtjAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Charles+I%22+Maidenhead+Fairfax&pg=PA359 |title=William Godwin ''History of the Commonwealth of England: To the death of Charles I'' H. Colburn, 1826 |access-date=27 November 2010|last1=Godwin |first1=William |year=1826 }}</ref> on the High Street, the site of which is now a branch of the [[NatWest|NatWest Bank]]. A plaque commemorates their meeting. When the [[Great Western Railway]] came to the town, it began to expand. Muddy roads were replaced and public services were installed. The High Street began to change again, and substantial [[Victorian era|Victorian]] red brick architecture began to appear throughout the town. Maidenhead Citadel Corps of the [[Salvation Army]] was first opened in the town in the mid-1880s. [[Maidenhead Citadel Band]] was soon founded in 1886 by Bandmaster William Thomas, who later became mayor of the town. By [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] times, nearby [[Boulter's Lock]] became a favoured resort, especially on [[Royal Ascot|Ascot Sunday]], and [[Skindles|Skindles Hotel]] developed a reputation for illicit liaisons.<ref>Paul Goldsack ''River Thames:In the Footsteps of the Famous'' English Heritage/Bradt 2003</ref>

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[[File:Maidenhead Clock Tower - geograph.org.uk - 210322.jpg|thumb|upright|Maidenhead clock tower outside the railway station]]
[[File:Maidenhead Town Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Maidenhead Town Hall]]]]
[[File:Maidenhead library, Berkshire.jpg|thumb|Maidenhead Library]]
[[File:Brunel's Railway Bridge at Maidenhead - geograph.org.uk - 94793.jpg|right|thumb|[[Maidenhead Railway Bridge]] built by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]]]]
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[[File:Rain Steam and Speed the Great Western Railway.jpg|thumb|''[[Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway]]'' by [[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]] (1844) depicts an early locomotive of the [[Great Western Railway]] crossing the [[River Thames]] on Brunel's recently completed [[Maidenhead Railway Bridge]].]]
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[[File:MaidenheadUtd.jpg|thumb|The entrance to [[York Road (stadium)|York Road]], the oldest continuously used senior [[association football|football]] ground in the world<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9425241.stm |title=Ground record for Maidenhead |publisher=BBC Sport |date=15 March 2011 |access-date=9 August 2014}}</ref>]]
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[[File:Grenfell WH Vanity Fair 1890-12-20.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough]] was an all round sportsman, politician and public servant who performed many good works for the town.]]


==Governance==
==Governance==
There is one main tier of local government covering Maidenhead, at [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: the [[Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council|Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead]]. Much of the Maidenhead urban area is [[Unparished area|unparished]], but some outlying parts of the built-up area are included in [[civil parish]]es, notably at [[Cox Green, Berkshire|Cox Green]] to the south-west and [[Bray, Berkshire|Bray]] to the south.<ref name=ONS/><ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> The borough council is based in Maidenhead, having its main offices at [[Maidenhead Town Hall]] on St Ives Road, which had been completed in 1962 for the former Maidenhead Borough Council.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact us |url=https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/council-and-democracy/contact-us |website=Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead |access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MRXytR8FAJgC&pg=PA174|title=Berkshire|first= Nikolaus|last= Pevsner|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0300126624|page=174}}</ref>
The town is part of the [[Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead]], with an urban population of around 150,000. Currently Cllr Andrew Johnson is the Leader of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] held cabinet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rbwm.moderngov.co.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=1007 |title=Councillor Andrew Johnson |access-date= 6 October 2019}}</ref> It was previously an independent [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|municipal borough]]. The town of Maidenhead was formerly part of the [[Windsor and Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)|Windsor and Maidenhead]] Parliament constituency, a Conservative safe seat. The [[Boundary Commission for England|Boundary Commission]] abolished this constituency for the 1997 general election since the electorate had become too large, splitting it into the new seats of [[Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)|Windsor]] and [[Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidenhead]].


Maidenhead has been held by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in every election since its foundation in [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]. [[Theresa May]] was elected MP in 1997 and has represented Maidenhead ever since. As MP, she took a series of ministerial positions, and was appointed [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] on 13 July 2016. May stood down as Prime Minister on 24 July 2019, but continues to serve as MP for Maidenhead.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48611703|title=Theresa May to stay as Conservative MP after quitting No 10|date=12 June 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref> It is today one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, with the Conservatives having a 35 percentage point lead over the second largest party (Labour) in 2017. The mayor of Windsor & Maidenhead is [[Councillor]] Sayonara Luxton ([[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]).<ref name='RBWM'>{{cite web |url=http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/members_mayoralty.htm |title=The Mayoralty |access-date=24 April 2013 |work=Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060513232938/http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/members_mayoralty.htm |archive-date=13 May 2006 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
The town of Maidenhead was formerly part of the [[Windsor and Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)|Windsor and Maidenhead]] Parliament constituency, a Conservative safe seat. The [[Boundary Commission for England|Boundary Commission]] abolished this constituency for the 1997 general election since the electorate had become too large, splitting it into the new seats of [[Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)|Windsor]] and [[Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidenhead]]. Maidenhead had been held by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in every election since its foundation in [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]] until [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]. The former Prime Minister, [[Theresa May]] was elected MP in 1997 and has represented Maidenhead until she stood down in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48611703|title=Theresa May to stay as Conservative MP after quitting No 10|date=12 June 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68509239|title=Theresa May: Conservative ex-PM to stand down at next election|date=8 March 2024|work=BBC News|access-date= 11 July 2024}}</ref> The seat is now held by [[Joshua Reynolds (politician)|Joshua Reynolds]] of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] .

===Administrative history===
Maidenhead was incorporated as a [[Ancient borough|borough]] in 1582. The borough straddled the parishes of [[Bray, Berkshire|Bray]] and [[Cookham]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Reports from places not in any district |date=1834 |publisher=Commissioners on Municipal Corporations in England and Wales |page=2909 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hs9OAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA2909 |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> It was reformed to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1836 under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country.<ref>{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations Act 1835 |date=1834 |page=463 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/462/mode/2up |access-date=2 November 2024}}</ref> The [[Local Government Act 1894]] directed that parishes were no longer allowed to straddle borough boundaries, and so a parish called Maidenhead was created covering the same area as the borough, and the parishes of Bray and Cookham were reduced to just cover the areas outside the borough.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1895 |page=232 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFIwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA232 |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref>

The municipal borough and parish of Maidenhead were abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], becoming part of the borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (which was allowed to use the style '[[royal borough]]' that had previously been used by [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]]).<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (Electoral Changes) Order 2002|year=2002|number=2372|access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref> The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead became a unitary authority in 1998 when it took over the functions of the abolished [[Berkshire County Council]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996|year=1996|number=1879|access-date=9 May 2024}}</ref>


==Geography==
==Geography==
The Maidenhead urban area includes urban and suburban regions within the bounds of the town, called Maidenhead Court, North Town, Furze Platt, [[Pinkneys Green]], Highway, Tittle Row, Boyn Hill, Fishery and Bray Wick; as well as adjoining built-up areas in surrounding [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]]es: [[Cox Green, Berkshire|Cox Green]] and Altwood in Cox Green parish, Woodlands Park in [[White Waltham]] parish, and part of Bray Wick in [[Bray, Berkshire|Bray]] parish. Bray village is linked to Maidenhead by the exclusive Fishery Estate which lies on the west bank of the Thames.
The Maidenhead urban area includes urban and suburban regions within the bounds of the town, called Maidenhead Court, North Town, Furze Platt, [[Pinkneys Green]], Highway, Tittle Row, Boyn Hill, Fishery and Bray Wick; as well as adjoining built-up areas in surrounding [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]]es: [[Cox Green, Berkshire|Cox Green]] and Altwood in Cox Green parish, Woodlands Park in [[White Waltham]] parish, and part of Bray Wick in [[Bray, Berkshire|Bray]] parish. Bray village is linked to Maidenhead by the exclusive Fishery Estate which lies on the west bank of the Thames.


To the east, on the opposite side of the river from Maidenhead, is the large village of [[Taplow]] in Buckinghamshire which almost adjoins the suburban village of [[Burnham, Buckinghamshire]], which itself nearly adjoins the urban area of the large, industrial town of [[Slough]]. To the north are the [[Cookham]]s, Cookham Village, Cookham Rise and Cookham Dean. To the west is the area of Pinkneys Green. These lie south of the Berkshire-[[Buckinghamshire]] border, which is formed by the River Thames (which then bends southwards to form the Maidenhead-Taplow border). Adjoining Bray and Bray Wick to the south is the suburban village of [[Holyport]]. Continuing by road to the South-East leads to the historic, royal twin towns of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] and [[Eton, Berkshire|Eton]].
To the east, on the opposite side of the river from Maidenhead, is the large village of [[Taplow]] in Buckinghamshire which almost adjoins the suburban village of [[Burnham, Buckinghamshire]], which itself nearly adjoins the urban area of the large, industrial town of [[Slough]]. To the north are the [[Cookham]]s, Cookham Village, Cookham Rise and Cookham Dean. To the west is the area of Pinkneys Green. These lie south of the Berkshire-[[Buckinghamshire]] border, which is formed by the River Thames (which then bends southwards to form the Maidenhead-Taplow border). Adjoining Bray and Bray Wick to the south is the suburban village of [[Holyport]]. Continuing by road to the South-East leads to the historic, royal twin towns of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] and [[Eton, Berkshire|Eton]].


Maidenhead was originally the planned western terminus for the Crossrail line (to and through London) until [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] station, situated {{convert|13|mi}} southwest of Maidenhead, was chosen. Maidenhead lies immediately west of the [[Taplow]] ridge; a wooded spur of the [[Chilterns]] which rises dramatically above one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames. The ridge is crowned by the spectacular [[Cliveden]] House which can be seen from various parts of the town. Maidenhead has a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)]] in the northern outskirts of the town called [[Cannoncourt Farm Pit]], where the largest hand axe of the [[paleolithic]] era in Britain was discovered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271002942%27 |title=Magic Map Application |publisher=Magic.defra.gov.uk |access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r9tmDAAAQBAJ&q=CANNONCOURT+FARM+PIT&pg=PT259 |title=Archaeological Sediments and Soils: Analysis, Interpretation and Management - Google Books |date=16 June 2016 |isbn=9781315434445 |access-date=19 March 2017|last1=Barham |first1=Anthony J. |last2=MacPhail |first2=Richard I. }}</ref> The town also has a [[local nature reserve]] called [[The Gullet Local Nature Reserve|The Gullet]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=&ID=680 |title=Natural England - Special Sites |publisher=Lnr.naturalengland.org.uk |access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref> On 12 July 1901 Maidenhead entered the [[UK Weather Records]] with the ''Highest 60-min total'' rainfall at {{convert|92|mm|1|abbr=on}}. As of July 2015, this record remains.<ref name="Weather2015">{{cite web|title=5 amazing facts you didn't know about UK rain|url=https://wirralweather.com/2015/07/24/5-amazing-facts-you-didnt-know-about-uk-rain/|website=WirralWeather.com|access-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523002027/https://wirralweather.com/2015/07/24/5-amazing-facts-you-didnt-know-about-uk-rain/|archive-date=23 May 2016|date=24 July 2015}}</ref>
Maidenhead was originally the planned western terminus for the Crossrail line (to and through London) until [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] station, situated {{convert|13|mi}} southwest of Maidenhead, was chosen. Maidenhead lies immediately west of the [[Taplow]] ridge; a wooded spur of the [[Chilterns]] which rises dramatically above one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames. The ridge is crowned by the spectacular [[Cliveden]] House which can be seen from various parts of the town. Maidenhead has a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)]] in the northern outskirts of the town called [[Cannoncourt Farm Pit]], where the largest hand axe of the [[paleolithic]] era in Britain was discovered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271002942%27 |title=Magic Map Application |publisher=Magic.defra.gov.uk |access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r9tmDAAAQBAJ&q=CANNONCOURT+FARM+PIT&pg=PT259 |title=Archaeological Sediments and Soils: Analysis, Interpretation and Management - Google Books |date=16 June 2016 |isbn=9781315434445 |access-date=19 March 2017|last1=Barham |first1=Anthony J. |last2=MacPhail |first2=Richard I. |publisher=Routledge }}</ref> The town also has a [[local nature reserve]] called [[The Gullet Local Nature Reserve|The Gullet]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=&ID=680 |title=Natural England - Special Sites |publisher=Lnr.naturalengland.org.uk |access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref> On 12 July 1901 Maidenhead entered the [[UK Weather Records]] with the ''Highest 60-min total'' rainfall at {{convert|92|mm|1|abbr=on}}. As of January 2024, this record remains.<ref name="Weather2015">{{cite web|title=5 amazing facts you didn't know about UK rain|url=https://wirralweather.com/2015/07/24/5-amazing-facts-you-didnt-know-about-uk-rain/|website=WirralWeather.com|access-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523002027/https://wirralweather.com/2015/07/24/5-amazing-facts-you-didnt-know-about-uk-rain/|archive-date=23 May 2016|date=24 July 2015}}</ref>


==Landmarks==
==Landmarks==
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[[File:Maidenhead Clock Tower - geograph.org.uk - 210322.jpg|thumb|upright|Maidenhead clock tower outside the railway station]]
[[Jubilee clock#Maidenhead|Maidenhead clock tower]] was built for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and is located outside the railway station. [[Maidenhead Bridge]] was built in 1777.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1125021|title=Maidenhead Railway Bridge (MLN12327), Taplow - 1125021 &#124; Historic England}}</ref> It takes the A4 over the Thames to join Maidenhead to Taplow. All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill was completed in 1857 is one of the finest examples of the early work of the architect [[G. E. Street]]. The site is also regarded by many as the premier architectural site in the town. The church, consecrated on 2 December 1857 by [[Samuel Wilberforce|Bishop Samuel Wilberforce]], became the first ecclesiastical parish in the Borough of Maidenhead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allsaintsboynehill.org.uk/history/ |title=History of All Saints Church – a unique complex |publisher=All Saints Church (eesearch by Mike Moss (1997)) |access-date=13 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226011414/http://www.allsaintsboynehill.org.uk/history/ |archive-date=26 February 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Ten years later, in 1867, his brother [[William Wilberforce (1798–1879)|William Wilberforce junior]] founded a Catholic chapel that led to [[St Joseph's Church, Maidenhead|St Joseph's Church]].<ref name=stock>[[Historic England]], [https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/maidenhead-st-joseph/ Maidenhead - St Joseph], ''Taking stock'', retrieved 27 May 2022</ref> [[Boulter's Lock]] is a lock on the river Thames on the east side of Maidenhead. It adjoins [[Ray Mill Island]]. In addition the town has a range of various statues which form part of a recognisable image of the town, including the 'Boy and the Boat' location at the top end of the High Street, near the Methodist Church.
The current [[Maidenhead Bridge]], a local landmark, dates from 1777 and was built at a cost of £19,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1125021|title=Maidenhead Railway Bridge (MLN12327), Taplow - 1125021 &#124; Historic England}}</ref> It takes the A4 over the Thames to join Maidenhead to Taplow. All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill was completed in 1857 and is an early work by the architect [[G. E. Street]]. The church, consecrated on 2 December 1857 by [[Samuel Wilberforce|Bishop Samuel Wilberforce]], became the first ecclesiastical parish in the Borough of Maidenhead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allsaintsboynehill.org.uk/history/ |title=History of All Saints Church – a unique complex |publisher=All Saints Church (eesearch by Mike Moss (1997)) |access-date=13 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226011414/http://www.allsaintsboynehill.org.uk/history/ |archive-date=26 February 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Ten years later, in 1867, his brother [[William Wilberforce (1798–1879)|William Wilberforce junior]] founded a Catholic chapel that led to [[St Joseph's Church, Maidenhead|St Joseph's Church]].<ref name=stock>[[Historic England]], [https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/maidenhead-st-joseph/ Maidenhead - St Joseph], ''Taking stock'', retrieved 27 May 2022</ref> [[Jubilee clock#Maidenhead|Maidenhead clock tower]] was built for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and is located outside the railway station. [[Boulter's Lock]] is a lock on the river Thames on the east side of Maidenhead. It adjoins [[Ray Mill Island]]. In addition the town has a range of various statues which form part of a recognisable image of the town, including the 'Boy and the Boat' location at the top end of the High Street, near the Methodist Church.


==Character==
==Character==
{{Update|section|date=January 2024}}
Maidenhead has a long history of settlement, going back to the Anglo-Saxon and Roman periods. Despite this, there are no visible architectural remains in the present day town to show this. Although there are attractive residential and green areas in and around Maidenhead, the historic heart of the town has been redeveloped, primarily with office space, high technology company headquarters and apartments, making it one of the key business and commuter towns of the [[Silicon Corridor]]. This has happened in piecemeal fashion over the last forty years and Maidenhead town centre has lost most many historic buildings and much of its traditional English market town character. The High Street and Bridge Street areas only possess one heavily restored Medieval building and a handful of Georgian buildings in the Chapel Arches area.
Maidenhead has a long history of settlement, going back to the Anglo-Saxon and Roman periods. Despite this, there are no visible architectural remains in the present day town to show this. Although there are attractive residential and green areas in and around Maidenhead, the historic heart of the town has been redeveloped, primarily with office space, high technology company headquarters and apartments, making it one of the key business and commuter towns of the [[Silicon Corridor]]. This has happened in piecemeal fashion over the last forty years and Maidenhead town centre has lost most many historic buildings and much of its traditional English market town character. The High Street and Bridge Street areas only possess one heavily restored Medieval building and a handful of Georgian buildings in the Chapel Arches area.


Research by the New Economics Foundation rated Maidenhead as an example of a [[clone town]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4606587.stm|title=Clone towns – outside London|date=6 June 2005|work=BBC News|location=London|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> and the town centre is regarded as in need of improvement. In December 2007, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead set up the Partnership for the Regeneration of Maidenhead (PRoM), which in October 2008 launched a comprehensive 20 Year Vision and Action Plan for rejuvenating the town centre. Launch of the plan coincided with confirmation by central government that Maidenhead will be part of the new [[Crossrail]] project.<ref name="crossrail1">{{cite web|url=http://www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/library/document/0/original/0002_r_w25maidenheadstnr.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722105528/http://www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/library/document/0/original/0002_r_w25maidenheadstnr.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2011|title=Route window W25 Maidenhead station|access-date=29 January 2011}}</ref> PRoM's plans highlight five key developments which will help shape the town for the future.
Research by the New Economics Foundation rated Maidenhead as an example of a [[clone town]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4606587.stm|title=Clone towns – outside London|date=6 June 2005|work=BBC News|location=London|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> and the town centre is regarded as in need of improvement. In December 2007, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead set up the Partnership for the Regeneration of Maidenhead (PRoM), which in October 2008 launched a comprehensive 20 Year Vision and Action Plan for rejuvenating the town centre. Launch of the plan coincided with confirmation by central government that Maidenhead will be part of the new [[Crossrail]] project.<ref name="crossrail1">{{cite web|url=http://www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/library/document/0/original/0002_r_w25maidenheadstnr.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722105528/http://www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/library/document/0/original/0002_r_w25maidenheadstnr.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2011|title=Route window W25 Maidenhead station|access-date=29 January 2011}}</ref> PRoM's plans highlight five key developments which will help shape the town for the future.


A large new retail and residential development called 'The Landing' is due for construction shortly. Additionally there will be an upgraded railway station and transport interchange, movement of the leisure centre to Braywick Park, relocating the bowls club and improved links between Kidwells Park and the High Street. There are also plans to demolish the 1960s Nicholsons shopping centre and replace it with a new retail and residential quarter built around a network of revived historic streets and a micro brewery. A new town square featuring shops, restaurants and apartments is currently under construction between the central library and [[Maidenhead Town Hall|town hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sloughexpress.co.uk/gallery/maidenhead/150034/in-pictures-maidenhead-regeneration-in-full-swing.html|title=Maidenhead regeneration in full swing|publisher=Slough Express|date=20 September 2019|access-date=16 July 2020}}</ref>
A large new retail and residential development called 'The Landing' is due for construction shortly. Additionally there will be an upgraded railway station and transport interchange, movement of the leisure centre to Braywick Park, relocating the bowls club and improved links between Kidwells Park and the High Street. There are also plans to demolish the 1960s Nicholsons shopping centre and replace it with a new retail and residential quarter built around a network of revived historic streets and a micro brewery. A new town square featuring shops, restaurants and apartments is currently under construction between the central library and [[Maidenhead Town Hall|town hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sloughexpress.co.uk/gallery/maidenhead/150034/in-pictures-maidenhead-regeneration-in-full-swing.html|title=Maidenhead regeneration in full swing|publisher=Slough Express|date=20 September 2019|access-date=16 July 2020}}</ref>


The Chapel Arches retail and residential development is under construction. Part of the scheme involves restoring the old Thames tributaries which run through a historic section of the town centre. The redevelopment will bring an attractive waterfront quarter with new apartments, boutique stores, restaurants, bars, and cafes are to be a feature this new part of the town centre. The adjoining historic section of the High Street around the 18th century Chapel Arches Bridge has been restored as part of the development. Existing Georgian and Victorian buildings have been rejuvenated, and the adjoining new builds have been sensitively constructed in the same historic style to bring back a sense of history and lost heritage to this part of the town centre. Maidenhead was home to the conference that agreed on the [[Maidenhead Locator System]] standard in 1980. It is located in grid square {{Coor Maidenhead|51.5217|-0.7177|yes}}. The average house price in Maidenhead in January 2021 was £540,940.<ref>according to the [https://www.zoopla.co.uk/market/maidenhead/?q=Maidenhead%2C%20Windsor%20%26%20Maidenhead Zoopla].</ref>
The Chapel Arches retail and residential development is under construction. Part of the scheme involves restoring the old Thames tributaries which run through a historic section of the town centre. The redevelopment will bring an attractive waterfront quarter with new apartments, boutique stores, restaurants, bars, and cafes are to be a feature this new part of the town centre. The adjoining historic section of the High Street around the 18th century Chapel Arches Bridge has been restored as part of the development. Existing Georgian and Victorian buildings have been rejuvenated, and the adjoining new builds have been sensitively constructed in the same historic style to bring back a sense of history and lost heritage to this part of the town centre. Maidenhead was home to the [[amateur radio]] conference that agreed on the [[Maidenhead Locator System]] standard in 1980. It is located in grid square {{Coor Maidenhead|51.5217|-0.7177|yes}}. The average house price in Maidenhead in January 2021 was £540,940.<ref>according to the [https://www.zoopla.co.uk/market/maidenhead/?q=Maidenhead%2C%20Windsor%20%26%20Maidenhead Zoopla].</ref>


==Community facilities==
==Community facilities==
⚫
[[File:Maidenhead High St - geograph.org.uk - 137057.jpg|thumb|Maidenhead High Street]]
Maidenhead offers [[High Street]] shopping facilities including Nicholson's Centre, a shopping centre on the site of [[Nicholson's]] brewery. The town also offers an eight-screen [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon]] multiplex cinema. The local authority also provides a Shopmobility service, where those with physical disabilities can borrow mobility scooters to navigate around the town. [[Maidenhead Heritage Centre]] and Museum was established in 1993 and moved to permanent premises in a former pub in Park Street<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.windsorexpress.co.uk/section/1194/testimonials1194|title=Charity Testimonials}}</ref> in 2006.
Maidenhead offers [[High Street]] shopping facilities including Nicholson's Centre, a shopping centre on the site of [[Nicholson's]] brewery. The town also offers an eight-screen [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon]] multiplex cinema. The local authority also provides a Shopmobility service, where those with physical disabilities can borrow mobility scooters to navigate around the town. [[Maidenhead Heritage Centre]] and Museum was established in 1993 and moved to permanent premises in a former pub in Park Street<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.windsorexpress.co.uk/section/1194/testimonials1194|title=Charity Testimonials|date=12 April 2016 }}</ref> in 2006.


In the Boyne Hill area there is [[Norden Farm Centre for the Arts]] (an arts centre including a [[theatre (structure)|theatre]]). Waltham Place Estate on Church Hill includes an ornamental garden integrated within a {{convert|200|acre|-1|adj=on}} organic and biodynamic farm estate. It is promoted by the [[Campaign to Protect Rural England]].<ref>Members Guide 2012, published by CPRE, 2012</ref> The Reitlinger Open Space on Guards Club Road is named after Henry Reitlinger, a leading collector of fine art. On his death in 1950, the collection was vested in a trust, the Henry Reitlinger Bequest. The trustees were his adopted daughter, Mrs. M. Cocke, and a Maidenhead solicitor, who chose to house the collection at Oldfield House, now a private residence; the building dates back to 1892.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reitlinger Open Space|url=http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/parks_reitlinger_open_space.htm|publisher=Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216133937/http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/parks_reitlinger_open_space.htm|archive-date=16 December 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
In the Boyne Hill area there is [[Norden Farm Centre for the Arts]] (an arts centre including a [[theatre (structure)|theatre]]). Waltham Place Estate on Church Hill is an {{convert|200|acre|-1|adj=on}} organic and biodynamic farm estate, with an ornamental garden, which is supported by the [[Campaign to Protect Rural England]].<ref>Members Guide 2012, published by CPRE, 2012</ref> The Reitlinger Open Space on Guards Club Road is named after Henry Reitlinger, a leading collector of fine art. On his death in 1950, the collection was vested in a trust, the Henry Reitlinger Bequest. The trustees were his adopted daughter, Mrs. M. Cocke, and a Maidenhead solicitor, who chose to house the collection at Oldfield House, now a private residence; the building dates back to 1892.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reitlinger Open Space|url=http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/parks_reitlinger_open_space.htm|publisher=Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216133937/http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/parks_reitlinger_open_space.htm|archive-date=16 December 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


The [[Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead]] has built a new leisure centre in the town to replace the outdated Magnet Leisure Centre which is located east of Kidwells Park. The new facility, Braywick Leisure Centre, opened in September 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Braywick Leisure Centre opens Saturday 12 September {{!}} Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead|url=https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/news/braywick-leisure-centre-opens-saturday-12-september|access-date=2021-02-19|website=www.rbwm.gov.uk}}</ref> The town also has various community centres, including 4 Marlow Road, a youth and community centre, located to the side of Kidwells Park near the town centre. Various activities take place here, including scheduled youth drop in times as well as classes in dance provided privately in its large sports and dance studios. There is a publicly open gym at Furze Platt school, in North Maidenhead.
The [[Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead]] has built a new leisure centre in the town to replace the outdated Magnet Leisure Centre which is located east of Kidwells Park. The new facility, Braywick Leisure Centre, opened in September 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Braywick Leisure Centre opens Saturday 12 September {{!}} Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead|url=https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/news/braywick-leisure-centre-opens-saturday-12-september|access-date=2021-02-19|website=www.rbwm.gov.uk}}</ref> The town also has various community centres, including 4 Marlow Road, a youth and community centre, located to the side of Kidwells Park near the town centre. Various activities take place here, including scheduled youth drop in times as well as classes in dance provided privately in its large sports and dance studios. There is a publicly open gym at Furze Platt school, in North Maidenhead.


==Transport==
==Transport==
⚫
[[File:Rain Steam and Speed the Great Western Railway.jpg|thumb|''[[Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway]]'' by [[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]] (1844) depicts an early locomotive of the [[Great Western Railway]] crossing the [[River Thames]] on Brunel's recently completed [[Maidenhead Railway Bridge]].]]
The ([[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]]-built) [[Great Western Main Line]] passes through the town, calling at [[Maidenhead railway station]] and offering frequent, direct services to [[London Paddington station|London]], [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]], [[Didcot]] and [[Oxford]]. Additionally, there are less frequent direct services to [[Banbury]], [[Hereford]], [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] and [[Great Malvern]]. It passes over Brunel's [[Maidenhead Railway Bridge]] (known locally as the Sounding Arch), famous for its flat brick arches.<ref name="Ackroyd" /> Maidenhead Station is the beginning of the [[Marlow Branch Line]] from Maidenhead to [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire]]; [[Furze Platt railway station]] on this branch also serves the northern area of Maidenhead. Rail services have been provided by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western]] since 2003–04.
The ([[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]]-built) [[Great Western Main Line]] and [[Elizabeth Line]] passes through the town, calling at [[Maidenhead railway station]] and offer direct services to [[London Paddington station|London]] (Paddington and intermediate stations towards Liverpool Street, Shenfield, Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood) [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Didcot]] and an hourly direct Sunday service to [[Swindon, Wiltshire|Swindon]]. It passes over Brunel's [[Maidenhead Railway Bridge]] (known locally as the Sounding Arch), famous for its flat brick arches.<ref name="Ackroyd" /> Maidenhead Station is the beginning of the [[Marlow Branch Line]] from Maidenhead to [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire]]; [[Furze Platt railway station]] on this branch also serves the northern area of Maidenhead. Rail services for all services from Maidenhead have been provided by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western]] since 2003–04, and more recently, [[TfL Rail]] who have operated the [[Elizabeth Line]] through the Thames Valley since 2022.


Local bus services are provided by [[First Berkshire & The Thames Valley]], [[Arriva Shires & Essex]] and [[Thames Valley Buses]]. The [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4]] runs through the town and crosses the Thames over [[Maidenhead Bridge]]. The town lies adjacent to junction 8/9 on the [[M4 motorway]] and is accessed via the [[A404(M) motorway|A404(M)]] and [[A308(M) motorway|A308(M)]]. The A308(M), A404(M) and [[A404 road (England)|A404]] form the [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]] and Maidenhead bypass which also acts as an important link between the M4, to the south of the town, and [[M40 motorway|M40]] at [[High Wycombe]]. The [[River Thames]] runs {{convert|1/2|mi|m|sigfig=1}} to the east of the town centre, and York Stream, which runs through the town centre, connects to the Thames via a [[Maidenhead Waterways|system of disused waterways]]. A renewal scheme is in progress to reopen these waterways. The [[Jubilee River]], part of the flood defence scheme, begins above [[Boulter's Lock]] nearby.
Local bus services are provided by [[First Berkshire & The Thames Valley]], [[Arriva Shires & Essex]] and [[Thames Valley Buses]]. The [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4]] runs through the town and crosses the Thames over [[Maidenhead Bridge]]. The town lies adjacent to junction 8/9 on the [[M4 motorway]] and is accessed via the [[A404(M) motorway|A404(M)]] and [[A308(M) motorway|A308(M)]]. The A308(M), A404(M) and [[A404 road (England)|A404]] form the [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]] and Maidenhead bypass which also acts as an important link between the M4, to the south of the town, and [[M40 motorway|M40]] at [[High Wycombe]]. The [[River Thames]] runs {{convert|1/2|mi|m|sigfig=1}} to the east of the town centre, and York Stream, which runs through the town centre, connects to the Thames via a [[Maidenhead Waterways|system of disused waterways]]. A renewal scheme is in progress to reopen these waterways. The [[Jubilee River]], part of the flood defence scheme, begins above [[Boulter's Lock]] nearby.


In the initial plan for [[Crossrail]], Maidenhead was expected to become the terminus for the line, which is now known as the Elizabeth line. However, after consultation [[Crossrail|Crossrail Limited]] and [[Transport for London]] decided to extend this to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], which also serves as a major hub for the [[Great Western Main Line|Great Western]] route. The route will double the current timetable from four services an hour (operated by the existing [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] route) to eight services an hour (combining both [[Elizabeth line]] and GWR services). Two services an hour from Paddington to Reading have been taken over by Crossrail's precursor company, [[TfL Rail]].
In the initial plan for [[Crossrail]], Maidenhead was expected to become the terminus for the line, now known as the Elizabeth line. However, after consultation [[Crossrail|Crossrail Limited]] and [[Transport for London]] decided to extend this to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], which also serves as a major hub for the [[Great Western Main Line|Great Western]] route. Some of the stopping services from Paddington to Reading were taken over in 2018 by Crossrail's precursor company, [[TfL Rail]]. The full timetable was introduced during the phased opening of the [[Elizabeth line]] in 2022.


Just 2 miles to the south-west of the town lies [[White Waltham Airfield]], a base for general aviation and flight training.
Just 2 miles to the south-west of the town lies [[White Waltham Airfield]], a base for general aviation and flight training.
Line 90: Line 109:


==Sport==
==Sport==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2024}}
⚫
Situated on the River Thames, the town is a [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] centre. [[Maidenhead Rowing Club]] organises the [[Maidenhead Regatta]] which, along with [[Marlow Regatta]] and [[Henley Regatta]], is often seen as a testing ground for olympic rowing athletes. Maidenhead has often seen winners go on to represent the United Kingdom at the Olympic games. The town's football team, [[Maidenhead United F.C.|Maidenhead United]], play at [[York Road (stadium)|York Road]], which is the oldest football ground in the world continuously used by the same team. Maidenhead United were crowned champions of [[National League South]] at the end of the 2016/17 season. Due to this, the team were automatically promoted to the [[National League (division)|National League]] (fifth tier of English Football) for the 2017/18 season. The [[Maidenhead RFC|Maidenhead Rugby Club]] was founded in 1921 and is the largest organised sports team in the town. It consists of four men's teams, a women's team and a large youth programme.
⚫
[[File:MaidenheadUtd.jpg|thumb|The entrance to [[York Road (stadium)|York Road]], the oldest continuously used senior [[association football|football]] ground in the world<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9425241.stm |title=Ground record for Maidenhead |publisher=BBC Sport |date=15 March 2011 |access-date=9 August 2014}}</ref>]]
⚫
Situated on the River Thames, the town is a [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] centre. [[Maidenhead Rowing Club]] organises the [[Maidenhead Regatta]] which, along with [[Marlow Regatta]] and [[Henley Regatta]], is often seen as a testing ground for Olympic rowing athletes. Maidenhead has often seen winners go on to represent the United Kingdom at the Olympic Games. The town's football team, [[Maidenhead United F.C.|Maidenhead United]], play at [[York Road (stadium)|York Road]], which is the oldest football ground in the world continuously used by the same team. Maidenhead United were crowned champions of [[National League South]] at the end of the 2016/17 season. Due to this, the team were automatically promoted to the [[National League (division)|National League]] (fifth tier of English Football) for the 2017/18 season. The [[Maidenhead RFC|Maidenhead Rugby Club]] was founded in 1921 and is the largest organised sports team in the town. It consists of four men's teams, a women's team and a large youth programme.


==Institutions==
==Institutions==
Line 140: Line 161:
The closest higher education institution is [[Buckinghamshire New University]] in High Wycombe {{convert|14.5|km|0|abbr=on}} to the north. The [[University of Reading]] and [[University of West London]] (Berkshire Institute of Health-Reading) are both approximately {{convert|21|km|0|abbr=on}} to the south-west.
The closest higher education institution is [[Buckinghamshire New University]] in High Wycombe {{convert|14.5|km|0|abbr=on}} to the north. The [[University of Reading]] and [[University of West London]] (Berkshire Institute of Health-Reading) are both approximately {{convert|21|km|0|abbr=on}} to the south-west.


==In literature==

Maidenhead is briefly mentioned in [[Jerome K. Jerome]]'s 1889 humorous novel, ''[[Three Men in a Boat]]'', although the author makes clear he dislikes the town.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jerome |first1=Jerome K |title=Three Men in a Boat |date=1889 |publisher=Arrowsmith |location=London|quote=Maidenhead itself is too snobby to be pleasant. It is the haunt of the river swell and his overdressed female companion. It is the town of showy hotels, patronised chiefly by dudes and ballet girls. It is the witch’s kitchen from which go forth those demons of the river—steam-launches. The London Journal duke always has his “little place” at Maidenhead; and the heroine of the three-volume novel always dines there when she goes out on the spree with somebody else’s husband.}}</ref>


==Notable people and businesses==
==Notable people and businesses==
⚫
[[File:Grenfell WH Vanity Fair 1890-12-20.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough]] was an all round sportsman, politician and public servant who performed many good works for the town.]]
{{examplefarm|date=May 2022}}
{{examplefarm|date=May 2022}}
A number of notable figures can be counted amongst Maidenhead's current and former residents.
A number of notable figures can be counted amongst Maidenhead's current and former residents.
Line 154: Line 179:
* The town was home to Colonel Sir [[Walter de Frece]] (1870–1935) and Lady Matilda de Frece (1864–1952) aka [[Vesta Tilley]]
* The town was home to Colonel Sir [[Walter de Frece]] (1870–1935) and Lady Matilda de Frece (1864–1952) aka [[Vesta Tilley]]
* [[Spice Girls]] shared a house in Maidenhead for a year preceding their rise to stardom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/aaeb1fba-2291-4696-98f9-ad601893831c |title=Does your town have a surprising music secret? |publisher=BBC Music |date= 9 December 2016|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref>
* [[Spice Girls]] shared a house in Maidenhead for a year preceding their rise to stardom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/aaeb1fba-2291-4696-98f9-ad601893831c |title=Does your town have a surprising music secret? |publisher=BBC Music |date= 9 December 2016|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref>
* Arthur and Ron Hacker formed the company [[Hacker Radio Ltd]] in Maidenhead in 1959, producers of fine transistor radios that for a time in the 1970s brandished the [[Royal Warrant of Appointment (United Kingdom)|Royal Warrant of Appointment]]
* Arthur and Ron Hacker formed the company [[Hacker Radio Ltd]] in Maidenhead in 1959, producers of fine transistor radios that for a time in the 1970s earned the [[Royal Warrant of Appointment (United Kingdom)|Royal Warrant of Appointment]]
* Essayist and novelist [[Nick Hornby]] (b. 1957) was educated at [[Maidenhead Grammar School]] (now Desborough School),<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/nick-hornby-mad-about-the-boy-686011.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=Nick Hornby: Mad about the boy | first=Steve | last=Crawshaw | date=26 May 2001 | access-date=12 May 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* Essayist and novelist [[Nick Hornby]] (b. 1957) was educated at [[Maidenhead Grammar School]] (now Desborough School),<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/nick-hornby-mad-about-the-boy-686011.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=Nick Hornby: Mad about the boy | first=Steve | last=Crawshaw | date=26 May 2001 | access-date=12 May 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* [[Dragons' Den (UK)|"Dragon"]] [[Peter Jones (entrepreneur)|Peter Jones]] (b. 1966).
* [[Dragons' Den (UK)|"Dragon"]] [[Peter Jones (entrepreneur)|Peter Jones]] (b. 1966).
Line 160: Line 185:
* Author [[Hugh Lofting]] (1886–1947), creator of ''[[Doctor Dolittle]]'', was born in Maidenhead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=90 |title=Hugh Lofting biography – bibliography – books at The Wee Web |publisher=Theweeweb.co.uk |date=26 September 1947 |access-date=27 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716062719/http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=90 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
* Author [[Hugh Lofting]] (1886–1947), creator of ''[[Doctor Dolittle]]'', was born in Maidenhead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=90 |title=Hugh Lofting biography – bibliography – books at The Wee Web |publisher=Theweeweb.co.uk |date=26 September 1947 |access-date=27 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716062719/http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=90 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
* Author and broadcaster [[John O'Farrell (author)|John O'Farrell]] (b. 1962),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/catalog/interview.htm?command=search&db=twmain.txt&eqisbndata=0385606087 |title=Interview with John O'Farrell |publisher=Books at Transworld |access-date=27 November 2010}}</ref>
* Author and broadcaster [[John O'Farrell (author)|John O'Farrell]] (b. 1962),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/catalog/interview.htm?command=search&db=twmain.txt&eqisbndata=0385606087 |title=Interview with John O'Farrell |publisher=Books at Transworld |access-date=27 November 2010}}</ref>
* Maidenhead's riverside location has also drawn many celebrities, including former broadcaster [[Michael Parkinson]] (b. 1935)
* Maidenhead's riverside location has also drawn many celebrities, including former broadcaster [[Michael Parkinson]] (1935–2023)
* The 18th century mariner Sir Isaac Pocock and his nephew dramatist [[Isaac Pocock]] lived in Ray House, Maidenhead
* The 18th century mariner Sir Isaac Pocock and his nephew dramatist [[Isaac Pocock]] lived in Ray House, Maidenhead
* Athlete [[Mark Richardson (athlete)|Mark Richardson]] (b. 1972)
* Athlete [[Mark Richardson (athlete)|Mark Richardson]] (b. 1972)

Latest revision as of 06:07, 7 November 2024

For other uses, see Maidenhead (disambiguation).

Maidenhead
Market town
Clockwise from top: Maidenhead town hall, bridge on the River Thames, High Street, mosque and St Mary's church
Maidenhead is located in Berkshire
Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Location within Berkshire
Population67,375 (Built-up area, 2021)[1]
OS grid referenceSU889811
• London30 mi (48 km)
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Areas of the town
List
Post townMAIDENHEAD
Postcode districtSL6
Dialling code01628
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Berkshire
51°31′18″N 0°43′04″W / 51.5217°N 0.7177°W / 51.5217; -0.7177

Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, the Maidenhead built-up area had a population of 67,375. 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 gives its name to the Maidenhead constituency, which extends beyond the town to also include various nearby villages.

History

[edit]
Map of Maidenhead from 1945
Classic Victorian architecture—All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill

The antiquary John Leland claimed that the area around Maidenhead's present town centre was a small Roman settlement called Alaunodunum.[2] He stated that it had all but disappeared by the end of the Roman occupation. Although his source is unknown, there is documented and physical evidence of Roman settlement in the town. There are two well known villa sites in the town, one being in the suburb of Cox Green, and the other just west of the town centre on Castle Hill. This villa sat on the route of the Camlet Way which was a Roman road linking Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum) and Colchester (Camulodunum) via St Albans (Verulamium) and passes through the present town centre. Remnants of the road have been unearthed at various locations nearby, but its exact route is unclear.

Maidenhead's name stems from the riverside area where the first "New wharf" or "Maiden Hythe" was built, as early as Saxon times. In the year 870, an army of Danes invaded the kingdom of Wessex. They disembarked from their longboats by the wharf and ferry crossing at Maidenhead and fought their way overland to Reading where they set up camp and made it their regional power base.[citation needed] The area of the present town centre was originally a small Anglo-Saxon town known as "South Ellington". The town would have likely developed on the Camlet Way on the site of Alaunodunum as the Bath Road was not re-routed until the 13th century. Maidenhead is recorded in the Domesday Book as the settlement of Ellington in the hundred of Beynhurst.[3]

A wooden bridge was erected across the river in about 1280 to replace the ferry in South Ellington.[4] The Great West Road to Reading, Gloucester and Bristol was diverted over the new bridge. Previously, it had kept to the north bank and crossed the Thames by ford at Cookham, and the medieval town, later to become Maidenhead grew up on the site of Alaunodunum and South Ellington, between the new bridge and the bottom of Castle Hill.[5] Within a few years a new wharf was constructed next to the bridge to replace the old Saxon wharf which needed replacing. At this time, the South Ellington name was dropped with the town becoming known as Maidenhythe. The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296.[4]

The new bridge and wharf led to the growth of medieval Maidenhead as a river port and market town. The present town was developed as a linear settlement in the 13th century along the newly diverted road with hostelries, a guildhall and a chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was built in the middle of the road. The market was held outside the old guildhall which was set back from the High Street to form the market square. Maidenhead also became the first stopping point for coaches travelling from London to Gloucester and Bath and the town became populated with numerous inns. By the mid 18th century, Maidenhead was one of the busiest coaching towns in England with over ninety coaches a day passing through the town. The late 18th-century Bear Hotel on the High Street is the best of the town's old coaching inns surviving to this day.

King Charles I met his children for the last time before his execution in 1649 at the Greyhound Inn[6] on the High Street, the site of which is now a branch of the NatWest Bank. A plaque commemorates their meeting. When the Great Western Railway came to the town, it began to expand. Muddy roads were replaced and public services were installed. The High Street began to change again, and substantial Victorian red brick architecture began to appear throughout the town. Maidenhead Citadel Corps of the Salvation Army was first opened in the town in the mid-1880s. Maidenhead Citadel Band was soon founded in 1886 by Bandmaster William Thomas, who later became mayor of the town. By Edwardian times, nearby Boulter's Lock became a favoured resort, especially on Ascot Sunday, and Skindles Hotel developed a reputation for illicit liaisons.[7]

Governance

[edit]

There is one main tier of local government covering Maidenhead, at unitary authority level: the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Much of the Maidenhead urban area is unparished, but some outlying parts of the built-up area are included in civil parishes, notably at Cox Green to the south-west and Bray to the south.[1][8] The borough council is based in Maidenhead, having its main offices at Maidenhead Town Hall on St Ives Road, which had been completed in 1962 for the former Maidenhead Borough Council.[9][10]

The town of Maidenhead was formerly part of the Windsor and Maidenhead Parliament constituency, a Conservative safe seat. The Boundary Commission abolished this constituency for the 1997 general election since the electorate had become too large, splitting it into the new seats of Windsor and Maidenhead. Maidenhead had been held by the Conservative Party in every election since its foundation in 1997 until 2024. The former Prime Minister, Theresa May was elected MP in 1997 and has represented Maidenhead until she stood down in 2024.[11][12] The seat is now held by Joshua Reynolds of the Liberal Democrats .

Administrative history

[edit]

Maidenhead was incorporated as a borough in 1582. The borough straddled the parishes of Bray and Cookham.[13] It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country.[14] The Local Government Act 1894 directed that parishes were no longer allowed to straddle borough boundaries, and so a parish called Maidenhead was created covering the same area as the borough, and the parishes of Bray and Cookham were reduced to just cover the areas outside the borough.[15]

The municipal borough and parish of Maidenhead were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, becoming part of the borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (which was allowed to use the style 'royal borough' that had previously been used by Windsor).[16][17][18] The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead became a unitary authority in 1998 when it took over the functions of the abolished Berkshire County Council.[19]

Geography

[edit]

The Maidenhead urban area includes urban and suburban regions within the bounds of the town, called Maidenhead Court, North Town, Furze Platt, Pinkneys Green, Highway, Tittle Row, Boyn Hill, Fishery and Bray Wick; as well as adjoining built-up areas in surrounding civil parishes: Cox Green and Altwood in Cox Green parish, Woodlands Park in White Waltham parish, and part of Bray Wick in Bray parish. Bray village is linked to Maidenhead by the exclusive Fishery Estate which lies on the west bank of the Thames.

To the east, on the opposite side of the river from Maidenhead, is the large village of Taplow in Buckinghamshire which almost adjoins the suburban village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, which itself nearly adjoins the urban area of the large, industrial town of Slough. To the north are the Cookhams, Cookham Village, Cookham Rise and Cookham Dean. To the west is the area of Pinkneys Green. These lie south of the Berkshire-Buckinghamshire border, which is formed by the River Thames (which then bends southwards to form the Maidenhead-Taplow border). Adjoining Bray and Bray Wick to the south is the suburban village of Holyport. Continuing by road to the South-East leads to the historic, royal twin towns of Windsor and Eton.

Maidenhead was originally the planned western terminus for the Crossrail line (to and through London) until Reading station, situated 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Maidenhead, was chosen. Maidenhead lies immediately west of the Taplow ridge; a wooded spur of the Chilterns which rises dramatically above one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames. The ridge is crowned by the spectacular Cliveden House which can be seen from various parts of the town. Maidenhead has a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the northern outskirts of the town called Cannoncourt Farm Pit, where the largest hand axe of the paleolithic era in Britain was discovered.[20][21] The town also has a local nature reserve called The Gullet.[22] On 12 July 1901 Maidenhead entered the UK Weather Records with the Highest 60-min total rainfall at 92 mm (3.6 in). As of January 2024, this record remains.[23]

Landmarks

[edit]
Maidenhead clock tower outside the railway station

The current Maidenhead Bridge, a local landmark, dates from 1777 and was built at a cost of £19,000.[24] It takes the A4 over the Thames to join Maidenhead to Taplow. All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill was completed in 1857 and is an early work by the architect G. E. Street. The church, consecrated on 2 December 1857 by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, became the first ecclesiastical parish in the Borough of Maidenhead.[25] Ten years later, in 1867, his brother William Wilberforce junior founded a Catholic chapel that led to St Joseph's Church.[26] Maidenhead clock tower was built for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and is located outside the railway station. Boulter's Lock is a lock on the river Thames on the east side of Maidenhead. It adjoins Ray Mill Island. In addition the town has a range of various statues which form part of a recognisable image of the town, including the 'Boy and the Boat' location at the top end of the High Street, near the Methodist Church.

Character

[edit]

Maidenhead has a long history of settlement, going back to the Anglo-Saxon and Roman periods. Despite this, there are no visible architectural remains in the present day town to show this. Although there are attractive residential and green areas in and around Maidenhead, the historic heart of the town has been redeveloped, primarily with office space, high technology company headquarters and apartments, making it one of the key business and commuter towns of the Silicon Corridor. This has happened in piecemeal fashion over the last forty years and Maidenhead town centre has lost most many historic buildings and much of its traditional English market town character. The High Street and Bridge Street areas only possess one heavily restored Medieval building and a handful of Georgian buildings in the Chapel Arches area.

Research by the New Economics Foundation rated Maidenhead as an example of a clone town[27] and the town centre is regarded as in need of improvement. In December 2007, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead set up the Partnership for the Regeneration of Maidenhead (PRoM), which in October 2008 launched a comprehensive 20 Year Vision and Action Plan for rejuvenating the town centre. Launch of the plan coincided with confirmation by central government that Maidenhead will be part of the new Crossrail project.[28] PRoM's plans highlight five key developments which will help shape the town for the future.

A large new retail and residential development called 'The Landing' is due for construction shortly. Additionally there will be an upgraded railway station and transport interchange, movement of the leisure centre to Braywick Park, relocating the bowls club and improved links between Kidwells Park and the High Street. There are also plans to demolish the 1960s Nicholsons shopping centre and replace it with a new retail and residential quarter built around a network of revived historic streets and a micro brewery. A new town square featuring shops, restaurants and apartments is currently under construction between the central library and town hall.[29]

The Chapel Arches retail and residential development is under construction. Part of the scheme involves restoring the old Thames tributaries which run through a historic section of the town centre. The redevelopment will bring an attractive waterfront quarter with new apartments, boutique stores, restaurants, bars, and cafes are to be a feature this new part of the town centre. The adjoining historic section of the High Street around the 18th century Chapel Arches Bridge has been restored as part of the development. Existing Georgian and Victorian buildings have been rejuvenated, and the adjoining new builds have been sensitively constructed in the same historic style to bring back a sense of history and lost heritage to this part of the town centre. Maidenhead was home to the amateur radio conference that agreed on the Maidenhead Locator System standard in 1980. It is located in grid square ​IO91pm. The average house price in Maidenhead in January 2021 was £540,940.[30]

Community facilities

[edit]
Maidenhead High Street

Maidenhead offers High Street shopping facilities including Nicholson's Centre, a shopping centre on the site of Nicholson's brewery. The town also offers an eight-screen Odeon multiplex cinema. The local authority also provides a Shopmobility service, where those with physical disabilities can borrow mobility scooters to navigate around the town. Maidenhead Heritage Centre and Museum was established in 1993 and moved to permanent premises in a former pub in Park Street[31] in 2006.

In the Boyne Hill area there is Norden Farm Centre for the Arts (an arts centre including a theatre). Waltham Place Estate on Church Hill is an 200-acre (80 ha) organic and biodynamic farm estate, with an ornamental garden, which is supported by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.[32] The Reitlinger Open Space on Guards Club Road is named after Henry Reitlinger, a leading collector of fine art. On his death in 1950, the collection was vested in a trust, the Henry Reitlinger Bequest. The trustees were his adopted daughter, Mrs. M. Cocke, and a Maidenhead solicitor, who chose to house the collection at Oldfield House, now a private residence; the building dates back to 1892.[33]

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has built a new leisure centre in the town to replace the outdated Magnet Leisure Centre which is located east of Kidwells Park. The new facility, Braywick Leisure Centre, opened in September 2020.[34] The town also has various community centres, including 4 Marlow Road, a youth and community centre, located to the side of Kidwells Park near the town centre. Various activities take place here, including scheduled youth drop in times as well as classes in dance provided privately in its large sports and dance studios. There is a publicly open gym at Furze Platt school, in North Maidenhead.

Transport

[edit]
Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway by Turner (1844) depicts an early locomotive of the Great Western Railway crossing the River Thames on Brunel's recently completed Maidenhead Railway Bridge.

The (Brunel-built) Great Western Main Line and Elizabeth Line passes through the town, calling at Maidenhead railway station and offer direct services to London (Paddington and intermediate stations towards Liverpool Street, Shenfield, Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood) Reading, Didcot and an hourly direct Sunday service to Swindon. It passes over Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge (known locally as the Sounding Arch), famous for its flat brick arches.[3] Maidenhead Station is the beginning of the Marlow Branch Line from Maidenhead to Marlow, Buckinghamshire; Furze Platt railway station on this branch also serves the northern area of Maidenhead. Rail services for all services from Maidenhead have been provided by Great Western since 2003–04, and more recently, TfL Rail who have operated the Elizabeth Line through the Thames Valley since 2022.

Local bus services are provided by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, Arriva Shires & Essex and Thames Valley Buses. The A4 runs through the town and crosses the Thames over Maidenhead Bridge. The town lies adjacent to junction 8/9 on the M4 motorway and is accessed via the A404(M) and A308(M). The A308(M), A404(M) and A404 form the Marlow and Maidenhead bypass which also acts as an important link between the M4, to the south of the town, and M40 at High Wycombe. The River Thames runs 1⁄2 mile (800 m) to the east of the town centre, and York Stream, which runs through the town centre, connects to the Thames via a system of disused waterways. A renewal scheme is in progress to reopen these waterways. The Jubilee River, part of the flood defence scheme, begins above Boulter's Lock nearby.

In the initial plan for Crossrail, Maidenhead was expected to become the terminus for the line, now known as the Elizabeth line. However, after consultation Crossrail Limited and Transport for London decided to extend this to Reading, which also serves as a major hub for the Great Western route. Some of the stopping services from Paddington to Reading were taken over in 2018 by Crossrail's precursor company, TfL Rail. The full timetable was introduced during the phased opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022.

Just 2 miles to the south-west of the town lies White Waltham Airfield, a base for general aviation and flight training.

Employment

[edit]

Maidenhead is in England's Silicon Corridor along the M4 motorway west of London. Many residents commute to work in London, or to the nearby towns of Slough, Bracknell and Reading. Maidenhead's industries include software, plastics, pharmaceuticals, printing and telecommunications. The town also has an office for the Department for Work and Pensions, a local Jobcentre Plus which is located in Park Street. It is open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday (10am on Wednesday) and offers help in finding employment, including the National Careers Service. In addition, as part of the UK Government roll out of the new social care benefit system, Maidenhead is now a Universal Credit Full Service area.

Sport

[edit]
The entrance to York Road, the oldest continuously used senior football ground in the world[35]

Situated on the River Thames, the town is a rowing centre. Maidenhead Rowing Club organises the Maidenhead Regatta which, along with Marlow Regatta and Henley Regatta, is often seen as a testing ground for Olympic rowing athletes. Maidenhead has often seen winners go on to represent the United Kingdom at the Olympic Games. The town's football team, Maidenhead United, play at York Road, which is the oldest football ground in the world continuously used by the same team. Maidenhead United were crowned champions of National League South at the end of the 2016/17 season. Due to this, the team were automatically promoted to the National League (fifth tier of English Football) for the 2017/18 season. The Maidenhead Rugby Club was founded in 1921 and is the largest organised sports team in the town. It consists of four men's teams, a women's team and a large youth programme.

Institutions

[edit]

The local newspaper is The Maidenhead Advertiser. Maidenhead has been the home of Maidenhead Citadel Band of the Salvation Army since 1886. The head office of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is based in Maidenhead on Marlow Road. Furthermore, various private companies have their head offices located around the town including, Johnson & Johnson, the American multi-national pharmaceutical. The schools listed below consist of various types of schools including free schools and academies.

Further educational institutions

[edit]

Although the town only has the one college, most students entering college level education travel to the various establishments in the area, including the Windsor Forest Colleges Group (formerly East Berkshire College) in both Windsor (Berkshire) and Langley, Slough as well as The Henley College in Oxfordshire and Reading College (Berkshire).

Secondary schools

[edit]

Primary schools

[edit]
  • All Saints C of E Junior School
  • Alwyn Infant School
  • Courthouse Junior School
  • Furze Platt Infant School (caters for Reception - Year 2)
  • Furze Platt Junior School (caters for Year 3–6)
  • Holyport Primary School
  • Larchfield
  • Lowbrook Academy
  • Oldfield Primary School
  • Riverside Primary School
  • St Edmund Campion Primary School
  • St. Lukes C of E School
  • St. Mary's Primary School
  • Wessex Primary School
  • White Waltham C of E Primary School
  • Woodlands Park Primary School

Independent schools

[edit]
  • Beech Lodge School (co-ed 7–17)
  • Claires Court (all-through 3-18:- co-ed nursery [3-5]; girls [4-16] & boys [4-16] in a diamond shape; co-ed sixth form)
  • Herries School (co-ed 3–11)
  • Highfield School (boys 2–4; girls 2–11)
  • St Piran's School (co-ed 3–11)
  • Redroofs School for the Performing Arts (co-ed 9-18 full time and all ages for weekly classes)

The closest higher education institution is Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe 14.5 km (9 mi) to the north. The University of Reading and University of West London (Berkshire Institute of Health-Reading) are both approximately 21 km (13 mi) to the south-west.

In literature

[edit]

Maidenhead is briefly mentioned in Jerome K. Jerome's 1889 humorous novel, Three Men in a Boat, although the author makes clear he dislikes the town.[36]

Notable people and businesses

[edit]
William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough was an all round sportsman, politician and public servant who performed many good works for the town.

A number of notable figures can be counted amongst Maidenhead's current and former residents.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  2. ^ The Itinerary of John Leland the Antiquary. Mr. Thomas Hearne M. A. 1768.
  3. ^ a b Ackroyd, Peter (2007). Thames: sacred river. Random House. pp. 425–6. ISBN 978-0-7011-7284-8.
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