Datchet

Coordinates: 51°29′03″N 0°34′34″W / 51.4841°N 0.5762°W / 51.4841; -0.5762

Datchet
Datchet village centre
Datchet  Datchet shown within Berkshire
Population	4,646 (2001)
OS grid reference	SU988771
Parish	Datchet
Unitary authority	Windsor and Maidenhead
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SLOUGH
Postcode district	SL3
Dialling code	01753
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Windsor
List of places: UK • England • Berkshire

Datchet is an English Thameside village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire in 1974.

The village developed particularly because of its close proximity to Windsor and the ferry service which connected the main London road to Windsor across the River Thames. The service was eventually replaced with numerous bridges across the river.^[1]

The name "Datchet" is thought to be Celtic in origin, and the last part may be related to cet (meaning wood). In the Domesday Book it was called "Daceta".

History

The story of Datchet starts at the end of the ice-age. Between 1000 and 6500 years ago there was evidence of people living in the area which was to become Datchet. They did not settle but travelled through the area. First evidence of settled village was 440–2700 years ago (Bronze Age).^[2]

Datchet is first mentioned between 990 and 994, when King Ethelred made small grants of land here. Datchet Manor is in the Domesday Book (1085–86) when it was held by Giles de Pinkney.^[3] In 1150 the church already existed in Datchet and was given to the abbey of St Albans, Hertfordshire. The Abbot was rector of the parish and had the right to appoint vicars.

Datchet Mead and Datchet Ferry in 1686 with Windsor Castle in the background

There was a ferry at Datchet Ferry which provided a short route from London to Windsor Castle, and was frequently used by royalty. In 1249 King Henry III gave a great oak from his Windsor forest to make a barge for passage from Windsor to Datchet.
In 1350 Edward III gave Datchet Church as part of endowment to his new church and college of St George at Windsor Castle.

In the 17th century, traffic went to London via Horton. Horton Road began to be built up and extended by the wealthy next to the hovels of the poor. The great plague came to Datchet before and after the great plague of London. An unsubstantiated story is that King Charles II kept his mistress Nell Gwynne at Old Bridge House in Datchet.

St Mary the Virgin, Datchet

The ferry was replaced by Datchet Bridge at the end of the High Street in 1706. The bridge was replaced three times but finally demolished in 1851, being the only Thames bridge that has been lost.

From 1742 onwards, the Duke of Montagu and family owned Datchet. In 1790, a workhouse was built in Holmlea Road, and in 1820, an Almshouse belonging to the workhouse was turned into a shop. In 1848, the first train went through Datchet to Windsor and in 1860, Datchet Common's oldest beer house The Plough (now Tescos Express) was in existence. In 1886, Datchet was known as Black Datchet because of a large number of bad characters living there. This was borne out by Aylesbury County Jail having one building known as the 'Datchet Wing' filled mostly with poachers. However in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat describes Datchet as a minor riverside resort. He describes both the Manor Hotel and the Royal Stag in his book.

From 1911 to 1914, cars were made at workshops at the end of Holmlea Road, Lord Montagu was the landlord. In 1911, Sir Thomas Sopwith landed his light aircraft in Datchet eight years after the first flight in the USA by Orville Wright. His company built Sopwith biplanes.

Windsor Guards polo grounds in Horton were where the Queen Mother Reservoir now stands. The houses opposite were built in the late 19th century to house the workers on the grounds. 140 Horton Road was an old school house.

In 1931, the Pavilion club was built on Datchet riverside. Dame Vera Lynn sang here and the 'London Set' socialised here. Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson had secret meetings here.

Datchet Village Football Club was formed in 1987. Datchet still has its own River Frontage from where a Small Boat may be Launched.

Historical people

• William Herschel (astronomer to George III and discoverer of the planet Uranus) lived with his sister in a house on Horton Road in 1782 and from 1783 to 1785, he occupied "The Lawn" on Horton Road and built a 20 ft telescope in the garden.
• Charles Dickens was the most famous person known to have used Datchet Station when he varied his routes to Slough visiting his mistress.
• Hon. Evelyn Ellis drove the first ever motor car to be driven or owned in Britain to his home in Southleigh Road in 1895. The actual car can be seen in The Science Museum in London. Ellis was closely associated with The Prince of Wales (the later King Edward VII) and gave him his first ever ride in a car.
• Hon. John Scott Montagu - Lord of the Manor of Datchet and Ditton was another early motoring pioneer whose families continued interest resulted in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu

Commerce and services

Datchet railway station is situated in the centre of the village, and is on the line from Windsor & Eton Riverside to London Waterloo.

One of the landmarks of this village is the Datchet Manor. The manor is currently used as a hotel and conference centre. The history of the manor begins in 1335 when King Edward III gave the manor of Datchet to William de Montacute, who then passed it on to Sir John Molins, who held it until 1631. The manor changed hands several times until it became the property of the Duchess of Buccleuch in the 18th century. Tescos Express was originally The Plough and following a major fire changed its name to The Sportsmans due to the bare knuckle fighting which took place on the green opposite before the houses were built, bets being wagered in the pub.

There are two other pubs in Datchet, The Royal Stag and The Morning Star.

Datchet is home to two schools — Churchmead School, a secondary school, and Datchet St. Mary's Primary School.

Datchet also boasts several sporting options including Datchet Village Football Club (Sundays), Datchet Golf Club and the Datchet Health Centre.

Many famous people connected with literature, sport, film and stage live or have lived in Datchet — Valentine Dyall, Billy Cotton, Billie Whitelaw, and Sir Donald Pleasence. As of 2009 Joan Collins still retains the house of her late father (a theatrical agent) in the village. Danniella Westbrook is a former resident; as of 2009 Barry Davies the sports commentator lived in the village.

References

1. ^ Windsor Bridges
2. ^ - "The Villages of Buckinghamshire" (1925)
3. ^ Parishes: Datchet, A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3 (1925), pp. 249-255. Date accessed: 06 December 2009

External links

• Datchet Village Football Club Website
• Datchet Village Website
• Datchet Parish Council
• Genealogical information