Harwell, Oxfordshire

Infobox UK place
official_name= Harwell
lieutenancy_england= Oxfordshire
region= South East England
country= England
latitude= 51.6
longitude= -1.29
post_town= DIDCOT
postcode_area= OX
postcode_district= OX11
dial_code= +44-7971
shire_district= Vale of White Horse
shire_county = Oxfordshire
constituency_westminster= Wantage

Harwell is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire). It lies near The Ridgeway long-distance footpath, halfway between Abingdon, Oxfordshire and Newbury, Berkshire and two miles from Didcot. Harwell has a population of about 2,400.

Amenities

There are currently two public houses in the village, the White Hart and The Crispin. The two pubs are both located on the same corner of the High Street and back on to each other. Formerly there were five: The Crown is now a nursing home, while The Chequers and The Kicking Donkey have both been converted to private houses.

The village supports two shops, Bobs the Butcher's and White Horse News (which doubles as an off licence). Two other general stores have closed in the village over the last 20 years, and the village bakery. At one point the village even had a brewery. This is now a private house and located opposite the White Hart public house.

t Matthew's Church

The village church is St Matthew's and is part of the Church of England. It was mainly built in the 13th century. It is a Grade 1 listed building and was formerly dedicated to St Mary. The nave roof dates from 1220, and the screen dividing the chancel from the body of the church also dates from the 13th century. The church is notable for the quality and age of the peal of 8 bells housed in the belfry, and 1 sanctus bell, all dating from 1611 to 1932. These are the oldest set of bells that are still in use in the Worldfact|date=June 2007. The tenor weighs 16 cwt. There is a single-handed clock on the tower's west face. In 1975, a two floor extension was built on the north wall which now contains a parish office. A new church hall was built in 1994.

port and leisure

There are a good number of clubs and societies in the village. These include an excellent Royal Legion, a lively Scout Group, an earnest Girls Brigade, a growing Horticultural Society, Harwell Feast Committee, Harwell Rugby Club, Football clubs, and others.

The Harwell Feast is a celebration held on the Monday of the May Bank Holiday each year. The celebrations include a parade of decorated floats and people through the village. The recreation ground is turned over to various fund raising stalls and demonstration from sheep dog handling to vintage cars. Either a cow or a couple of pigs is roasted to supply the meat for the feast.

Airfield and Atomic Energy Research Establishment

Before 1946, Harwell was probably best known for its cherry orchards. In 1937, an airfield was built between Harwell and Chilton and named RAF Harwell. The airfield was used during World War II to launch glider-borne troops for the Normandy invasion.

In 1946, this airfield was taken over to become the new Atomic Energy Research Establishment, the main centre for atomic energy research in the UK, and become known as Harwell Laboratory. It was the site of Europe's first nuclear reactor in 1946, and once housed five nuclear reactors, all of which have been shut down. Two have been completely dismantled, and it is anticipated that the other three will be decommissioned by 2022.

Other parts of the airfield were later used for other scientific organizations, including the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory which runs the ISIS neutron source and is part of the Diamond Light Source synchrotron joint venture. The Atomic Energy Research Establishment part of the airfield site is now officially called "Harwell International Business Centre"; locally it is referred to as the "Site". The former airfield site as a whole is now known as the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

Notable residents

*Christopher Elderfield, 17th century divine and author
*John Harewell, 14th century Bishop of Bath and Wells
*Klaus Fuchs, nuclear scientist and communist spy

External links

* [http://www.harwellparish.co.uk/ Harwell Village Parish Council website]
* [http://www.parishes.oxford.anglican.org/harwell/ St. Matthew's Church website]
* [http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/harwell.html Royal Berkshire History: Harwell]
* [http://www.ukaea.org.uk/sites/harwell_site.shtml UKAEA Harwell]
* [http://www.cclrc.ac.uk/ CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory]
* [http://www.diamond.ac.uk/ Diamond Light Source]
* [http://www.harwell-rfc.com/ Harwell Rugby Club]