Shottesbrooke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shottesbrooke is a hamlet and civil parish administered by the unitary authority of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire. It is sometimes, incorrectly, spelt Shottesbrook.
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[edit] Geography
Shottesbrooke is a very long narrow parish sandwiched between Waltham St Lawrence on the west and White Waltham on the east. They were originally one place, Waltham, which was divided in the Saxon era. Today, as always, it is mostly farmland with some large areas of woodland in between, particularly the Great Wood. The hamlet of Cold Harbour is in the very north of the parish, with Shottesbrooke itself in the central area, between Shottesbrooke Park and Smewins' Farm, where the B3024 runs through the region. The M4 motorway crosses the south-east corner of the parish.
[edit] History
The Roman Camlet Way between St Albans and Silchester would have crossed the parish at some point and the name 'Cold Harbour' indicates there was an inn or other stopping place nearby. In Saxon times, the manor was owned by the Royal goldsmiths and 'Alward the Goldsmith' was one of the few Saxons allowed to keep his manor here after the Norman Conquest. It is said that charcoal from the 'Great Wood' was used to melt the gold to make the Saxon Royal regalia.
Despite its small population, Shottesbrooke is a very historic parish, largely because of the great and the good who lived at Shottesbrooke Park. It was the home of Sir William Trussell, a prominent Royal diplomat in the mid-14th century. He built the superb Decorated Period parish church as an ecclesiastical college in 1337. The church is famous for its fine memorial brasses and Trussell's beautifully carved double-recessed monument. The 17th century Speaker of the House of Commons, Henry Powle later lived at the Park. He was followed by Francis Cherry, the famous non-juror and patron of Thomas Hearne. His friend, Henry Dodwell, the theologian, lived at Smewins. Later, Governor Henry Vansittart was in residence and his brother, Professor Robert Vansittart, and his son, Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley, both grew up there. The Park is currently the home of their co-lateral descendant, Sir John Smith, the founder of the Landmark Trust which has its headquarters in the adjoining farmhouse.
[edit] Trivia
Shottesbrooke is also the name of an Australian winery, named after the church where the owner's grandfather was vicar.
