Egham Hythe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Egham Hythe | |
  Egham Hythe shown within Surrey |
|
| Population | 6,345[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Runnymede |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STAINES or EGHAM |
| Postcode district | TW18 or TW20 |
| Dialling code | 01784 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Egham Hythe is a place between Egham and Staines in Surrey, England, extending south of the River Thames towards Thorpe Lea (Thorpe), and includes the area surrounding Pooley Green. It is located 18.3 miles (29.4 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in London, and is the site of Staines Bridge.
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[edit] History
For many centuries the land of Egham Hythe, which belonged to Chertsey Abbey until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, did not support any settlement due to frequent flooding by the river Thames.
The building of locks on the river in the 19th Century limited flooding sufficiently for people to begin living in Egham Hythe more readily. This increase in population was boosted by the building of the railway in the 1850s with stations at neighbouring Egham and Staines.
Egham Hythe gained its first school in the 1880s and its own parish church in 1930. Much of the campaigning and financial support for the church came from local resident and entrepreneur Edward Budgen.
Though Egham Hythe suffered a particularly severe flood in 1947, the population increased greatly in the post-war period, as it did in much of the south-east of England.
Perhaps because of an unwillingness to build housing on the most flood prone areas next to the Thames, industry has always played an important role in the development of Egham Hythe. Prior to the second world war the area was home to Lagonda, the motorcar manufacturers. The Lagonda site was later taken over by Petters Limited and is now a Sainsbury's supermarket.
[edit] Today
Egham Hythe has two primary schools ( Thorpe Lea School and The Hythe School )and is home to the area secondary school Magna Carta School, a new community centre and is within the south westerly bounds of the M25 motorway.
[edit] Thorpe Hay Meadow
Egham Hythe provides access to Thorpe Hay Meadow, one of the few surviving example of unimproved grassland on Thames Gravel in Surrey[2]. It has been managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust since 1988. This 16 acre site contains at least 157 different plant species. It is managed to encourage biodiversity.
