Martins Heron

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Martins Heron is a leafy suburban area in the civil parish of Winkfield, on the eastern edge of Bracknell (a town in the Bracknell Forest district of Berkshire, UK, 25 miles west of London).

The name Martin's Heron is frequently misheard, and its name is a source of much confusion. It has nothing to do with the avian Heron but stems from the old English word for wasp - Hern. The area is bordered by Bracknell to the west and large wooded areas, notably Swinley Woods on the east and Lily Hill Park to the north.

The area lies within the former parkland and grounds of a mansion, Martin's Herne (or Heron), built around 1750 but demolished in the early 1980s, which was associated with minor nobility for much of its life. The house made way for a small estate of mainly large detached houses.

As it lies in the civil parish of Winkfield, Martins Heron, and the neighbouring suburb, The Warren, fall within Windsor parliamentary constituency rather than that of Bracknell.

Martin's Heron is well known locally as being the site of Harry Potter's house. The filmed version of the first of JK Rowling's famous stories was filmed partly on location. The external scenes with the actor Daniel Radcliffe playing Harry Potter at his house were shot on location at a house in Picket Post Close, Martin's Heron.

Martins Heron railway station serves commuters travelling to London Waterloo and Reading, Berkshire. The train station is small but is manned during office hours, and is equipped with CCTV. The train station is situated right next to a Tesco supermarket, and indeed was built by the supermarket chain, as a precondition of the supermarket being built.

Martin's Heron Tesco is also used for filming. It is one of the very few Tesco supermarkets in the country that is not open on Sunday, owing to concerns from local residents. It also has restricted opening hours on weekdays. It has therefore been used as a filming location for many of the Tesco television adverts featuring Prunella Scales and Jane Horrocks among others.

Tesco Martin's Heron was extended in 2008, drastically increasing its size and drawing new customers to the area. However this has been an issue that has been addressed by the local residents many times, and it has taken years for Tesco to receive planning permission to go ahead with the build. The new store was finished in May 2008.

Next to Tesco, sits the Martin's Heron and The Warren Community Hall. This is a small local hall, which has also been refurbished. It had an extension built at the start of the new millennium, and now contains then main hall, as well as the annexe hall, cloakrooms and a small waiting area. It is mostly used by the local nursery school, as well as the Martin's Heron School of Dance, which holds classes most evenings during term time.

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