| Bray | |
St Michael's Church |
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Bray
Bray shown within Berkshire |
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| Population | 4,646 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SU9079 |
| Parish | Bray |
| Unitary authority | Windsor and Maidenhead |
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MAIDENHEAD |
| Postcode district | SL6 |
| Dialling code | 01752 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Maidenhead |
| List of places: UK • England • Berkshire | |
Bray, sometimes known as Bray on Thames, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It stands on the banks of the River Thames, just south-east of Maidenhead. It is famous as the village mentioned in the song The Vicar of Bray. The village contains two of the four three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK,[1] and is the home of Bray Studios of "Hammer Horror" fame.
The parish of Bray includes a number of other villages and hamlets. It has an area of 2,498 hectares (6,170 acres) and a population of 8,425 at the 2001 census.[2]
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Bray has always been a very large parish, although it has shrunk considerably since Maidenhead became independent in 1894. As well as the main village, the parish contains a large number of villages and hamlets, often greens, which were originally scattered amongst the dense woodland of Windsor Forest that once covered the area. These include: Bray Wick, Holyport, Water Oakley, Oakley Green, Moneyrow Green, Stud Green, Foxley Green, Touchen End, Braywoodside, Hawthorn Hill and Fifield.
Despite being located on the very edge of Maidenhead, Bray retains an English village character. It won best 'Small Village' in the 2005 Britain in Bloom awards, while its cricket club is the oldest in the county, having been first established in 1798. Bray is a very affluent residential area, as well as being a place popular with tourists exploring the Thames. There are many walks and a number of well-known eating establishments. Two of its restaurants have three Michelin stars: The Fat Duck, which was judged the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005, and the Waterside Inn, which ranked 19 in Restaurant's list. This is particularly significant as there are only four (as of 2010) three-star restaurants in Great Britain. Bray is home to Bray Studios of "Hammer Horror" fame.
There are several expensive houses on the river upstream of Bray Lock and they have been referred to as 'Millionaires' row' in the national press. The flooding risk of these houses has recently been decreased by the Jubilee River a large drainage ditch between Maidenhead and Eton.
The Church of England parish church of St Michael was built in 1293, supposedly to replace a Saxon church at Water Oakley. It has a number of sculptures which may have come from th earlier church, including a damaged Sheela na Gig. It is best known to brass rubbers for housing the superb memorial brass of 1378 to Sir John Foxley, the Constable of Southampton Castle, and his two wives. One of the local cottages has a tunnel which it is believed leads to the church and served as an escape route for clergymen.
The Jesus Hospital is a red-brick group of almhouses, founded in 1609 by William Goddard, whose full-size effigy stands over the entrance, to house thirty-four of the aged poor of Bray and six of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers to which he belonged.
Monkey Island, in the Thames, is associated with the 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and still houses two amusing structures that he built and furnished with paintings of monkeys.
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