| Burnham | |
Old Five Bells |
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Burnham
Burnham shown within Buckinghamshire |
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| Population | 11,512 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SU9282 |
| Parish | Burnham |
| District | South Bucks |
| Shire county | Buckinghamshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SLOUGH |
| Postcode district | SL1 |
| Dialling code | 01628 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Beaconsfield |
| List of places: UK • England • Buckinghamshire | |
Burnham is a village and civil parish that lies north of the River Thames in the South Bucks District of Buckinghamshire, and sits on the border with Berkshire, between the towns of Maidenhead and Slough. It is served by Burnham railway station in the west of Slough on the main line between London and Reading. The M4 motorway passes through the south of the parish.
The village name is Old English in origin, and means 'homestead on a stream'. It was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Burneham, when the manor belonged to Walter Fitz-Other.
Burnham was once a very important village. The road from London to Bath (now the A4) passed through the extensive parish of Burnham and as a result, in 1271, it received a Royal charter to hold a market and an annual fair. However, when the bridge crossing the Thames in Maidenhead opened the road was diverted away from Burnham, which fell into relative decay. The market was then transferred to Maidenhead.
Today the village is contiguous with Slough due to urban spread, though it retains some of its own character. Although the civil parish has a population of 11,512,[1] residents usually consider Burnham to be a village.
In 1265 a Benedictine abbey was founded near the village by Richard, King of the Romans. This was, however, disbanded by King Henry VIII in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Since 1916, a contemplative order of Anglican Augustinian nuns has been based in the restored remains of the original abbey.
Burnham parish church is dedicated to St Peter. The current building dates in part from the twelfth century but has been substantially expanded, refurbished and altered, with major restorations in 1863-4 and 1891 and the construction of the Cornerstone Centre in 1986.[2]
Burnham Beeches is an area of 540 acres (2.2 km2) of protected ancient woodland, and sits just north of the village. Dorneywood lies within the parish.
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The parish of Burnham once included the hamlets of Boveney, Cippenham, Britwell and East Burnham. Boveney became a separate civil parish in 1866 though is now back in with Burnham parish again. Cippenham was transferred to Slough in 1930,[3] and therefore became part of Berkshire in 1974. Britwell was transferred to the borough of Slough and to Berkshire in 1974.
The parish also includes the hamlets of Lent Rise, Rose Hill, East Burnham, Egypt, Hitcham, Littleworth and Littleworth Common.
Burnham Grammar School and Burnham Upper School provide secondary education to the children of Burnham and the surrounding area. Many students, however, commute to the nearby secondary schools in Slough. Priory School is the largest primary school in the area and provides primary education for many of the local children, although the smaller "Our Lady Of Peace" Roman Catholic primary school is next to Priory School.
Burnham is the home of Burnham Football Club.
Owing to its proximity to Pinewood Film & TV Studios, Burnham and its surrounding areas (in particular Burnham Beeches) feature in numerous films, notably a number of the Carry On films from the 1960s and 70s.
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