| Harwell | |
Parish church of St. Matthew |
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Harwell
Harwell shown within Oxfordshire |
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| Population | 2,354 (2001 census)[1] |
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| OS grid reference | SU4989 |
| District | Vale of White Horse |
| Shire county | Oxfordshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Didcot |
| Postcode district | OX11 |
| Dialling code | 01235 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Wantage |
| Website | Harwell Parish Council website |
| List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire | |
Harwell is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.
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There is one public house in the village, the White Hart, on the corner of High Street. Formerly there were five: The Crown is now a nursing home, The Chequers and The Kicking Donkey have both been converted to private houses and The Crispin has also closed.
The village supports two shops, Bobs the Butcher's and White Horse News (which is also an off licence). Two other general stores have closed in the village over the last 20 years, and the village bakery. At one point the village even had a brewery. This is now a private house and located opposite the White Hart public house.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Matthew is a Grade 1 listed building and was formerly dedicated to Saint Mary. The nave roof dates from 1220, and the screen dividing the chancel from the nave also dates from the 13th century. The church is notable for the quality and age of the peal of 8 bells housed in the belfry, and 1 sanctus bell, dating from 1611 to 1932. The tenor weighs 16 cwt. There is a single-handed clock on the tower's west face. In 1975, a two floor extension was built on the north wall which now contains a parish office. A new church hall was built in 1994.
There are a good number of clubs and societies in the village. These include an Royal Legion, a Scout Group, an Girls Brigade, a Horticultural Society, Harwell Feast Committee, Harwell Rugby Club, Football clubs, and others.
The Harwell Feast is a celebration held on the Monday of the May Bank Holiday each year. The celebrations include a parade of decorated floats and people through the village. The recreation ground is turned over to various fund raising stalls and demonstration from sheep dog handling to vintage cars. Either a cow or a couple of pigs is roasted to supply the meat for the feast.
Before 1946, Harwell was probably best known for its cherry orchards.[2] In 1937, an airfield was built between Harwell and Chilton and named RAF Harwell. The airfield was used during World War II to launch glider-borne troops for the Normandy invasion.
In 1946, this airfield was taken over to become the new Atomic Energy Research Establishment, the main centre for nuclear power research in the UK, and become known as Harwell Laboratory. It was the site of Europe's first nuclear reactor in 1946, and once housed five nuclear reactors, all of which have been shut down. Two have been completely dismantled, and it is anticipated that the other three will be decommissioned by 2022.
Other parts of the airfield were later used by other scientific organisations, including the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory which runs the ISIS neutron source and is home to the Diamond Light Source synchrotron joint venture. Part of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment is now operated by Research Sites Restoration Limited who are undertaking decommissioning work on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The former airfield site as a whole is now known as the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus and is managed by the international property group, Goodman.