| Sunningdale | |
Level crossing on the A30 |
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Sunningdale
Sunningdale shown within Berkshire |
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| Population | 4,875 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SU955675 |
| Parish | Sunningdale |
| Unitary authority | Windsor and Maidenhead |
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Ascot |
| Postcode district | SL5 |
| Dialling code | 01344 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Windsor |
| List of places: UK • England • Berkshire | |
Sunningdale is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England.
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Sunningdale is located close to the present border with Surrey, and is not far from Ascot, Sunninghill and Virginia Water. It is situated 24 miles (38 km) west of London and 7 miles (11 km) east of Camberley on the A30 old trunk road. Sunningdale has a railway station on the Waterloo to Reading line which has a level crossing on the A30, often causing considerable delay.
Essentially meaning 'Sunna’s Valley,' this place-name actually derives from Sunninghill Dale. It was one of the outposts of the followers of the Saxon chief, Sunna, whose settlements were centred on Sonning. They carved themselves a little village out of the wilds of Windsor Forest, always a risky area in which to live and even more so to travel through. Chobham Common and Bagshot Heath once stretched over much of Sunningdale. They were well known for bandits and were frequented by highwaymen as late as the early 19th century. The village has always relied on the local transportation routes for its prosperity. From the London to Silchester road of Roman times, later known as the 'Devil’s Highway,' to the modern A30.
On the southern edge of Sunningdale, there was once a medieval nunnery known as Bromhall Priory. A daughter house of Chertsey Abbey, it was a rather a poor monastic house founded in the 12th century and dissolved in 1535. The modern church at Sunningdale is somewhat more recent, as the old parish church was always at Old Windsor. It is best known for its monument to Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a well-known sculptor who lived at ‘St. Bruno House’ in Charters Road.
The present-day civil parish of Sunningdale came into existence in 1894 under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1894; the village had previously been part of Old Windsor.[1] It was, until 1995, partly in Berkshire and partly in Surrey. The Surrey area of the village, known as Broomhall, was also split between the boroughs of Surrey Heath and Runnymede. This original arrangement caused problems and was resolved only after much consultation locally between the two county councils, three borough councils and four parish councils. As a result, Sunningdale is now situated entirely in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in the Royal County of Berkshire. The area is also popular with professional golfers due to the proximity of Sunningdale Golf Club and Wentworth Golf Club.[1] It is home to many large and expensive dwellings, two examples being Coworth House and Fort Belvedere.
The Sunningdale Agreement was signed at Sunningdale Park, at the Civil Service Staff College (now the National School of Government) on 9 December 1973, part of the Northern Ireland peace process.[2]
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