Twyford, Berkshire
Twyford | |
Twyford Twyford shown within Berkshire | |
Population | 6,216 [citation needed] |
---|---|
OS grid reference | SU7976 |
Civil parish | Ruscombe |
Unitary authority | Wokingham |
Ceremonial county | Berkshire |
Region | South East |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Reading |
Postcode district | RG10 |
Dialling code | 0118 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Royal Berkshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
EU Parliament | South East England |
UK Parliament | Wokingham |
Website | Twyford Parish Council |
Twyford is a village and civil parish in the English Royal county of Berkshire with a population of about 7,000 people.[citation needed] It is in the Thames Valley at grid reference SU794752 on the A4 between Reading and Maidenhead, close to Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham.
History
The town's toponym is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and means double ford. It is a common name in England. Twyford had two fords, on the Old Bath Road to the west of the centre. Both are now bridged.
William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, spent the final years of his life in Ruscombe Fields, a property close to Twyford, and is remembered by a residential street named 'Pennfields'.
Twyford was primarily an agricultural settlement until the coming of the railway in 1838 put it on the main line to the west and subsequently made it a junction for the Henley Branch Line. However, its position on the Bath Road had always brought activity which was centred on the King's Arms, an important coaching inn. The opening of a by-pass in 1929 finally ended the east-west flow of main road traffic through the centre, but Twyford is still on a busy north-south route from Wokingham in the south to Henley in the north. The greatest expansion, however, has taken place since the Second World War, particularly in the last 50 years, with the construction of several estates north and south of the village. The population at the 2001 census was 6,216,[1] but Twyford is still affectionately known by the residents as a village.
Today
Twyford today is largely a commuter settlement for workers travelling to Reading, Maidenhead, Wokingham and, further afield, London. Local commerce and hence employment is limited by its closeness to the major conurbations of Reading and Maidenhead, where major shopping facilities are.
It does, however, have a Waitrose supermarket and other shops, which makes it the local centre for the northern part of Wokingham district. A Tesco Express opened in February 2012. The village is considered an affluent area where property prices are significantly higher than the national average (probably due to the fact that Twyford provides an easy route to London). Twyford also has one of the lowest levels of unemployment in the country.
Government
Twyford has its own parish council, and is also in the Borough of Wokingham, and the ceremonial county of Berkshire. Before this it was in Wokingham Rural District and the hundred of Charlton. Until 1895 Twyford was part of the parish of Hurst in the liberty of Broad Hinton. From the 13th century until 1844 Broad Hinton was a detached part of Wiltshire.
Transport
Situated in the Thames Valley, Twyford is 10 miles from the M4, M40 and M3 motorways and 25 miles (40 km) from the M25. Twyford railway station is on the Great Western Main Line and served by trains between Reading and London Paddington stations. These links make Twyford very popular with commuters. The town of Reading is 6 miles (10 km) to the west, with Maidenhead 7.5 miles (12 km) to the east and Henley-on-Thames 5 miles (8 km) to the north. London is 35 miles (56 km) to the east.
Amenities
Twyford has two recreation grounds, both owned and managed by the Parish Council. King George's Field (also called The Rec), between London Road and Wargrave Road has football pitches, three tennis courts, children's playgrounds and a youth shelter. A project to build a skate park and ball court in the field was completed in July 2008. Stanlake Meadow, off Waltham Road, has football pitches, a cricket square used by Twyford & Ruscombe Cricket Club and a pavilion which is also used as a nursery school. Stanlake Meadow has suffered from extensive drainage issues since 2011 meaning that large areas of it during winter months are occupied by puddles, some of which are several inches deep and a number of the football pitches are unplayable due to these large puddles. As far as dog and young child safety is concerned, King George's has gates on most of the entrances and is surrounded by roads with 30mph limits. In contrast Stanlake Meadow has a 60mph road on one side of it and Twyford Parish Council continues to refuse to put gates on entrances despite residents requests and a car collision fatality. Any comments on the state of the two parks should be addressed to Twyford Parish Council via their webpage at http://www.twyfordparishcouncil.co.uk/index-new.php/
Twyford also has a youth football club called Twyford Comets which plays on both recreation grounds.
Indoor sports clubs use the parish hall, Loddon Hall. This is a joint facility with the neighbouring parish of Ruscombe.
Twyford has a tennis club, a bowls club with its own green and claims to have the oldest Badminton club in the country.
Notable residents
The actor Dennis Price was born in Twyford.[citation needed] The Home Secretary and MP for Maidenhead Theresa May lives near Twyford, which is part of her constituency.
References
- ↑ Office for National Statistics[citation needed]
Further reading
- Ditchfield, P.H.; Page, W.H., eds. (1923). A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 3. Victoria County History. pp. 247–260.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 243.
External links
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