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96-505: Samuel Henry Drew was born in Maidenhead , Berkshire , England on 17 November 1844. His parents emigrated to Tasmania , Australia, where he grew up. He was sent to England to learn his father's trade of watchmaking. Shortly after his return to Tasmania, the family emigrated to Nelson, New Zealand . There, he married Catherine Alice Beatson, the daughter of the architect William Beatson, on 8 May 1872. He moved with his wife to Wanganui . He

192-405: A Catholic chapel that led to St Joseph's Church . Maidenhead clock tower was built for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and is located outside the railway station. Boulter's Lock is a lock on the river Thames on the east side of Maidenhead. It adjoins Ray Mill Island . In addition the town has a range of various statues which form part of a recognisable image of the town, including the 'Boy and

288-469: A covered bridge that links Morris House of Marlborough College to the North Block of the same establishment. The college is an independent boarding school established in 1843 using some of the buildings that remained after the demise of the coaching trade, which saw the original Castle Inn Coaching House close. The route continues westward through the village of Fyfield , across Overton Hill where there

384-564: A high railway bridge, then over the River Thames flood prevention channel. The road then goes over Maidenhead's old bridge Maidenhead Bridge , spanning the River Thames , and into the eastern outskirts of Maidenhead. Along Bridge Road, St Cloud Way and Bad Godesberg Way respectively. The centre of Maidenhead is reached at the roundabout that forms the junction with the A308 . Turning northwards on

480-458: A linear settlement in the 13th century along the newly diverted road with hostelries, a guildhall and a chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was built in the middle of the road. The market was held outside the old guildhall which was set back from the High Street to form the market square. Maidenhead also became the first stopping point for coaches travelling from London to Gloucester and Bath and

576-656: A local landmark, dates from 1777 and was built at a cost of £19,000. It takes the A4 over the Thames to join Maidenhead to Taplow. All Saints' Church, Boyne Hill was completed in 1857 and is an early work by the architect G. E. Street . The church, consecrated on 2 December 1857 by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce , became the first ecclesiastical parish in the Borough of Maidenhead. Ten years later, in 1867, his brother William Wilberforce junior founded

672-567: A new leisure centre in the town to replace the outdated Magnet Leisure Centre which is located east of Kidwells Park. The new facility, Braywick Leisure Centre, opened in September 2020. The town also has various community centres, including 4 Marlow Road, a youth and community centre, located to the side of Kidwells Park near the town centre. Various activities take place here, including scheduled youth drop in times as well as classes in dance provided privately in its large sports and dance studios. There

768-641: A postal office had been well established by the 1670s. The journey time to London at this period was about 16 and three quarter hours. A letter from Bath in 1684 took about 3 days going via a postal office in Marshfield on the Bristol Road. (The route to Bristol did not yet go through Bath at this time). Journey times during the Turnpike era fell with the improvements from 2 days in 1752 to 38 hours in 1782 and 18 hours by 1836. Royal Mail coaches in 1836 were able to do

864-546: A women's team and a large youth programme. The local newspaper is The Maidenhead Advertiser . Maidenhead has been the home of Maidenhead Citadel Band of the Salvation Army since 1886. The head office of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is based in Maidenhead on Marlow Road. Furthermore, various private companies have their head offices located around the town including, Johnson & Johnson,

960-507: Is Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe 14.5 km (9 mi) to the north. The University of Reading and University of West London (Berkshire Institute of Health-Reading) are both approximately 21 km (13 mi) to the south-west. Maidenhead is briefly mentioned in Jerome K. Jerome 's 1889 humorous novel, Three Men in a Boat , although the author makes clear he dislikes

1056-732: Is Chiswick Roundabout , which is the junction for both the North and South Circular Roads . The road then passes the Glaxo-Smith Kline premises in Brentford where it follows underneath its successor the M4 as far as the bridge over the River Brent . The stretch between Chiswick's western border to Syon Lane (Gillette Corner) is known as the Golden Mile with some notable Art Deco factories. The road remains as

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1152-475: Is Slough railway station , served by Great Western Railway. The roundabout was removed in 2011 and the university's Slough campus closed in 2011 after planning permission was granted for 1,598 flats. Continuing from the William Street / Wellington Street junction, in the centre of Slough , the road heads westwards towards Maidenhead. The short stretch of dual carriageway is Wellington Street, then briefly on

1248-646: Is a parking area at the start of the Ridgeway National Trail and through the village of West Kennett . On leaving West Kennett there are some lay-bys where visitors can walk a short distance from the road to the Neolithic West Kennet Long Barrow , which forms part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. One mile further along the A4 is Silbury Hill , which is also part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. A purpose built car park

1344-590: Is a publicly open gym at Furze Platt school, in North Maidenhead. The ( Brunel -built) Great Western Main Line and Elizabeth Line passes through the town, calling at Maidenhead railway station and offer direct services to London (Paddington and intermediate stations towards Liverpool Street, Shenfield, Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood) Reading , Didcot and an hourly direct Sunday service to Swindon . It passes over Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge (known locally as

1440-630: Is at about the midway point of the journey between London and Bristol and was ideally positioned to take advantage of the increase in coaching. In 1836, five companies operated a coaching service through Hungerford. This peak was to be short-lived following the construction of the Great Western Railway . The decline in coaching traffic in Hungerford coincided with the building of the Great Western Railway from London to Bath and Bristol, and

1536-469: Is junction 5 of the M4 (Slough-East) known as the Langley junction. At this point the A4 loses its trunk road classification. Continuing towards Slough town centre, the road, now named London Road, passes Kedermister Park on the right. Changing into Sussex Place, the architecturally impressive St Bernard's former convent is on the right. Becoming the dual carriageway Wellington Street (a late 1960s bypass for

1632-567: Is linked to Maidenhead by the exclusive Fishery Estate which lies on the west bank of the Thames. To the east, on the opposite side of the river from Maidenhead, is the large village of Taplow in Buckinghamshire which almost adjoins the suburban village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire , which itself nearly adjoins the urban area of the large, industrial town of Slough . To the north are the Cookhams , Cookham Village, Cookham Rise and Cookham Dean. To

1728-635: Is located beyond the hill on the right travelling westward. As the route approaches the Beckhampton roundabout, which forms the intersection with the A361 , it passes by the Waggon & Horses Inn, built in 1669 to profit from the increasing trade along the old Bath Road. It is mentioned in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens . The route continues past Cherhill . The Cherhill White Horse can be seen to

1824-475: Is named after Henry Reitlinger, a leading collector of fine art. On his death in 1950, the collection was vested in a trust, the Henry Reitlinger Bequest. The trustees were his adopted daughter, Mrs. M. Cocke, and a Maidenhead solicitor, who chose to house the collection at Oldfield House, now a private residence; the building dates back to 1892. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has built

1920-508: Is on the left as the road enters Thatcham. At the roundabout after the industrial Estate the route follows London Road and passes Thatcham towards Benham Hill and Newbury . At the Benham Hill roundabout it goes along Bath Road where it deviates from Turnpike Road. Bath Road is the original turnpiked road and the road now confusingly called Turnpike Road was originally called The Shaw Road. The turnpike then continues along London Road as it enters

2016-451: Is under construction. Part of the scheme involves restoring the old Thames tributaries which run through a historic section of the town centre. The redevelopment will bring an attractive waterfront quarter with new apartments, boutique stores, restaurants, bars, and cafes are to be a feature this new part of the town centre. The adjoining historic section of the High Street around the 18th century Chapel Arches Bridge has been restored as part of

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2112-485: Is unknown, there is documented and physical evidence of Roman settlement in the town. There are two well known villa sites in the town, one being in the suburb of Cox Green , and the other just west of the town centre on Castle Hill. This villa sat on the route of the Camlet Way which was a Roman road linking Silchester ( Calleva Atrebatum ) and Colchester ( Camulodunum ) via St Albans ( Verulamium ) and passes through

2208-521: The Borough of Hounslow , passing Fuller's Brewery . After Hogarth Roundabout , the road passes Hogarth's House and is called Hogarth Lane, then Ellesmere Road and Cedars Road. It becomes the Great West Road again just a few yards short of the start of Chiswick Flyover , which is junction 1 of the M4. Gunnersbury 's Russian Orthodox Cathedral is clearly visible on the right. The next major intersection

2304-643: The Department for Work and Pensions , a local Jobcentre Plus which is located in Park Street. It is open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday (10am on Wednesday) and offers help in finding employment, including the National Careers Service. In addition, as part of the UK Government roll out of the new social care benefit system, Maidenhead is now a Universal Credit Full Service area. Situated on the River Thames,

2400-623: The Elizabeth Line through the Thames Valley since 2022. Local bus services are provided by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley , Arriva Shires & Essex and Thames Valley Buses . The A4 runs through the town and crosses the Thames over Maidenhead Bridge . The town lies adjacent to junction 8/9 on the M4 motorway and is accessed via the A404(M) and A308(M) . The A308(M), A404(M) and A404 form

2496-733: The Ismaili Centre , and onto Cromwell Road , past the Natural History Museum . At Earls Court , the A4 becomes dual carriageway , and continues along West Cromwell Road, over the West London Line into West Kensington and the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . A 5-mile (8.0 km) section of the road from Knightsbridge to the Chiswick Flyover was the first section of Clearway designated in London. It introduced no stopping on

2592-635: The M40 at junction 2. To the south, it goes towards the M4 (junction 6, Slough Centre) and Windsor . The route at this point runs parallel to both the Great Western Main Line and the M4. The road continues past the southern fringe of Slough Trading Estate . On Slough's western boundary is the Huntercombe Spur roundabout linking the A4 to junction 7 of the M4 motorway. Here the dual carriageway ends. The road bends right at Taplow and passes under

2688-481: The Marlow and Maidenhead bypass which also acts as an important link between the M4, to the south of the town, and M40 at High Wycombe . The River Thames runs 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) to the east of the town centre, and York Stream, which runs through the town centre, connects to the Thames via a system of disused waterways . A renewal scheme is in progress to reopen these waterways. The Jubilee River , part of

2784-571: The River Kennet on the outskirts of the town at the same time as intersecting with the A338 . The route does not enter the town centre, but continues through the northern part of town on its way to Marlborough , via the village of Froxfield and the northern edge of Savernake Forest . On entering the outskirts of Marlborough the road follows London Road. Crossing the River Kennet again it briefly shares

2880-454: The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire , England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames , which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire . In the 2021 Census, the Maidenhead built-up area had a population of 67,375. The town is situated 27 miles (43 km) west of Charing Cross , London and 13 miles (21 km) east-northeast of

2976-458: The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead . Much of the Maidenhead urban area is unparished , but some outlying parts of the built-up area are included in civil parishes , notably at Cox Green to the south-west and Bray to the south. The borough council is based in Maidenhead, having its main offices at Maidenhead Town Hall on St Ives Road, which had been completed in 1962 for the former Maidenhead Borough Council. The town of Maidenhead

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3072-448: The county town of Reading . The town gives its name to the Maidenhead constituency , which extends beyond the town to also include various nearby villages. The antiquary John Leland claimed that the area around Maidenhead's present town centre was a small Roman settlement called Alaunodunum. He stated that it had all but disappeared by the end of the Roman occupation. Although his source

3168-549: The A308 would lead to the A404 towards Marlow and High Wycombe . Southwards, the A308 heads towards Windsor and provides an opportunity to branch off for junction 8/9 of the M4. Heading out of Maidenhead town centre, the road follows Castle Hill and then Bath Road. At the outskirts, the road forms part of junction 9b of the A404(M)/A404, which links junction 8/9 of the M4 with junction 4 of

3264-725: The A4 turns left in a southerly direction at another roundabout. The route heads downhill over the River Avon on the Avenue La Fleche , named after one of Chippenham's twin towns, to the Bridge Centre roundabout. The Bridge Centre roundabout forms a junction of the A4 with the A420 Bristol Road. The route heads over Rowden Hill past the Chippenham Community Hospital and down to the spot where musician Eddie Cochran

3360-721: The American multi-national pharmaceutical. The schools listed below consist of various types of schools including free schools and academies. Although the town only has the one college, most students entering college level education travel to the various establishments in the area, including the Windsor Forest Colleges Group (formerly East Berkshire College) in both Windsor (Berkshire) and Langley , Slough as well as The Henley College in Oxfordshire and Reading College (Berkshire). The closest higher education institution

3456-474: The Bath Road was easy to maintain and many inns and towns became prosperous. Tollhouses were established at Colnbrook , Maidenhead , Twyford , Castle Street Reading , Thatcham and Benham . During the 1820s, the employment of good surveyors improved the condition of the road and aided an increased flow of wealthy travellers. The tolls raised from such clientele ensured that when the turnpike trusts handed over

3552-545: The Bath Road. It passes Prospect Park , and the suburbs of Southcote , Horncastle and Calcot , before reaching Junction 12 of the M4. The A4 heads south westerly through Theale and over the roundabout connecting it to the A340 which heads towards Pangbourne. Heading towards Thatcham , the road passes Aldermaston Wharf next to the Kennet and Avon Canal and through the villages of Woolhampton and Midgham . A large industrial estate

3648-667: The Boat' location at the top end of the High Street, near the Methodist Church. Maidenhead has a long history of settlement, going back to the Anglo-Saxon and Roman periods. Despite this, there are no visible architectural remains in the present day town to show this. Although there are attractive residential and green areas in and around Maidenhead, the historic heart of the town has been redeveloped, primarily with office space, high technology company headquarters and apartments, making it one of

3744-707: The City of Westminster via Aldwych and the Strand , passing notable landmarks such as the Royal Courts of Justice , the Savoy and Adelphi theatres , and Charing Cross railway station . From Charing Cross station to Green Park , the westbound and eastbound routes of the A4 are considerably different, due to one-way systems. Westbound, the A4 continues along the Strand up to Charing Cross itself, then along Cockspur Street and into Pall Mall ,

3840-676: The Great West Road through Osterley and Hounslow where it splits with the A30 , which is known as the Great South West Road. Between the two world wars, the Great West Road was built as a bypass to relieve traffic congestion in Brentford and Hounslow. After the A30, the A4 changes its name to Bath Road, enters Cranford , and crosses the River Crane into the Borough of Hillingdon . It then passes along

3936-572: The High Street), Tesco's massive "aircraft hangar" supermarket is on the right and the Queensmere and Observatory Shopping Centres on the left. The end of this section of the Great Western Road is in the centre of Slough at the junction of William Street and Wellington Street. This spot was formerly the site of Slough's largest roundabout on the south-east corner of Thames Valley University. Nearby

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4032-528: The High Street, the site of which is now a branch of the NatWest Bank . A plaque commemorates their meeting. When the Great Western Railway came to the town, it began to expand. Muddy roads were replaced and public services were installed. The High Street began to change again, and substantial Victorian red brick architecture began to appear throughout the town. Maidenhead Citadel Corps of the Salvation Army

4128-411: The High Street. There are also plans to demolish the 1960s Nicholsons shopping centre and replace it with a new retail and residential quarter built around a network of revived historic streets and a micro brewery. A new town square featuring shops, restaurants and apartments is currently under construction between the central library and town hall . The Chapel Arches retail and residential development

4224-810: The London Road again, it crosses the junction of the A3290 next to Palmer Park , which leads to Junction 10 of the M4. The A4 goes over the intersection with the A329 Cemetery Junction which links Wokingham with Pangbourne , passing the Royal Berkshire Hospital and the London Road Campus of the University of Reading . At London Street and again at Southampton Street, the A4 meets the A327 twice, since

4320-456: The M40 at Handy Cross. The A4 crosses open countryside before following New Bath Road on the outskirts of Twyford . This is a bypass, built in 1929, that deviates from the old route of the A4, and crosses the River Loddon on its way into the suburbs of Reading via the village of Charvil. The A4 passes the King George's Field in Sonning , which are used as playing fields, and the Reading Cricket and Hockey Club . As it enters Reading, along

4416-478: The New Economics Foundation rated Maidenhead as an example of a clone town and the town centre is regarded as in need of improvement. In December 2007, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead set up the Partnership for the Regeneration of Maidenhead (PRoM), which in October 2008 launched a comprehensive 20 Year Vision and Action Plan for rejuvenating the town centre. Launch of the plan coincided with confirmation by central government that Maidenhead will be part of

4512-402: The Sounding Arch), famous for its flat brick arches. Maidenhead Station is the beginning of the Marlow Branch Line from Maidenhead to Marlow, Buckinghamshire ; Furze Platt railway station on this branch also serves the northern area of Maidenhead. Rail services for all services from Maidenhead have been provided by Great Western since 2003–04, and more recently, TfL Rail who have operated

4608-723: The borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (which was allowed to use the style ' royal borough ' that had previously been used by Windsor ). The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead became a unitary authority in 1998 when it took over the functions of the abolished Berkshire County Council . The Maidenhead urban area includes urban and suburban regions within the bounds of the town, called Maidenhead Court, North Town, Furze Platt, Pinkneys Green , Highway, Tittle Row, Boyn Hill, Fishery and Bray Wick; as well as adjoining built-up areas in surrounding civil parishes : Cox Green and Altwood in Cox Green parish, Woodlands Park in White Waltham parish, and part of Bray Wick in Bray parish. Bray village

4704-432: The country. The Local Government Act 1894 directed that parishes were no longer allowed to straddle borough boundaries, and so a parish called Maidenhead was created covering the same area as the borough, and the parishes of Bray and Cookham were reduced to just cover the areas outside the borough. The municipal borough and parish of Maidenhead were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , becoming part of

4800-476: The development. Existing Georgian and Victorian buildings have been rejuvenated, and the adjoining new builds have been sensitively constructed in the same historic style to bring back a sense of history and lost heritage to this part of the town centre. Maidenhead was home to the amateur radio conference that agreed on the Maidenhead Locator System standard in 1980. It is located in grid square ​IO91pm . The average house price in Maidenhead in January 2021

4896-422: The east side of the Square, past South Africa House , then right along Duncannon Street to reach Charing Cross station. The first part of Regent Street , from Waterloo Place to Piccadilly Circus, is also signed as the A4; all traffic here runs in a northbound direction. From Green Park, the A4 enters a short tunnel under Hyde Park Corner , where Wellington Arch is located. Afterwards, the road continues along

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4992-410: The ferry in South Ellington. The Great West Road to Reading , Gloucester and Bristol was diverted over the new bridge. Previously, it had kept to the north bank and crossed the Thames by ford at Cookham , and the medieval town, later to become Maidenhead grew up on the site of Alaunodunum and South Ellington, between the new bridge and the bottom of Castle Hill. Within a few years a new wharf

5088-431: The first part of Knightsbridge , before bearing left onto Brompton Road . This is an affluent area of London, in which the Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores are located as well as numerous embassies . At this point, the road enters the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . At the Brompton Oratory , the road bears right along Thurloe Place and Cromwell Gardens, past the Victoria and Albert Museum and

5184-518: The flood defence scheme, begins above Boulter's Lock nearby. In the initial plan for Crossrail , Maidenhead was expected to become the terminus for the line, now known as the Elizabeth line. However, after consultation Crossrail Limited and Transport for London decided to extend this to Reading , which also serves as a major hub for the Great Western route. Some of the stopping services from Paddington to Reading were taken over in 2018 by Crossrail's precursor company, TfL Rail . The full timetable

5280-400: The highway with the A346 which connects northwards to Swindon . It splits again at a roundabout along New Road and Oxford Street into the town centre on the High Street. The High Street is a traditional main thoroughfare for an English market town, in that it is wide, with space for market stalls on either side and in the middle, though these spaces are usually marked for car parking. Until

5376-440: The junction with the A342 Devizes road and a right turn past the Lysley Arms towards Chippenham . On the outskirts of Chippenham is a large roundabout, where the A4 used to carry straight on down London Road and The Causeway into the town centre, which has since been pedestrianised. Most traffic turns left to go round the Pewsham Estate relief road called Pewsham Way, which is now the classified A4 route. After four roundabouts,

5472-420: The key business and commuter towns of the Silicon Corridor . This has happened in piecemeal fashion over the last forty years and Maidenhead town centre has lost most many historic buildings and much of its traditional English market town character. The High Street and Bridge Street areas only possess one heavily restored Medieval building and a handful of Georgian buildings in the Chapel Arches area. Research by

5568-437: The king charged him with building six "Great Roads" to aid in the delivery of the post, of which the Great West Road was one. It was not until the 17th century that a distinct route between London and Bristol started to resemble today's road. During the 17th century, the A4 was known as the Great Road to Bristol. When Queen Anne started patronising the spa city of Bath , the road became more commonly known as Bath Road. Over

5664-499: The late 1980s most of this section, and some of the following Wiltshire section, was configured as three lanes, with the central lane available for overtaking traffic in either direction. This is no longer considered safe so the road now has one wider-than-normal lane in each direction, with ghost islands at junctions to discourage overtaking at these points. The A4 continues along the High Street on its way out of Marlborough via Bridewell Street and Bath Road. The road passes underneath

5760-423: The latter loops round on two branches which meet at Whitley Street. Between the two junctions, the A4 becomes Crown Street for approximately 150 metres. On the other side of the intersection the A4 follows Pell Street and continues westward. Here it crosses the River Kennet , the Holy Brook and the A33 relief road, which goes towards Basingstoke . In West Reading , the A4 becomes Berkeley Avenue, and then

5856-412: The left, and nearby the Lansdowne Monument . The route then descends the Labour in Vain Hill through the village of Quemerford and into the market town of Calne . Heading towards the town centre, the road crosses a double mini roundabout, one exit forming the junction with the A3102 to Melksham. It follows New Road and passes by the old coaching inn of the Lansdowne Strand. On the way out of Calne,

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5952-485: The location of many exclusive gentlemen's clubs as well as the Institute of Directors , before turning right along St James's Street to reach Piccadilly . Eastbound from Green Park, the A4 runs along the full length of Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus , before turning right along Haymarket . It bears left along Pall Mall East, then right along the west side of Trafalgar Square , past the National Gallery and Canada House , to Charing Cross. Finally, it bears left along

6048-402: The main route from London to Bath, Bristol and the west of England and formed, after the A40 , the second main western artery from London. Although most traffic is carried by the M4 motorway today, the A4 still acts as the main route from Bristol to London for non-motorway traffic. The A4 has gone through many transformations through the ages from pre-Roman routes, Roman roads (such as

6144-459: The most western end of the High Street, over the railway bridge for the line between Slough and Windsor Central Station. The Bath Road begins on the west side of the bridge. On the left is Slough's 1936 Town Hall, now abandoned by the local council, and on the right Salt Hill Park. The next major road intersection is by the Three Tuns Pub where the A4 crosses the A355 . This road goes north towards Farnham Royal, Farnham Common, Beaconsfield and

6240-416: The museum, but died of a heart attack on 18 December 1901, aged 57. He had health problems before his death. The museum, which is still in public ownership, is now known as the Whanganui Regional Museum and is located in Drews Avenue, Whanganui. This New Zealand biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in

6336-426: The new Crossrail project. PRoM's plans highlight five key developments which will help shape the town for the future. A large new retail and residential development called 'The Landing' is due for construction shortly. Additionally there will be an upgraded railway station and transport interchange, movement of the leisure centre to Braywick Park, relocating the bowls club and improved links between Kidwells Park and

6432-402: The new county councils . The tollgate on the Bath Road west of Reading was removed in 1864 as the outward pressure of urban development made rates a more acceptable way of financing the maintenance of what was now a suburban road. With the improvement being made to the road systems, the business of moving mail became easier and thus more profitable as volumes were able to increase. In Bristol,

6528-418: The northern boundary of Heathrow Airport , before leaving the London suburbs over the M25 towards the west. After leaving Heathrow Airport, still the A4, it becomes the Colnbrook Bypass and climbs over the M25 motorway. This bypass for the narrow main road of Colnbrook was built after the Second World War across farmland between Harmondsworth and the outskirts of Langley . The next major intersection

6624-434: The old route of the A34. After the junction, the road heads out of town through Speenhamland along Western Avenue and Bath Road to the junction with the A34 Newbury bypass , which was opened, after some controversy, on 17 November 1998, at a cost of £104 million. The route heads over undulating countryside in a fairly straight westward direction towards Hungerford , parallel to the Kennet and Avon Canal and crossing

6720-459: The one passing Silbury Hill ), and basic wagon tracks. During the Middle Ages, most byways and tracks served to connect villages with their nearest market town. A survey of Savernake Forest near Hungerford in 1228 mentions "The King's Street" running between the town and Marlborough . This street corresponded roughly with the route of the modern A4. In 1632, Thomas Witherings was appointed Postmaster of Foreign Mails by Charles I. Three years later,

6816-413: The outskirts of Newbury. Heading towards the centre of Newbury, the route passes the West Berkshire Community Hospital on the right. To the North of the town centre the road becomes part of an unusual junction with the A339 that links the new A34 by-pass to the north with Basingstoke to the south. The junction is a combination of a figure of eight roundabout with an elevated section that used to be

6912-584: The planned western terminus for the Crossrail line (to and through London) until Reading station, situated 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Maidenhead, was chosen. Maidenhead lies immediately west of the Taplow ridge; a wooded spur of the Chilterns which rises dramatically above one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames. The ridge is crowned by the spectacular Cliveden House which can be seen from various parts of

7008-519: The present town centre was originally a small Anglo-Saxon town known as "South Ellington". The town would have likely developed on the Camlet Way on the site of Alaunodunum as the Bath Road was not re-routed until the 13th century. Maidenhead is recorded in the Domesday Book as the settlement of Ellington in the hundred of Beynhurst. A wooden bridge was erected across the river in about 1280 to replace

7104-532: The present town centre. Remnants of the road have been unearthed at various locations nearby, but its exact route is unclear. Maidenhead's name stems from the riverside area where the first "New wharf " or "Maiden Hythe" was built, as early as Saxon times . In the year 870, an army of Danes invaded the kingdom of Wessex . They disembarked from their longboats by the wharf and ferry crossing at Maidenhead and fought their way overland to Reading where they set up camp and made it their regional power base. The area of

7200-525: The road during rush hours on 21 August 1961. The A4 continues along Talgarth Road past the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . The road becomes elevated at the Hammersmith Flyover and heads towards Heathrow Airport as the Great West Road, passing Hammersmith's two churches of St Paul and St Peter . At this point the road is close to the River Thames . The road enters Chiswick and

7296-577: The road goes along Curzon Street, and then to Chilvester Hill at the roundabout where the northern part of the A3102 splits off towards Lyneham . The A4 descends steeply before climbing again up Black Dog Hill past the Bowood House Estate. The old road used to pass through Derry Hill , but the New Road, as it is called at this point, indicates that the village was bypassed. There follows a steep descent to

7392-600: The route to local highway boards , they had no financial liabilities. Justices of the peace were empowered by the Highway Act 1862 to combine turnpike trusts into highways districts. This meant that by the late 1860s trusts were either not renewing their powers or were being terminated by general Acts of Parliament. For example, most turnpikes in Berkshire, including the Bath Road, were officially wound up by 1878 when legislation transferred responsibility for dis-enturnpiked roads to

7488-586: The subsequent Berks and Hants Railway line from Newbury to Hungerford itself in 1847. By 1843, it was reported that the stage coaches had ceased running between Bristol and London. The A4 begins as New Fetter Lane in the City of London at Holborn Circus on the A40 . It goes in a southerly direction to join Fleet Street where many British national newspapers at one time had their head offices. The road heads west through

7584-522: The town became populated with numerous inns . By the mid 18th century, Maidenhead was one of the busiest coaching towns in England with over ninety coaches a day passing through the town. The late 18th-century Bear Hotel on the High Street is the best of the town's old coaching inns surviving to this day. King Charles I met his children for the last time before his execution in 1649 at the Greyhound Inn on

7680-584: The town is a rowing centre. Maidenhead Rowing Club organises the Maidenhead Regatta which, along with Marlow Regatta and Henley Regatta , is often seen as a testing ground for Olympic rowing athletes. Maidenhead has often seen winners go on to represent the United Kingdom at the Olympic Games. The town's football team, Maidenhead United , play at York Road , which is the oldest football ground in

7776-557: The town. A number of notable figures can be counted amongst Maidenhead's current and former residents. A4 road (England) The A4 is a major road in England from Central London to Avonmouth via Heathrow Airport , Reading , Bath and Bristol . It is historically known as the Bath Road with newer sections including the Great West Road and Portway . The road was once

7872-652: The town. Maidenhead has a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the northern outskirts of the town called Cannoncourt Farm Pit , where the largest hand axe of the paleolithic era in Britain was discovered. The town also has a local nature reserve called The Gullet . On 12 July 1901 Maidenhead entered the UK Weather Records with the Highest 60-min total rainfall at 92 mm (3.6 in). As of January 2024, this record remains. The current Maidenhead Bridge ,

7968-492: The trip in 12 to 13 hours. Further improvements to regional post services were made between 1719 and 1763 due to contracts with the London Inland Letter Office negotiated by Ralph Allen , the postmaster of Bath. In the early part of the 19th century, coaching was at its height with six stagecoaches each day carrying passengers to and from London along the Bath Road in 1830, rising to ten by 1836. Hungerford

8064-595: The west is the area of Pinkneys Green. These lie south of the Berkshire- Buckinghamshire border, which is formed by the River Thames (which then bends southwards to form the Maidenhead-Taplow border). Adjoining Bray and Bray Wick to the south is the suburban village of Holyport . Continuing by road to the South-East leads to the historic, royal twin towns of Windsor and Eton . Maidenhead was originally

8160-471: The world continuously used by the same team. Maidenhead United were crowned champions of National League South at the end of the 2016/17 season. Due to this, the team were automatically promoted to the National League (fifth tier of English Football) for the 2017/18 season. The Maidenhead Rugby Club was founded in 1921 and is the largest organised sports team in the town. It consists of four men's teams,

8256-407: The years, the direction of the road has taken many detours depending on such factors as changes in tolls or turnpike patronage. For example, in 1750 the toll road from London was altered to go through Melksham ; and in 1695 the map maker, John Ogilby, produced a map of the Hungerford area of the Great West Road showing two possible routes. As Bath became more popular with the wealthy and famous, it

8352-584: Was a significant collector of molluscs , birds , and beetles , and exchanged specimens with Julius von Haast . Andreas Reischek helped him classify his collections on occasions, which were displayed at his family house in Wanganui. When the visiting public put too much pressure on the family, Drew agreed to have his collection given away, and it formed the nucleus of the Wanganui Public Museum, which opened on 24 March 1895. Drew became honorary curator of

8448-519: Was constructed next to the bridge to replace the old Saxon wharf which needed replacing. At this time, the South Ellington name was dropped with the town becoming known as Maidenhythe. The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296. The new bridge and wharf led to the growth of medieval Maidenhead as a river port and market town . The present town was developed as

8544-553: Was elected MP in 1997 and has represented Maidenhead until she stood down in 2024. The seat is now held by Joshua Reynolds of the Liberal Democrats . Maidenhead was incorporated as a borough in 1582. The borough straddled the parishes of Bray and Cookham . It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised how most boroughs operated across

8640-591: Was established in 1993 and moved to permanent premises in a former pub in Park Street in 2006. In the Boyne Hill area there is Norden Farm Centre for the Arts (an arts centre including a theatre ). Waltham Place Estate on Church Hill is an 200-acre (80 ha) organic and biodynamic farm estate, with an ornamental garden, which is supported by the Campaign to Protect Rural England . The Reitlinger Open Space on Guards Club Road

8736-428: Was first opened in the town in the mid-1880s. Maidenhead Citadel Band was soon founded in 1886 by Bandmaster William Thomas, who later became mayor of the town. By Edwardian times, nearby Boulter's Lock became a favoured resort, especially on Ascot Sunday , and Skindles Hotel developed a reputation for illicit liaisons. There is one main tier of local government covering Maidenhead, at unitary authority level:

8832-555: Was formerly part of the Windsor and Maidenhead Parliament constituency, a Conservative safe seat. The Boundary Commission abolished this constituency for the 1997 general election since the electorate had become too large, splitting it into the new seats of Windsor and Maidenhead . Maidenhead had been held by the Conservative Party in every election since its foundation in 1997 until 2024 . The former Prime Minister, Theresa May

8928-510: Was inevitable that turnpike trusts would be set up under the terms of the Turnpike Acts to pay for maintenance and improvements to the road. The first turnpike on this road was between Reading and Theale in 1714. Due to increasing traffic, sections of the road between Kensington , over Hounslow Hill, to Twyford were turnpike by 1717 with the remaining sections placed under turnpike trusts. As turnpike trusts were individually run, there

9024-628: Was introduced during the phased opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022. Just 2 miles to the south-west of the town lies White Waltham Airfield , a base for general aviation and flight training. Maidenhead is in England's Silicon Corridor along the M4 motorway west of London. Many residents commute to work in London , or to the nearby towns of Slough , Bracknell and Reading . Maidenhead's industries include software, plastics, pharmaceuticals , printing and telecommunications. The town also has an office for

9120-467: Was the possibility for greatly differing road conditions, especially over the London Clay basin of Kensington , Brentford , Hounslow and Slough , where winter conditions left the way muddy and uneven. This was not always the case with the Bath Road, as many of the wealthy landowners along the route co-operated informally and exercised a large amount of control over feeder roads. As a result, control of

9216-412: Was £540,940. Maidenhead offers High Street shopping facilities including Nicholson's Centre, a shopping centre on the site of Nicholson's brewery. The town also offers an eight-screen Odeon multiplex cinema. The local authority also provides a Shopmobility service, where those with physical disabilities can borrow mobility scooters to navigate around the town. Maidenhead Heritage Centre and Museum

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