Maidenhead
| Maidenhead | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 31 ′ N , 0 ° 43 ′ W | ||
| OS National Grid | SU889811 | ||
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| Residents | 78,000 (as of 2001) | ||
| administration | |||
| Post town | MAIDENHEAD | ||
| ZIP code section | SL6 | ||
| prefix | 01628 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| region | South East England | ||
| Shire county | Berkshire | ||
| District | Windsor and Maidenhead | ||
| Website: maidenhead.co.uk | |||
Maidenhead is a city in Berkshire , England . It is located west of the Thames , about 41 km from London . The population is 58,848 (as of 2001).
history
Maidenhead is quite a young city compared to other English cities. The neighboring towns of Cookham and Bray are much older and were royal country houses even before Windsor was built in 1070. The small village of Elentone was about a mile north of present-day Maidenhead and had only about 50 inhabitants in 1086. The Norman knight Giles de Pinkney ran this village. His memory is kept near Pinkney's Green to the northwest of Maidenhead.
Elenton
A few years after 1200, a town arose halfway between Cookham, Bray and southern Elenton , which was called South Aylington, which can be derived from South Elenton. This little town was not far from the Thames and was constantly threatened by floods. Before 1255 a wooden bridge was built over the river. Now Heinrich III ordered . to widen the streets, which contributed significantly to the change in the infrastructure. Since South Aylington was exactly between London and Bristol , a large road, today's A4, ran right through the city.
Maydenheth
A wooden mooring was built near the bridge. This berth, the "Maiden Hythe" - which means "virgin ship landing " - was the origin for the name of this town, which was now called Maidenhead. At that time it was still spoken "Maydenheth", it was not until 1734 that the city got its name in today's pronunciation. The travelers who came over the bridge had to be fed, and so a new industry in Maidenhead was born. So it came about that four breweries were established in Maidenhead .
industrialization
The next big change for Maidenhead came with the introduction of the railroad in 1838. A railway bridge was built across the Thames that still stands today. But the railroad was more of a disadvantage for the city, because it decimated road traffic, which was of enormous importance for the economy at the time. Soon people realized that they could now live in the country and take the railroad into town to work. Maidenhead's population grew steadily and new businesses sprang up. Many new roads were built in the late 17th century. Along these streets in the center of the city one could now find beautiful elegant houses for the working class . The then Hotel Orkney Arms also changed its name to Skindle’s and became a very popular hotel.
Attractions
Sights in Maidenhead are the clock tower, which was built for the anniversary of Queen Victoria and the Maidenhead Bridge , which spans the Thames.
There are also a number of statues in the city.
The Braywick Nature Center has an exhibition on nature and the local nature reserve.
politics
The city is known as the constituency of the former British Prime Minister Theresa May . She has won her mandate for the British House of Commons here since 1997 .
Town twinning
Maidenhead has been actively exchanging information with the so-called "Twin Towns" for years. These are z. B. School exchanges, sporting events, music events and much more.
The sister cities of Maidenhead are:
- Bad Godesberg ( North Rhine-Westphalia ), since 1960
- Saint-Cloud ( France ), since 1957
- Frascati ( Italy ), since 1972
City personalities
The author Nick Hornby was born in Maidenhead in 1957. The site is also home to the headquarters of the Mercury Phoenix Trust . Jazz and fusion musician Dudley Phillips was born there in 1960. Drum and bass DJ and producer John B was born in Maidenhead in 1977 and still lives there today.
Numerous celebrities also live along the Thames in Maidenhead and neighboring villages, such as the TV presenter Michael Parkinson and the entertainer Rolf Harris .
The Beatles went to filming for their film Help! at Cliveden House at Maidenhead.
The Spice Girls lived in Maidenhead for a year shortly before their breakthrough as international pop stars, and the Redroofs Theater School in Maidenhead brought to light Hollywood star Kate Winslet , among others .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Braywick Nature Center. In: Maidenhead Town. Retrieved April 24, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Rt Hon Theresa May MP. Retrieved April 24, 2019 .