Taplow
Coordinates: 51 ° 32 ′ N , 0 ° 41 ′ W
Taplow is a village in Buckinghamshire in England . It is on the banks of the Thames across from Maidenhead , around 35 km west of London . The name is originally Anglo-Saxon and means 'Tæppa's hill' (Tæppas hláw, hill).
history
Finds of a flint ax (dated approx. 3000 BC) as well as tools and ceramics from the Bronze Age (dated approx. 2000 BC) prove the presence of people in the Taplow area. Taplow has been permanently settled at least since the Iron Age. During excavations in 1999 on the site of Taplow Court , the remains of an approx. 3000 year old fortified settlement with space for approx. 200 people were found. Traces show that this hill fort must have been attacked and burned down.
It can be assumed that the defenses survived the Roman occupation, as fragments of Roman pottery were found.
Also next to Taplow Court is the burial mound of an Anglo-Saxon tribal chief from around 620 AD. The grave was opened in 1883. The grave goods are now in the British Museum in London. An exhibition of replicas can be seen in Taplow Court.
According to tradition, Birinus , Bishop of Dorchester around 635 , baptized residents who wanted to convert to Christianity in a pond. In the immediate vicinity of the pagan burial mound, the first small church was built in the 8th century. It was replaced by a larger medieval church in the 13th century.
In the Domesday Book , the English Imperial Land Register from 1086, Taplow is listed as Thapeslau .
Transport links
Taplow can be reached via the main road A4 (comparable to a federal highway in Germany ) London towards Bristol or via exits 7 or 8 of the M4 London-Bristol motorway. Taplow train station is near the A4 south of the village. It is approached by the Great Western Railway . In earlier times the proximity to the Thames played a decisive role for the transport of people and goods.
Personalities of the place
- William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough (1855–1945), British athlete, politician and sports official, lived on Taplow Court
- Nancy Astor (1879–1964), British politician, lived on Cliveden
- Terry Wogan (1938-2016), Irish-British radio and television presenter, died in Taplow
- Richard Sanderson (* 1953), Scottish singer, was born in Taplow
- Dave McKean (* 1963), British comic artist, graphic designer, photographer, children's book illustrator, jazz pianist and filmmaker, was born in Taplow
