Sashes Island facts for kids
Sashes Island is a cool island located in the River Thames in England. You can find it near the town of Cookham in Berkshire. Today, it's mostly open farmland, but it has some really old and interesting history from Roman and Anglo-Saxon times!
The island sits between a smaller part of the river called Hedsor Water and the main path for boats that leads to Cookham Lock. If you're in Cookham, you can walk to Sashes Island! You'll cross a few bridges over different parts of the River Thames, passing through Formosa Island and Mill Island first. The name "Sashes" comes from an old word, "Sceaftesege," which means "Sceaf’s Isle."
Exploring Sashes Island's Past
Roman Road and Ancient Bridge
Long, long ago, people believe a Roman road called Camlet Way crossed the River Thames right at Sashes Island. This important road connected big Roman towns like St. Albans and Silchester.
In the 1800s and again in 1969, people found old wooden poles and stakes here. These might be the remains of a strong bridge that the Romans built across the river. Some even think the name Cookham comes from an old Celtic word, "Cwch-ium," which means "Boat-Place," suggesting it was a busy river port.
Anglo-Saxon Fort and Defenses
Later, during Saxon times, Sashes Island was a very important place for defense. Alfred the Great, a famous king, had a special fort called a burh built here. This fort was meant to protect the area from attacks by the Danes.
In 914 AD, a document called the Burghal Hidage listed the defenses of "Sceaftessige" (Sashes Island) as being 4,125 feet long! That's a really long wall! Even though no signs of this fort have been found today, it might be because a new channel for the lock was dug in the 1830s, which changed the land a lot. Interestingly, some old Saxon weapons were found in that new channel.
