Thatcham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thatcham
Market town
The Broadway, Thatcham
Thatcham
Area	21.76 km2 (8.40 sq mi)
Population	25,267 (2011)
• Density	1,161/km2 (3,010/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SU5167
Civil parish	Thatcham
Unitary authority	West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	THATCHAM
Postcode district	RG18, RG19
Dialling code	01635
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Newbury
List of places UK England Berkshire 51°24′18″N 1°15′50″W / 51.405°N 1.264°W / 51.405; -1.264

Thatcham is an historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, centred 3 miles (5 km) east of Newbury, 14 miles (24 km) west of Reading and 54 miles (87 km) west of London.

History

The area has evidence of occupation dating from prehistoric times and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest claimant to being the oldest continuously inhabited place in Britain. The well-preserved remains of a Mesolithic settlements dating from 8400 to 7700 BC have been found in its vicinity. Evidence also exists of Bronze and Iron Age settlements and of a Roman town.

The name may have been derived from that of a Saxon chief called Tace (or perhaps Tac or Tec), who established a village in around AD 500. The settlement was known as Taceham - ham meaning village in Saxon. It is also possible that the name may have come from the Saxon þæc or thaec (thatch). Wherever it came from, the name Taceham persisted until after the Norman Conquest in 1066 before going through several minor changes until the current form was adopted in the 16th century.

Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr was erected around 1304

The town had a period of great prosperity around 1304 when the Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr on the A4, now called the Old Bluecoat School, was constructed. At that time the population was larger than Newbury's but it declined as a result of the Black Death in 1348. There is a Norman parish church of St. Mary, which was largely reconstructed in 1857. This is believed to be built on the same site as an earlier Saxon church. It was also previously known as St. Luke's.

In 1121 King Henry I founded the great Abbey of Reading and endowed it with many gifts of land, including the Manor of Thatcham. At the same time Thatcham Hundred ceased to exist: the western part was transferred to Faircross Hundred, and the remainder to the Hundred of Reading.

In 1141 Thatcham Church, previously the property of the Diocese of Salisbury, was granted to Reading Abbey by the Empress Matilda, who at the same time confirmed her father's gift of the manor to the Abbey.

Geography

Thatcham has a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) just to the south of the town, called Thatcham Reed Beds.

Thatcham ratings

The name "Thatcham" is brand-associated with the approval ratings for car security systems issued by the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre based near the town (see link below). For instance, "Thatcham Cat 1" (or just "Cat 1") is the approval for a combined car alarm and immobiliser, "Thatcham Cat 2" is for a standalone immobiliser and "Thatcham Cat 3" is for additional physical security devices such as steering wheel locks.

Various statistics

July 2007 flooding

Station Road during flooding

On July 20, 2007, parts of Thatcham were flooded during a period of sustained heavy rain, during which three times the average July monthly rainfall hit the town in just 24 hours. While the rivers did not overtop, the quantity of water flowing down the hills from Cold Ash and Bucklebury made many roads impassable and stranded hundreds of pupils at Kennet School who tried to wade with rope across Stoney Lane. About 1100 properties were affected; many residents moved out into mobile homes.

Town twinning

Thatcham is twinned with:

• Nideggen, Germany

Demography

Local employment is chiefly in light industrial premises, sales and distribution, retail and public sectors.

Sports and leisure

Waterside Park, the home of Thatcham Town

Thatcham is home to non-league football club Thatcham Town, who play their matches at Waterside Park, 300 metres (330 yd) south of the Thatcham railway station. The club reached the final of the FA Vase in the 2017–18 season, becoming the first Berkshire side to reach a national cup final. Thatcham Town Cricket Club is based at a ground on Brownsfield Road, next to the council offices. The Henwick Worthy Sports Ground is the home of the Newbury and Thatcham Hockey Club and the Thatcham Rugby Union Football Club, and plays host to a number of amateur and youth sports.

Transport

Thatcham railway station is on the Reading to Taunton line, with regular services between Reading and Newbury and between Paddington and Bedwyn, operated by Great Western Railway. The main east-west road through the town is the A4 Bath Road, which runs between London and Bristol. This road has been superseded as a long-distance route by the M4 motorway which runs almost parallel to the A4, about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north. The closest junction to the town is the Chieveley interchange at Junction 13.

See also

In Spanish: Thatcham para niños