Old Windsor shown within Berkshire
| Old Windsor | |
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Old Windsor shown within Berkshire |
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| Population | 4775 |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Unitary authority | Windsor and Maidenhead |
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Berkshire | |
Old Windsor is a large village in the English county of Berkshire.
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Old Windsor is located just south of the town of Windsor and near to the villages of Englefield Green and Datchet. It sits on the River Thames, and provides a pleasant walk along the river's edge to Old Windsor Lock in the summer.
Old Windsor was originally the site of an important palace of the Saxon Kings. Certainly the settlement is documented as a defended royal manor in Edward the Confessor's time (1060s), but archaeological evidence suggests royal connections had existed since at least 9th century. Old Windsor was popular with the monarch because of its convenient location: near the river for transport and Windsor Forest for hunting. Old Windsor was also an early minster location and market, probably associated with a lock (hence the need for a winch) and important riverside mill complex. The Saxon palace was eventually superseded by the Norman castle - Windsor Castle - at 'New' Windsor. The medieval manor house, however, became a popular Royal hunting lodge, at a time when the castle was a fortress rather than a comfortable residence. 'Old' Windsor has this prefix due to the movement up the Thames to 'New' Windsor, originally because of a chickenpox epidemic, that is also responsible for the madness of King George
Windsor Great Park is largely within the bounds of Old Windsor, including both the Royal and Cumberland Lodges.
Old Windsor is the home of several famous people, including golfer Nick Faldo, Sir Elton John, who lives at Woodside on the edge of the Great Park, and also Lisa Scott-Lee from the pop group Steps. The actress Geraldine McEwan was born in Old Windsor.
Old Windsor is home of several sports and leisure club/teams including:
Approximately 5 minutes drive from Windsor and 20 minutes from Heathrow. Near to M4 and M25 motorways. The nearest train station is located in Datchet and is just under three miles away.
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