Cookham

Cookham
Holy Trinity Church
Cookham  Cookham shown within Berkshire
Population	5,519 (2001)
OS grid reference	SU895855
Parish	Cookham
Unitary authority	Windsor and Maidenhead
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MAIDENHEAD
Postcode district	SL6
Dialling code	01628
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Maidenhead
List of places: UK • England • Berkshire

Cookham is a village and civil parish in the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames, notable as the home of the artist Stanley Spencer. It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Maidenhead close to the border with Buckinghamshire. It has a population of 5,519, and was deemed Britain's second richest village by The Daily Telegraph in 2011.

Geography

The area is made up of three villages:

• Cookham Village - the centre of the original village, with an attractive High Street which has changed little in appearance over the centuries.
• Cookham Dean - the most rural village.
• Cookham Rise - the bit in the middle that grew up around the village's railway station.

The village's neighbours are Maidenhead to the south, Bourne End to the north, Marlow & Bisham to the west and Taplow to the east.

The River Thames flows past Cookham on its way from Marlow to Taplow, and forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire. Several islands in the Thames belong to Cookham, such as Odney Island, Formosa Island and Sashes Island which separates Cookham Lock from Hedsor Water. The Lulle Brook and the White Brook are tributaries of the River Thames which flow through the parish.

A good amount of common land remains in the parish, such as Widbrook Common, Cookham Dean Common and Cock Marsh. Winter Hill affords excellent views over the Thames Valley.

Cookham is also home to the Chartered Institute of Marketing, based in Moor Hall. The John Lewis Partnership, one of the country's premier retailers, which runs John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, has a residential training and holiday centre based at Odney.

Local government

Cookham's municipal services are provided by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Cookham also has a parish council made up of fifteen councillors assisted by a part time parish clerk and an assistant. The local health services are managed by the East Berkshire PCT (Primary Care Trust) - NHS Services.

The ancient parish of Cookham covered all of Maidenhead north of the London and Bath Road until this area's severance in 1894. There were several manors: Cookham, Lullebrook, Elington, Pinkneys, Great Bradley, Bullocks, White Place and Cannon Court.

History

The area has been inhabited for thousands of years. There were several prehistoric burial mounds on Cock Marsh which were excavated in the 19th century and the largest stone axe ever found in Britain was one of 10,000 that has been dug up in nearby Furze Platt. The Roman Road called the Camlet Way is reckoned to have crossed the Thames at Sashes Island, now cut by Cookham Lock, on its way from St. Albans to Silchester. By the 8th century there was an Anglo-Saxon abbey in Cookham and one of the later abbesses was Cynethryth, widow of King Offa of Mercia. It became the centre of a power struggle between Mercia and Wessex. Later King Alfred made Sashes Island one of his burhs to help defend against Viking invaders. There was a royal palace here where the Witan met in 997.

It is recorded in the Domesday Book as Cocheham. The name may be from the Old English cōc + hām, meaning 'cook village', i.e. 'village noted for its cooks', although the first element may be derived from the Old English cōc(e) meaning 'hill'.

Although the earliest stone church building may date from 750 AD, the earliest identifiable part of the current Holy Trinity Church, Cookham is the Lady Chapel, which was built in the late 12th century on the site of the cell of a female hermit who lived next to the church and was paid a halfpenny a day by Henry II.

In the Middle Ages, most of Cookham was owned by Cirencester Abbey and the timber-framed 'Churchgate House' was apparently the Abbot's residence when in town. The Tarry Stone - still to be seen on the boundary wall of the Dower House - marked the extent of their lands.

The town people have resisted many attempts to enclose parts of the common land, including by the vicar, Rev. Thomas Whateley in 1799, Miss Isabella Fleming in 1869 (who wanted to stop nude bathing at Odney) and the Odney Estates in 1928 who wanted to enclose Odney Common. The Maidenhead and Cookham Commons Preservation committee was formed and raised £2,738 to buy the manorial rights and the commons which were then donated to the National Trust by 1937. These included Widbrook, Cockmarsh, Winter Hill, Cookham Dean Commons, Pinkneys Green Common and Maidenhead Thicket.

Transport

Cookham railway station

Cookham Village is on the A4094 between Maidenhead and Bourne End. The A404(M) motorway from Maidenhead to High Wycombe is just to the west of Cookham Dean. Cookham railway station is at Cookham Rise, on the Marlow to Maidenhead branch line. There are two direct trains to and from London, Paddington during the morning and evening rush hour. The rest of the trains require a change at Maidenhead. An hourly bus service to Maidenhead, Bourne End and High Wycombe is provided by Arriva Shires & Essex six days a week; on Sundays Courtney Coaches run a service from the village to Maidenehead and Bracknell. Then, of course, there is always the river, which has a long stretch of moorings above Cookham Bridge.

Attractions

The village is a popular tourist destination, as it is a convenient base for a number of walks along the Thames Path and across National Trust property. There are a good selection of restaurants and pubs in the High Street. The Stanley Spencer Gallery, based in the former Methodist chapel, also has a permanent exhibition of the artist's works.

Art and Literature

Stanley Spencer's birthplace and home in Cookham

• Kenneth Grahame is said to have been inspired by the River Thames at Cookham to write The Wind in the Willows, as he lived at ‘The Mount’ in Cookham Dean as a child and returned to the village to write the book. Quarry Wood in Bisham, adjoining, is said to have been the original 'Wild Wood'. He later lived in Winkfield, Blewbury and Pangbourne.
• The English painter Sir Stanley Spencer was born here and most of his works depict villagers and village life in Cookham. His religious paintings usually had Cookham as their backdrop and a number of the landmarks seen in his canvases can still be seen in the village. A number of his works can be seen at the small Stanley Spencer Gallery in the centre of the village, close to where he lived. He also painted frescoes in at least one of the private houses in Cookham; however, they are not open to public viewing. He is buried in the churchyard in the village.
• In Noel Coward's play Hay Fever, retired actress Judith Bliss and her family live in Cookham.

Historic Figures

• Simon Alleyn, the supposed Singing Vicar of Bray
• Dr. William Battie d. 1776 , the editor of Isocrates & founder of the University Scholarship at Cambridge
• Enid Blyton 1897-1968, the children's author
• Henry Dodwell 1641-1711, the scholar and theologian
• Kenneth Grahame, writer of the Wind in the Willows
• Nathaniel Hooke d. 1763, the historian
• Isaac Pocock 1782–1835, the artist and dramatist buried in Cookham
• Rev. Thomas Whateley 1797–1837, vicar, a leading promoter of the principles of the new Poor Law
• Guglielmo Marconi, wireless pioneer, lived on Whyteladyes Lane, and is reputed to have conducted experimental transmissions from there in 1897.
• Henry Thomas Ryall1811-1867, the engraver
• Frank Sherwin, railway poster artist
• Sir Stanley Spencer, the artist
• Ralph Thompson, the animal artist and illustrator
• Frederick Walker ARA
• Admiral Sir George Young, proposer of the settlement of New South Wales

Celebrities

Cookham is also home to celebrities such as:

• Businessman Gerald Ratner
• Comedian, Chris Barrie
• Comedian, Tim Brooke-Taylor
• TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson
• TV presenter and artist Timmy Mallett
• Singer Chris Rea
• Sports presenter, Jim Rosenthal
• 2003 Rugby World Cup winning coach, Sir Clive Woodward
• Former London Irish and Ireland Rugby player, Conor O'Shea
• The violinist, Alexandra Wood
• Cookery author & AGA Demonstrator, Lucy Young
• Cartoonist, writer and creator of Tamara Drewe, Posy Simmonds
• Conference Marketing Guru, Sara Taylor
• Queen's John Deacon

In 2002, Timmy Mallett painted a series of portraits of well-known village residents as part of the celebrations for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. A selection of the portraits can be viewed at his web site [1].

Town twinning

Cookham participates in town twinning to foster international relations.

• Saint-Benoît, Vienne, a village near Poitiers, France.

Trivia

• In 2002, Cookham was at the centre of a row over the Department for Work and Pensions' description of the village's social profile as somewhat spoiled by the gin and jag brigade [2].

• In 1997, 1999 and 2006 Cookham had its own radio station Cookham Summer FM which took place at the railway station waiting room and included a large number of Cookham residents. [3].

External links

• Cookham's community website
• Cookham Parish Council
• Royal Berkshire History: Cookham
• Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead: Cookham
• Royal Berkshire History: Kenneth Grahame
• Cookham Dean Cricket Club