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Thatcham,
on the River Kennet, is between Newbury and Reading.
An ancient
settlement, Thatcham is recorded in the Guiness Book of Records
as the oldest continuously occupied place in Britain.
The surrounding
area has been inhabited since pre-historic times and the remains
of a Mesolithic village dating from 7700 BC lie nearby. There
is also evidence of Bronze and Iron Age settlements.
The
first settlement of any size was a Roman village, which grew
up where Ermine Street bridged the River Kennet.
Thatcham
was later a Saxon settlement and the Norman parish church
of St Mary , largely rebuilt in the 19th century, stands on
the site of an earlier Saxon Minster.
The growth
of Thatcham was linked with the foundation of Reading Abbey
by Henry I in 1121. Thatcham was given permission to hold
a weekly market but the town was overshadowed by nearby Newbury.
In the
18th and 19th centuries Thatcham, standing on the Old Bath
Road (A4), was a prosperous coaching town.
This
trade disappeared after 1892 when a railway station was opened
in the town, but Thatcham's location on the Main Line from
Paddington to the West Country has been vital factor in its
growth, along with its position on the A4.
Thatcham's
population had grown dramatically since 1945 and today it
is a dormitory town for Reading, Newbury and London.
The town
is an ideal base for visitors discovering the nearby countryside
Thatcham
stands on the Kennet & Avon Canal and the long-distance Kennet
and Avon Cycle Route, makes a diversion through the town.
The canal passes through the Thatcham
Nature Discovery and Reedbeds, the largest continual reedbed
and fen in Berkshire.
Surrounding
Thatcham Lake, a flooded gravel quarry, the 700 acre conservation
park has several wetland habitats including standing and running
water, reedbeds, fen and wet woodland. There are a number
of paths, a wooden sculpture trail and bird hide. The Visitor
Centre has a café and offers an extensive programme of events.
A cycle path from Newbury to Thatcham runs along Lower Way.
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Thatcham
