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Egham
- on the River Thames - is 19 miles west of central London
and close to the M25. In the 18th and 19th centuries Egham
was a busy coaching town. Today the town is by-passed by
heavy traffic and its attractive centre has been pedestrianised.
The
majority of the open fields beside the River Thames at Egham
are now owned by the National Trust.
In 1215
the Magna Carta was sealed at Runnymede
Meadow beside the Thames. This momentous event is commemorated
by a memorial in the form of a domed classical temple at the
foot of Cooper's Hill. Set on a small rise on the Thames
floodplain, the memorial was erected in 1957 by the American
Bar Association.
Nearby
is the Kennedy Memorial, standing in its own acre of land.
This was given by the people of Britain to USA in honour of
the assassinated President John F Kennedy.
At the
top of Cooper's Hill stands the Air Forces Memorial, commemorating
the men and women of the Commonwealth Air Forces killed in
World War II, who have no known grave. From the beautiful
and moving building there are magnificent views along the
Thames Valley.
On Egham
Hill, on the outskirts of the town, stands the vast and ornate
Royal Holloway College. The college was built in 1879 - 87
by the philanthropist Thomas Holloway, a self-made multi-millionaire
whose fortune had been made in patent medicine. Opened by
Queen Victoria in 1886, the Royal Holloway was one of the
first colleges for women. In 1985 the college merged with
Bedford College, another women's college, and in 1992 the
college became known as Royal Holloway, University of London.
The Royal
Holloway Collection, an excellent small gallery of Victorian
art, can be viewed by prior appointment.
Nearby Egham Hythe the 19th century
locks built on the Thames allowed people to begin living here,
famous as the home of motorcycle manufacturer, Lagonda.
To the south-east, alomg the
A30, is the attractive residential village of Englefield Green
, close to Windor Great Park. Lying close to Windsor,
the area was once very popular with the aristocracy and there
are many imposing residences in the area. The green
itself is Crown property and leased to the Council.
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Egham
