Thatcham
Sign in to saveThatcham is a market town and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. It is situated in the valley of the River Kennet east of Newbury, west of Reading and west of London. The town has a long history dating back to prehistoric times, a claimant to the title of oldest continuously inhabited place in Great Britain. As of 2021, it had a population of 25,464, though it is part of a built-up area comprising itself and neighbouring Newbury of over 70,000 residents. It is on the route of the A4 Bath Road, the historic main road between London and Bristol.
Key facts
- UK place.country
- England
- UK place.type
- Market town and civil parish
- UK place.official_name
- Thatcham
- UK place.static_image_name
- Thatcham town centre.jpg
- UK place.static_image_caption
- Thatcham town centre
- UK place.population
- 25464
- UK place.population_ref
- (2021 Census)
- UK place.area_total_km2
- 21.76
- UK place.civil_parish
- Thatcham
- UK place.unitary_england
- West Berkshire
- UK place.region
- South East England
- UK place.lieutenancy_england
- Berkshire
- UK place.constituency_westminster
- Newbury
- UK place.post_town
- THATCHAM
- UK place.postcode_district
- RG18, RG19
- UK place.postcode_area
- RG
- UK place.dial_code
- 01635
- UK place.os_grid_reference
- SU5167
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Geography
- Toponymy
- History
- Floods
- Institutions
- Schools
- Motor Insurers' Automotive Research Centre
- International Seismological Centre
- Transport
- Sports and leisure
- Governance
- Town twinning
- Demography
- See also
- References
- External links
Thatcham is a market town and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. It is situated in the valley of the River Kennet east of Newbury, west of Reading and west of London. The town has a long history dating back to prehistoric times, a claimant to the title of oldest continuously inhabited place in Great Britain. As of 2021, it had a population of 25,464, though it is part of a built-up area comprising itself and neighbouring Newbury of over 70,000 residents. It is on the route of the A4 Bath Road, the historic main road between London and Bristol.
==Geography== Thatcham straddles the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the A4. The parish currently covers the town of Thatcham, with its suburb of Dunstan Park and the villages of Crookham, Henwick and Colthrop including Crookham Common and the eastern ranges of the old RAF Greenham Common airfield. The historic parish once also covered Midgham, Cold Ash, Ashmore Green and Greenham. Thatcham Reed Beds, just to the south of the town, is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).