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Marlow, Buckinghamshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marlow | |
  Marlow shown within Buckinghamshire |
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| Population | 14,004[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Wycombe |
| Shire county | Buckinghamshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Marlow |
| Postcode district | SL7 |
| Dialling code | 01628 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Wycombe |
| List of places: UK • England • Buckinghamshire | |
Marlow (previously Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow) is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England. It is located on the River Thames, four miles south-south-west of High Wycombe, and four miles north west of Maidenhead.
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[edit] History
The town name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'land remaining after the draining of a pool'. In the Domesday Book in 1086 it was recorded as Merlaue, though previously it was known as Merelafan which would appear to be of Brythonic origin (afon or avon is Welsh for "river".
Marlow has been an important town for many years. This is because of its location on the River Thames, a major trade route from London. It has had its own market charter since 1324 at the latest but ownership of the charter has been lost. There is a small market (amounting to two or three stalls, of "back of the van" style traders) held on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. As early as 1299 the town had its own Member of Parliament.
[edit] Regatta
Marlow hosts a regular regatta, and is the location of Marlow Lock, originating from the 14th century.
[edit] Nearby villages
Marlow is adjoined by Marlow Bottom (a mile to its north), Little Marlow by way of the Little Marlow Road and to Bourne End by the same road. Nearby, in Berkshire, to its south are Bisham (home of Bisham Abbey) and Cookham Dean.
[edit] Landmarks
There has been a bridge over the Thames at Marlow since the reign of King Edward III. The current bridge is a suspension bridge, designed by William Tierney Clark in 1832, and was a prototype for the nearly identical but larger Széchenyi Chain Bridge across the River Danube in Budapest.
[edit] Twinning
Marlow is twinned with the French town of Marly-le-Roi and has recently twinned with a district in Budapest adjoining the River Danube with the William Tierney Clark suspension bridge.
[edit] Transport
The A4155 road runs through Marlow town centre, with the A404 lying one mile to the east and the M40 motorway further to the north.
Marlow is served by a railway station which is the terminus of a single-track branch line from Maidenhead. The train service is known as the Marlow Donkey, which was the nickname given to the steam locomotives that once operated on the line.
Bus services are provided by Arriva and Carousel Buses to neighbouring towns including High Wycombe, Henley-on-Thames and Reading.
[edit] Education
There are several schools in Marlow.
[edit] Nursery
- Kingfisher Preschool
- Marlow Bottom Pre-School Playgroup
- Montessori World Nursery School
- Red Fox Nursery
- St Mary's Pre-School
[edit] Primary
- Burford School (4-11)
- Danesfield School (4-11)
- Foxes Piece School (4-11)
- Holy Trinity Church of England School (7-11)
- Marlow Church of England Infant School (4-7)
- Spinfield School (4-11)
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School (4-11)
[edit] Secondary
- Great Marlow School (11-18)
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School (11-18)
[edit] Sports
Marlow Rowing Club, founded in 1871, is one of Britain's premier rowing clubs and has produced many Olympic oarsmen including Sir Steve Redgrave. The club is based by Marlow Bridge and exercises above and below the lock. Marlow F.C. is the oldest football club in the town. Another local football club, Marlow United F.C., have been promoted to the Hellenic Football League Premier Division for the 2008/09 season. Marlow Rugby Club play at Riverwoods Drive. They were founded in 1947 and run a range of senior, youth and mini rugby teams. The England Rugby team had their training base at Marlow RFC until the late nineties before they moved to nearby Bisham Abbey. Local running club the Marlow Striders run an annual half marathon and duathlon. There are also a cricket club, hockey club and tennis club in Pound Lane. The cricket club run a variety of sides, with the first team playing in the top division of the Morrant Thames Valley Cricket League.
[edit] Notable people
The Royal Military College, now based at Sandhurst in Surrey was also once located in this town. Notable residents of the town have included Mary Shelley (who wrote Frankenstein there), Percy Bysshe Shelley, T. S. Eliot, Jerome K. Jerome and General George Higginson.
More recently the town (actually Marlow Bottom) has been the home of quintuple Olympic gold medallist rower Steve Redgrave, the greatest Olympian Britain has produced in recent times. After striking gold at Sydney 2000, he became Britain's only athlete ever to have won Gold Medals at five consecutive Olympic computer+games>Games. The Marlow Town Park, Higginson Park, features a bronze statue of Sir Steven looking across the river towards the location of the finishing line of the Marlow Town Regatta. There is also a road, Redgrave Place, adjoining from Newtown road to commemorate the Olympic medallist.
The pop singer Robbie Williams has recently bought a house on the river in Bisham. The Michelin star chef Heston Blumenthal, owner of The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire (voted Best Restaurant in the World in 2005) lives in Marlow. Television and radio presenter Paul Ross, brother of Jonathan Ross, also lives in Marlow, having moved there after filming Celebrity Fit Club at nearby Bisham Abbey.[2] [
The Japanese Formula 1 racing driver Takuma Sato is also currently a Marlow resident.
Peter Firth, who plays Sir Harry Pearce in BBC MI5 drama Spooks is a Marlow resident.
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2008) |
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
- Fusarium venenatum which is used to produce Quorn was discovered in the soil of a farm near Marlow in the 1960s. The company Marlow Foods developed it into the protein food.
- In 1786 a shrivelled hand, believed to be that of St James, was discovered during building work at Reading Abbey. It has been located at St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Marlow, ever since.
- The town was used for many of the location shots in Paradise Postponed.
- The town was also used for location shots of Midsomer Murders summer 2008.
- The town was used for a documentary about traffic issues in England called 'The Women Who Stops Traffic.' It was broadcast on Channel 4 in February 2008.
- Olympic lightweight mens double sculls gold-medallist at Beijing 2008 Zac Purchase is a former member of Marlow Rowing Club.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Marlow: A Buckinghamshire town on the River Thames
- Marlow Methodist Church
- OutInMarlow.com: A guide to living in and visiting Marlow
- Images of Marlow on Odd-stuff
- Marlow Rugby Club
- Marlow United Footbal Club
- Marlow Cricket Club
- Marlow Striders running club
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