'Twyford' is a large village/small town and
civil parish in the
English county of
Berkshire. It is situated, at , in the heart of the
Thames Valley on the
A4 between
Reading and
Maidenhead, close to
Henley-on-Thames and
Wokingham.
Government
Twyford has its own
parish council, but is also in the
District of Wokingham, and the
ceremonial county of
Berkshire. Prior to this it was in
Wokingham Rural District and the
hundred of
Charlton. Before
1895, Twyford was part of the parish of
Hurst, within the
liberty of Broad Hinton. Between the
13th century and
1844, Broad Hinton was
officially a detached part of
Wiltshire.
History
The town's name is
Anglo-Saxon in origin, and means ''double ford''. It is a common name in
England. Twyford does indeed have two fords, although one is now bridged.
William Penn, founder of
Pennsylvania, spent the final years of his life in Ruscombe Fields, a property close to Twyford, and is remembered by a residential street named 'Pennfields'.
Twyford remained an agriculturally-based settlement until the coming of the railway in 1838. The greatest expansion, however, has taken place since the Second World War, particularly in the last 20 years, effectively transforming it from a village to a minor town, although it is still considered a village by many of its older inhabitants.
Communications
Situated in the Thames Valley, it is 10 miles from the
M4,
M40 and
M3 motorways and 25 miles from the
M25.
Twyford railway station is on the
Great Western Main Line and served by trains between
Reading and
London Paddington stations. These transport links make Twyford very popular with
commuters. The major town of
Reading is 10 km (6 miles) to the west, with
Maidenhead 12 km (7.5 miles) to the east and
Henley-on-Thames 8 km (5 miles) to the north. London is 56 km (35 miles) to the east.
Sport and Recreation
There are two recreation grounds in Twyford, both owned and managed by the Parish Council.
1. King George's Field (aka The Rec), lying between London Road and Wargrave Road has football pitches, children's playgrounds and a youth shelter. There is a project in hand to add a skate park and ball court.
2. Stanlake Meadow, off Waltham Road, has football pitches, a cricket square used by Twyford & Ruscombe Cricket Club and a pavilion which is also used as a nursery school.
Indoor sports clubs use the parish hall, Loddon Hall.
Twyford also has a football team called Twyford Comets who play on both of the recreation grounds described above.
Twyford also claims to have the oldest
Badminton club in the country.
External links
★
Small site with business directory and news
★
Twyford and Ruscombe Theatre Group
★
Regional authority - Wokingham District Council
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