Eton, Berkshire

Coordinates: 51°29′17″N 0°36′33″W / 51.4881°N 0.6092°W / 51.4881; -0.6092
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eton
Eton High Street
Eton is located in Berkshire
Eton
Eton
Location within Berkshire
Population4,692 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSU965775
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWINDSOR
Postcode districtSL4
Dialling code01753
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Berkshire
51°29′17″N 0°36′33″W / 51.4881°N 0.6092°W / 51.4881; -0.6092

Eton (/ˈiːtən/ EE-tən) is a town in Berkshire, England, on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor, connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The civil parish, which also includes the village of Eton Wick two miles west of the town, had a population of 4,692 at the 2011 Census.[1] Within the boundaries of the historic county of Buckinghamshire, in 1974 it came under the administration of Berkshire following the Local Government Act 1972;[3] since 1998 it has been part of the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead. The town is best known as the location of Eton College.

Eton is on the Thames Path as you walk or cycle from Maidenhead to Windsor.

Eton is also home to Swan Lifeline, the oldest registered swan rescue and treatment charity devoted entirely to the care of sick and injured swans in the Thames Valley and surrounding areas, on the Cuckoo Weir Island, patronised by George Michael and Michael Parkinson.

History

View of Eton looking across the River Thames from Windsor

The name derives from

fairs on its grounds.[5]

During the

inns of Eton High Street.[10]

This practice continued until 1845 when a scholar refused to associate with the

inns because they were a "temptation" to Eton students.[5] Eton was favourably modernised and was the first village in the UK to have its own post office and modern drainage system.[11] By 1925 the town was described as more commercial than residential, with most of the buildings (apart from those of the school itself) belonging to businesses serving the schoolboys.[5] In April 1970, Windsor Bridge, connecting Eton to Windsor, was closed to all motorised traffic. All traffic must now travel via Royal Windsor Way (formerly the Windsor and Eton relief road),[12]
a bypass opened in 1966.

Notable people

In birth order:

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Eton, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Eton Town Council and Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council.

At the parish level, the town is represented by seven councillors in the Eton Town Council, a body which also includes seven councillors representing Eton Wick. At the district level, the town is part of the Eton and Castle electoral ward of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Nationally, since 1997 the ward has formed part of the

UK Parliamentary constituency of Windsor and is currently represented by Adam Afriyie of the Conservative Party
.

Between 1983 and 1997, the town was part of the UK Parliamentary constituency of

UK Parliamentary constituency of Eton and Slough. This was held by the Labour Party from its creation in 1945 to its redistribution
in 1983, except between 1964 and 1966 when it was held by a Conservative.

Eton Town Council Offices, 102 High Street

Administrative history

Main article: Eton Urban District

Eton was governed by a

urban district council from 1894 to 1974.[14] Eton Urban District Council was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, with the area being transferred from Buckinghamshire to Berkshire on 1 April 1974 to become part of the new district of Windsor and Maidenhead.[15] A successor parish was created to cover the former Eton Urban District, which had covered both the town itself and Eton Wick. The parish council adopted the name Eton Town Council.[16] It is based at 102 High Street.[17]

Transport

Bus

Eton is served by two bus companies. Thames Valley Buses operates Monday to Saturday buses on the Slough – Eton – Eton Wick - Taplow - Maidenhead route (bus 15). Redline Buses operates the Slough – Eton – Eton Wick – Dorney – Maidenhead route on Tuesdays and Fridays (bus 63/68).[18]

Rail

Windsor has two terminal stations. Eighty metres (260 ft) southeast of

London Paddington.[19]

Nearest towns

References

  1. ^ a b "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Eton Town Council".
  3. ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 26 October 1972, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 27 December 2021
  4. ^ a b Powell-Smith, Anna. "Eton". Open Domesday. Anna Powell-Smith. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Parishes: Eton". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Eton College - Life In The Early Days".
  7. ^ "About us". etonporny.org.uk. Eton Porny CofE First School. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Porny School". historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  9. ^ The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.III, (1847), London, Charles Knight, p.898
  10. ^ "Eton (including Eton Wick)". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  11. ^ "The history of Eton, Berkshire".
  12. ^ "Windsor and Eton relief road is given royal name". BBC News. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Biographies". www.yongefamily.info. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Eton Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  15. ^ The English Non-Metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972 (S.I. 1972 No. 2039). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1972. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  16. ^ The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973 (S.I. 1973 No. 1110). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1973. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Town Council Agenda" (PDF). Eton Town Council. 11 January 1974. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 15 April 2012.
  19. ^ "National Rail Enquiries - Official source for UK train times and timetables".

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Windsor and Eton.

Media related to Eton, Berkshire at Wikimedia Commons

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