Shurlock Row is a village in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, England. It is located in the heart of the Thames Valley, around 5.5 miles (9 km) south-west of

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

and around 3 miles (5 km) east of Twyford, and within the civil parish of

Waltham St Lawrence Waltham St Lawrence is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. History The name 'Waltham' is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon words ''Wealt'' and ''Ham'', meaning 'dilapidated homes'.Ford, David Nash (2 ...

History

In medieval times the village lay to the south of a large lake that separated the parish from

Ruscombe Ruscombe is a village and civil parish, east of Twyford in the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. History Reports from the late 1800s provided summaries of the status of the village; in 1876, the population was 200 and that increased ...

, and this survives in local names such as South Lake House and nearby

Stanlake Park Stanlake Park Wine Estate is the largest vineyard in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated near to Twyford, in the parishes of Hurst and Ruscombe. Vineyard and winery The Estate is located in Royal Berkshire and has 4 vineyards coverin ...

. Following the Norman Conquest in the 11th Century, the area was named 'sud-lac rue', which later became known as Shurlock Row.

Present day

The Fox & Hounds, Shurlock Row, now Withy Tree Cottage

Shurlock Row is a linear village. Originally, there were three public houses in the village: The Royal Oak, The Fox and Hounds and The White Hart. The Royal Oak at the central crossroads closed down in 2009 and is now a private dwelling named Morland House. The Fox and Hounds was located at the south-west of the village on The Straight Mile and is now a renovated house called The Withy Tree. When The White Hart came under threat, a group of 17 villagers bought the pub and turned it into a popular gastropub, called The Shurlock Inn. This is an uncommon success story which goes against the trend of disappearing village amenities across the country. However the pub was sold in late 2016 to Rare Breed Angus, and after significant renovations and an extension it has taken a unique and modern approach to its food and ambiance. Shurlock Row itself has lost its general store, butcher shop and post office in the last 20 years. The village church has also been converted into a residential property. To the south of the village, farmland separates the houses from the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

. The pub and a garage are found in the centre of the village, amongst the main body of houses. The northern edge of the village is marked by the village pond, which lies next to a crossroads. To the north-west of the pond is the parish

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

ground and to the immediate north-east is Great Martins, a large house and former village brewery. Due to the beauty of the settlement's buildings, surrounding woodland and farmland and its close proximity to London, Shurlock Row is an attractive and desirable village. Many villagers work in the local towns of

, Reading and

Bracknell Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Bracknell Forest, Borough of Bracknell Forest. It l ...

, although there are a number who commute to London regularly. Popular sports in the area include

, cycling and horse riding. The village and surrounding area is well known for its

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

clubs and grounds. Shurlock Row is the home of the Zacara Polo Team, winners of the 2011 Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship and the 2012

U.S. Open Polo Championship The US Open Polo Championship is an annual polo championship in the United States. It is organized since 1904 by the United States Polo Association (USPA). History The tournament was first played on September 20, 1904 at Van Cortlandt Park in T ...

. The other village in the parish is

, which is larger and provides a number of amenities that Shurlock Row lacks, including a church and village hall. Therefore, many village events and meetings are held there instead.

In popular culture

In Shurlock Row is set the story "Statistician's Day" by James Blish.

Nearby Towns

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buc ...

* Reading * Ascot *

Nearby villages

* Hurst * Twyford * Binfield

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Berkshire Waltham St Lawrence