Upton is a suburb of
Slough
Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
, in the
Slough
Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
district, in the ceremonial county of
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. Until the
local government reforms of 1974 it was in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
. It was one of the villages that developed into the town.
History
The
Domesday
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
Survey of 1086 refers to Upton, and a wood for 200 pigs, worth £15. Upton took its name from its situation at the top of the slope from the river terrace — the various levels in the area having been formed in the
Ice-Age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
.
The ancient parish, and the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
until 1894, included
Chalvey
Chalvey () is a former village, which is now a suburb of Slough, in the unitary authority of Slough in Berkshire, England. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire in 1974.
It was first recorded in 1217 by an Old English word meaning ...
and Slough, originally hamlets, and was formally known as Upton-cum-Chalvey. In 1894 the new civil parish of Slough was formed from the parish. In 1895 a detached part of the parish was transferred to
Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a town and civil parish in south Buckinghamshire, England, separated from the London Borough of Hillingdon at Harefield by Denham, south of Chalfont St Peter and north bordering villages of Fulmer, Hedgerley, Iver Heath and St ...
, and in 1900 and 1901 the rump of the parish was divided between the neighbouring parishes of
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.
Eton may also refer to:
Places
*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England
* Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States
* Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
,
Langley Marish
Langley, also known as Langley Marish, is a suburb of Slough in Berkshire, South East England. It is east of the town centre of Slough, and west of Charing Cross in Central London. It was a separate civil parish until the 1930s, when the built ...
, Slough and
Wexham
Wexham is a civil parish in the county of Buckinghamshire in southern England. It is on the boundary of the unitary authority of Slough, its post town. Wexham Park Hospital is a large hospital on the parish border and Burnham Beeches, a forest t ...
. The ecclesiastical parish is still known as Upton-cum-Chalvey.
Church
Upton's
Norman Church
The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used fo ...
,
St Laurence's Church St. Laurence's Church, Saint Lawrence's Church, or ''variations'' on those names or spellings, may refer to:
Australia
* Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney
Austria
* Basilica of St. Lawrence, Enns
Czech Republic
* Church of St. Lawrence, Roman ...
, is around 900 years old. It was the marriage place (7 May 1788) and burial place (1822) of Sir
William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline H ...
(in whose memory there stands a newly erected stained-glass window depicting
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars (mythology), Mars), grandfather ...
, which he discovered, and other planets), and the burial place of
Charles Hatchett
Charles Hatchett FRS FRSE (2 January 1765 – 10 March 1847) was an English mineralogist and analytical chemist who discovered the element niobium, for which he proposed the name "columbium".
Hatchett was elected a Fellow of the Linnaean Societ ...
who discovered
niobium
Niobium is a chemical element with chemical symbol Nb (formerly columbium, Cb) and atomic number 41. It is a light grey, crystalline, and ductile transition metal. Pure niobium has a Mohs hardness rating similar to pure titanium, and it has sim ...
.
Other buildings
Upton Court is the name of the original manorial buildings for the parish of Upton. Parts of Upton Court were built in 1325. In the 19th century, it was a seat of the Burton family and was, up until March 2010, home to the ''Slough Observer'' newspaper. The nearby Slough Grammar School, having previously been named Upton Grammar School from 1982 to 1993, changed its name in 2013 to
Upton Court Grammar School
Upton Court Grammar School is a fully selective academy school in Lascelles Road, Slough, Berkshire.
The school has specialisms in languages and science. It is also a Leading Edge School, an ICT-Focus School, a Training School, an Intern ...
.
The Mere is a 19th-century half-timbered building, built in 1887 by the grandson of
Richard Bentley
Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...
, is now the head office of the
National Foundation for Educational Research
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is an educational research organisation which gathers evidence and research to inform educational policy and school services. The foundation is not an examination board, however they provi ...
.
Long Close School
Long Close School is a coeducational Independent school located in Upton, Slough in Berkshire, England. The school is owned and operated by the Cognita Group, and is the largest independent school in Slough. The school was founded in 1940. It ...
was established in the area in 1940.
Upton Park
Upton Park forms one of Slough's earliest planned estates. Laid out in 1842, the grounds (a public park as
Herschel Park
Herschel Park is a public park in Upton, a suburb of Slough in Berkshire. It is owned and managed by Slough Borough Council. It is in two adjacent areas. The larger area of in the north is a Local Nature Reserve. The more formal area in the nor ...
since 1949) are believed to have been designed by
Joseph Paxton
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
.
In 2011, the Grade II listed park and nature reserve underwent a restoration project to re-establish the area to its former Victorian glory with a lottery grant of £2.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Friends of Herschel Park, a local conservation group, was created to manage the restoration, as well as to oversee the design and maintenance of the area. The park regularly holds events for adults and children throughout the year.
Whats On - Friends of Herschel Park
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Notable people
*Thomas Case
Thomas Case (1598–30 May 1682) was an English clergyman of Presbyterian beliefs, a member of the Westminster Assembly, where he was one of the strongest advocates of Christian government. Although earlier a strong defender of the Parliamentary ...
(1871–1941), cricketer and brewer
References
External links
*
Friends of Herschel Park Official Website
{{Slough suburbs
Suburbs of Slough