Photographic tour Maidenhead.net - Photographic tour

A tour of Maidenhead and the surrounding area in photographs.

The River Thames

Maidenhead is probably most famous for the River Thames which passses within a mile of the town centre. The two bridges can be seen in our header graphic which appears at the top right of all the maidenhead.net pages.

A single rower approaches the brick bridge taking the railway over the Thames at Maidenhead in July 1997. A river path on the right hand side runs downstream to Windsor (behind the photographer) and beyond towards London. Upstream under the bridges is Boulter's Lock and Cookham, then eventually Reading and Oxford. A pleasant place to stroll. The second bridge you can see in the far distance is the A4 road bridge.

The railway line to London Paddington was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1838 and terminated at Maidenhead Riverside, a temporary station on the Buckinghamshire (east) side of the Thames, out of view to the right of the scene above. The bridge over the Thames was not complete at that stage. The present station was opened in 1871 when Maidenhead Riverside station and another (Maidenhead Boyn Hill station) closed.

The railway bridge, designed by I. K. Brunel, has the widest (128 feet) and flattest (24 foot rise) brick arches in the world. The first train crossed the bridge in 1839. The arch on the right is known as the sounding arch because it gives very clear echoes (the Thames Path runs inside the arch). There is a plaque on the bridge. Wandering a little towards Windsor (downstream) there are some lovely houses on the Berkshire bank.

Through the sounding arch in this photo you can see the brick built road bridge which opened on 22 August 1777.

In the photo above you can see the same bridge, Maidenhead Bridge, and we are looking downstream. On the right are some flats which were built in 1998 (picture taken May 1998). Tolls were collected on the bridge until 1903. Here's a closer view of the road bridge. Standing on the road bridge and looking upstream towards Cookham gives this view.

A few yards further upstream is Boulter's Lock. There is a small bridge linking to Ray Mill Island from which you can look down on the lock. The island is a popular place on sunny summer afternoons. As is the Boulter's Restaurant and Bar which appears in the Eating & Drinking Guide.

The Centre

It's not all pretty river views...

This is the High Street on a summer evening in 1997. The road is pedestrian-only and used to be the A4 Bath Road. The A4 was diverted to a dual-carriageway section to the north of the High Street in the early 1970's. You can see how some of the original buildings looked if you look above the modern shop fronts; the same goes for this view of the High Street.

Still on the High Street, the National Westminster Bank stands on the site of The Greyhound Inn, where King Charles I met his children in July 1647. He was never to see them again. A pretty clock is attached to the wall there. Two plaques mark the spot.

A large shopping centre, Nicholson's Shopping Centre, stands on the site of Nicholson's Brewery, one of the town's four breweries, now all closed. The High Street and shopping centre and surrounding roads are now home for many national chains such as Boots, Marks & Spencer, Superdrug, Argos, Next, W H Smith, Sainsburys, Mothercare, Thomas Cook, Tesco, Robert Dyas and Waitrose. There are also take away food chains, banks, estate agents, a market (Tuesday - Saturday) and charity shops as well as some classy small local shops.

The back of King Street and Broadway (to the left) is shown in this shot which was taken before the area was redeveloped with a cinema - details on this news page. There is a modern looking library (opened in 1973) and an un-inspiring town hall, opened in 1962 by H. M. The Queen and Prince Philip.

This (left) is the Jubilee Clock Tower near the station. It was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne) and was opened in 1900. Old meets new in quite a few spots around the town - this is a good example; you can see a modern office block behind the tower. Here's another view of the tower, showing the railway bridge over the A308 road to Windsor.

There is a plaque on the north facing side of the tower. The south facing clock incorporates a black diamond, said to face Queen Victoria's favourite house, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

There are several parks within the centre of Maidenhead, one of which is Grenfell Park.

The Outskirts

There are many places of interest away from the centre. All Saints' Church is a pretty example of a Victorian church consecrated in 1857, on All Saints' Road. Its tower was added in 1865.

Despite the growth of Maidenhead, there are still some villages in the area that have stayed separate from the town. Holyport is one example. Just south of the M4, it is a sleepy place with a large village green.

Cookham is another pretty village, this one north of Maidenhead and on the River Thames. Holy Trinity Church in Cookham can be seen in this picture. There is a good variety of pubs and restaurants on the High Street. To get to Cookham lock (shown left), take the High Street going east, turn left and first right. You can only walk to the lock and you need to cross a bridge from which there is a pretty view. Here's a couple of views of Cookham lock which can get very busy in the summer months.

Burchett's Green is the home of the annual Berkshire Show at which shire horse displays and birds of prey can be seen.

Just over the river in Taplow is a large beautiful country house, now used as a hotel, called Cliveden.

Also just down the road to the West of Maidenhead is the village of White Waltham with its grass airfield.

Windsor and its famous Castle is just ten minutes drive away or about half an hour by boat.

Knowl Hill is another village not far from Maidenhead.

Pinkneys Green, to the north-east of the town centre, plays host to Carters Steam Fair every May.

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This page last updated 8 March 2010