Tadley
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Template:GBdot Tadley is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. In 2001, its population was 11,651. During the 1950s and 1960s the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, (AWRE) became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built in Tadley during this period to accommodate AWRE workers. Although the name Aldermaston has become synonymous with AWRE/AWE, the fact is that establishment is much closer to Tadley than the village of Aldermaston.
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History
The origin of the name is uncertain, in old maps and books Tadley can be found spelled as Taddanleage, Tederlei, Titherley, Tudurley, Tadel and Taddeley. As with many other rural British communities, it is assumed that the village began as a clearing in the dense forest which at one time covered the greater part of England. In Old English, Tadde means 'Toad' or 'Frog' and ley being 'a clearing in the woods', so it possibly means a clearing in the woods with frogs. Most sources, however, say that the name means "woodland clearing belonging to Tada's people".
In 909, Edward the Elder granted the 'Manor of Overton' to Frithstan, Bishop of Winchester. In the confirmation of this a wood at Tadley is mentioned. The village is mentioned frequently in documents relating to the grant. There was an independent estate in the parish called the 'Manor of Tadley' but later was known as the 'Manor of Withford or Wyford'. In 1166 this property was held by William Hotot. He was succeeded by his son, Robert Hotot in 1205. The first reference to a church at Tadley is in 1286 when Andrew Hotot is recorded as owning the Manor and Church. It could be assumed that a settlement and therefore a church existed at an earlier date in view of the documented references to owners of land at Tadley from 909.
Although the exact location is unknown, it is believed that originally Tadley was a rural agricultural village located near where St. Peter's 13th century church still stands. This village flourished until the 17th century. At that time, 12 cottages were pulled down by Henry Ludlow and the villagers scattered. They resettled on the fringe of Pamber Forest and woodland crafts became the main employment. By the 18th century, the center of the village had moved a couple of miles to the northeast, St Peter%u2019s had become isolated from its congregation and in 1888 a new church, St. Saviour%u2019s, was built by The Green. Burrell%u2019s Farm, a cottage on Main Road, is reputed to have been built in the 1400s and is thought to be the oldest building in Tadley. A congregational chapel was founded in Tadley in 1662; this may be identified with a chapel which was converted into the first village school in 1820.
By the beginning of the 20th century, there were many gypsies or Didikai in Tadley - Romanies who had given up their travelling life to become property owners. Until the 1950s, the parish was still heathland and common land covered in gorse and blackberries, with a few scattered settlements. Bricks used to be made at Tadley Common and the manufacture of besom brooms was, and still is, another local industry. Tadley considers itself the home of the besom broom industry. This is the sort of broom that witches are traditionally said to carry around with them. The brooms that are used on the Queen's premises are manufactured in Tadley. Relics of these industries can be seen in the names of houses in the village such as Kiln House and Broom Cottage.
With the advent of World War II an airfield was built on the grounds of Aldermaston Court which was located on the northern edge of the village. Numerous barracks, administration buildings and maintenance facilities were located throughout Tadley. Local streets such as Hangar Lane bear witness to its former usage.
In recent years Tadley has become a township, with residential estates covering the former heathlands. Development has occurred on either side of the Hampshire/Berkshire border following the growth of the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the old Aldermaston airfield in the 1950s and the designation of Basingstoke as a London overspill town in the 1970s.
Since 1957 many anti-nuclear demonstrations have taken place.
Location
Tadley lies next to the northern border of Hampshire, where it meets Berkshire. At one time, part of Tadley lay in the neighbouring county of Berkshire; the boundary has since been moved so that the entire town is now in Hampshire.
It is six miles north of Basingstoke, ten miles west of the large town of Reading and ten miles east of Newbury.
Nearby towns and cities: Basingstoke, Newbury, Reading
Nearby villages: Aldermaston, Baughurst, Heath End, Bramley, Mortimer, Silchester
Nearby places of interest: Silchester Roman Town
Local Government
Tadley is a civil parish with an elected town council. Tadley falls within the area of Basingstoke and Deane District Council and of Hampshire County Council and all three councils are responsible for different aspects of local government.
See also
Sources
- Population figures from 2001 census (http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/community/factsfigures/parishes/headcounts.asp) retrieved November 24 2004.
External links
- Tadley Town Council website (http://www.tadleycouncil.org/)
- Tadley Roundabout%u2122 Website (http://www.tadleyroundabout.co.uk/)
- Tadley Runners Website (http://www.hants.org.uk/tadleyrunners/)