Everything about Harwell Oxfordshire totally explained
Harwell is a large
village and
civil parish in the
English county of
Oxfordshire (formerly in
Berkshire). It lies near
The Ridgeway long-distance footpath, halfway between
Abingdon, Oxfordshire and
Newbury, Berkshire and two miles from
Didcot. Harwell has a population of about 2,400.
Amenities
There are currently two
public houses in the village, the White Hart and The Crispin. The two pubs are both located on the same corner of the High Street and back on to each other. Formerly there were five: The Crown is now a nursing home, while The Chequers and The Kicking Donkey have both been converted to private houses.
The village supports two shops, Bobs the Butcher's and White Horse News (which doubles as an off licence). Two other general stores have closed in the village over the last 20 years, and the village bakery. At one point the village even had a brewery. This is now a private house and located opposite the White Hart public house.
St Matthew's Church
The village church is St Matthew's and is part of the
Church of England. It was mainly built in the
13th century. It is a
Grade 1 listed building and was formerly dedicated to St Mary. The nave roof dates from
1220, and the screen dividing the
chancel from the body of the church also dates from the
13th century. The church is notable for the quality and age of the peal of 8 bells housed in the belfry, and 1 sanctus bell, all dating from
1611 to
1932. These are the oldest set of bells that are still in use in the World. The tenor weighs 16 cwt. There is a single-handed clock on the tower's west face. In
1975, a two floor extension was built on the north wall which now contains a parish office. A new church hall was built in
1994.
Sport and leisure
There are a good number of clubs and societies in the village. These include an excellent Royal Legion, a lively Scout Group, an earnest Girls Brigade, a growing Horticultural Society, Harwell Feast Committee, Football and Rugby Clubs, and others.
The Harwell Feast is a celebration held on the Monday of the May
Bank Holiday each year. The celebrations include a parade of decorated floats and people through the village. The recreation ground is turned over to various fund raising stalls and demonstration from sheep dog handling to vintage cars. Either a cow or a couple of pigs is roasted to supply the meat for the feast.
Airfield and Atomic Energy Research Establishment
Before
1946, Harwell was probably best known for its
cherry orchards. In
1937, an airfield was built between Harwell and
Chilton and named
RAF Harwell. The airfield was used during
World War II to launch
glider-borne troops for the
Normandy invasion.
In 1946, this airfield was taken over to become the new
Atomic Energy Research Establishment, the main centre for
atomic energy research in the UK, and become known as
Harwell Laboratory. It was the site of Europe's first
nuclear reactor in
1946, and once housed five nuclear reactors, all of which have been shut down. Two have been completely dismantled, and it's anticipated that the other three will be decommissioned by
2022.
Other parts of the airfield were later used for other scientific organizations, including the
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. That part of the site is now known as
Chilton/Harwell Science Campus and also houses the
ISIS neutron source and the
Diamond Light Source synchrotron. The Atomic Energy Research Establishment part of the airfield site is now officially called
Harwell International Business Centre; locally it's referred to as the "Site".
Notable residents
Further Information
Get more info on 'Harwell Oxfordshire'.
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