Over the course of the last week or so, I have found this excellent traffic getting system. It uses free traffic sources, so you don’t have to pay to get the traffic – also the system itself is currently on a stupidly low $1 trial price – you’d be insane to miss out on this, so I would recommend that you click on the link to view it now! https://promedia.infusionsoft.com/go/salesvideo/spjwhite/

2002 Thatchams revived market started trading again.
2003 Cotswold Archaeology excavated a site at Harts Hill and found iron workings. These were carbon dated to 1,000BC – 250 years before the Iron Age was supposed to have started.
2004 West Berkshire Community Hospital opened at Henwick. Population is now over 24,500.
2005 Thatcham Park Primary School opened
2006 Thatcham Crematorium opened

In 2007 areas of Thatcham flooded after receiving 3 times the average July monthly rainfall in just 24 hours. The volume and speed of the water was so great, it couldn’t enter the town’ drainage system. The flood has a return rate of 1 in 169 years and caused damage to approximately 1100 houses. Many roads were impassable and hundreds of pupils were stranded at Kennet School on the last day of term. A rope was tied across Stoney Lane to enable pupils to cross through the floodwater to their parents.

The flood itself was actually classed as a flashflood, as it was caused by runoff from farmland to the North of Thatcham, including Ashmore Green, Upper Bucklebury and Cold Ash. A shop sign from Upper Bucklebury actually ended up outside Thatcham Station!

The houses in Kennet Heath were flooded by water from Station Road, when a Culverted Watercouse got overloaded by the sheer volume and speed of water, due to the run off from the North Thatcham. The houses at Kennet Heath stayed flooded for 24 hours, whereas the water in the rest of Thatcham subsided quickly after the rain stopped.

The Nature Discovery Centre and several buildings at the Sewage Works were also flooded.

It is now known that the extent and duration was made worse as parts of the town’s drainage system were blocked.

Nideggen is located on the River Rur, in the Eifel hills, 15km from Duren, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is also located at the banks of the Rurtalsperre – the second largest dam in Germany.

It is famed for its ruined, part restored castle – Burg Nideggen – and the sandstone rocks along the river Rur.

Nideggen was created in 1972 after the amalgamation of eight independent communities.

as at 2008, the population was 10,772.

In 1222 King Henry III issued a fair to be held on the eve and day of the feast of St Thomas the Martyr (6-7th July). This was later abandoned, being replaced by two separate one day fairs during April and September. This then continued until 1888.

Near the end of the 13th century, as Thatcham was thriving, the Abbot of of Reading encouraged King Edward I to grant Thatcham ‘borough’ status (possibly to help with financial difficulties the Abbot was said to be suffering!).

In 1304 it was established that the existing nave and chancel was inadequate for the needed requirements, so the chapel of St Thomas the Martyr or St Thomas’ Chapel (now know as The Old Bluecoats) was constructed near the boundary division of Colthrop Manor estate (now the A4).

Services were held in the chapel for nearly 250 years before being left in a state of disrepair and ruin for approximately 150 years.

Lady Fances Winchcombe, widow of Sir Henry Winchcombe, bought the rundown chapel in the early 1700′s, gave the order to have the repairs and alterations made and then handed the chapel to trustees, in order for them to create a Blue Coat School.

Her wishes weren’t carried out immediately, as The Blue Coat School wasn’t opened until 1713 – however, it stayed as The Bluecoat School until 1914.

1902 During the Boer War William House was awarded the Victoria Cross
1905 Thatcham Police Station is opened
1907 Thatcham Parish Hall was built
1911 Tomlin Memorial Fountain and Shelter is erected
1912 The first public telephone box was installed in Thatcham
1913 Council School (Francis Bailey) is opened
1915 Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously to Alexander Buller-Turner
1918 Cropper & Co take over Colthrop Mills
1920 Thatcham Electric Lightworks is established, the War Memorial is dedicated and workmen found the remains of the Mesolithic village
1921 Thatcham Road Transport Services is founded
1928 Local roads are officially named and numbered
1931 mains water is supplied from Cold Ash Reservoir
1940 Army Depot in Station Road is opened
1942 Victor Buller-Turner is awarded the Victoria Cross
1945 Thatcham’s population was 4,500
1947 Memorial Playing Field comes into use
1951 Thatcham’s population was less than 5,000
1957 Kennet School was opened
1961 Thatcham had approximately 2,300 households
1962 High Street relief road is completed
1964 Thatcham’s population was 7,500
1964 St Mary’s Primary School (Park Lane) is opened & St Mary’s Infant School in Broadway is closed
1969 Thatcham Police Station is closed
1971 Thatcham’s population was over 10,000
1972 Thatcham won first prize as Berkshire’s Best Kept (Large) Village
1972 Whitelands Park & Parsons Down schools are opened
1974 the parish council designated itself a town council
1978 Thatcham Health Centre and Thatcham Catholic Church are opened
1980 the original Thatcham Children’s Centre is opened
1981 Thatcham had over 5,000 households & the new library is opened at Walnut Close
1983 Thatcham Police Station is re-opened & the new Town Council Offices are opened
1986 Kingsland Shopping Centre opened
1987 Thatcham had over 7,000 households & Thatcham Station is opened, along with Thatcham Baptist Church
1988 the last wood turnery in Thatcham closes & Kennet Sports Centre is opened to the public
1989 Spurcroft School is officially opened
1995 Thatcham Discovery Centre is opened
1996 Henwick Worthy Sportsground came into use
1999 Northern Distributor Road and Thatcham Depot were both closed

We regularly take Bear (our German Shepherd) for a walk around the Discovery Centre (and past the surrounding fishing lakes).  It’s quiet, tranquil and, for the most part, clean and tidy.

I know I have apreviously moaned about the dog poo around here, but on the whole, it is usually gone by our next trip ot the Discovery Centre. 

They have had some local press and even a Facebook group for negative reasons – as they wanted to start charging for entry.  Ok, I know this is a big ‘no no’ as it’s not a theme park – if they need money they should increase separate paid events down there – however I think we should all make more use of this lovely local attraction.

So, grab your walking shoes, the dog, kids and anything else you want to grab, and head down to the Nature Discovery Centre for a lovely evening stroll.

There seem to be alot of these drivers living in our immediate vicinity – and they’re not all boy racers (although they are quite bad for various other reasons).  Some of the older folks and especially women are some of the worse offenders.

So, come on drivers – remember your manners and thank that lovely driver who has just done you a favour!

This caused a rivalry between the men of Thatcham and the new town of Newbury, that was set up after the Norman Conquest.

King Henry II issued three charters confirming the weekly market and compelling men to attend it – or else suffer a fine!

In circa 1160, the jealous men of Newburys’ market trashed Thatchams’ market. King Henry II subsequently issued an order preventing them from injuring or interfering with the market in any way.

The rivalry between the men folk of Newbury and Thatcham continued until at least Queen Elizabeth I’s reign – although some say it still continues now.

In 1218AD Henry III ordered the market day to be changed from Sunday to Thursday.

in 1348-1350 the bubonic plague, or Black Death, decimated the population of Thatcham, almost wiping out the entire populations of Thatcham, Newbury, Greenham and Crookham and by 1540 the market of Thatcham was considered valueless.

In 2002, Thatcham’s revived market began trading again, being run now on a Friday.

1540 after Reading Abbey was disolved, King Henry sold the Borough and Manor of Thatcham to Sir John Winchcombe II – son of Jack O’Newbury
1603 Plague recurs in Thatcham
1703 as he had no male heirs, Thatcham was passed to Winchcombes daughter Elizabeth
1705 Elizabeth died and Thatcham was passed to Frances, wife of Henry St John (later he became Viscount Bolingbroke)
1707 Lady Frances Winchcombe’s School is established
1722 the manor was taken from Viscount Bolingbroke and sold to General Waring – who then built Dunstan House. He was the first Lord of Thatcham to reside within the boundaries
1720 (circa) the Theale to Speen Turnpike Road was opened
1723 the Kennet Navigation Canal was opened
1784 the first ever mail coach run took place – the horses were probably changed at the King’s Head in Thatcham
1794 Chapel re-opens as Bluecoat School
1798 Viscount Bolingbrokes’ desendants sold up and Dunstan House was demolished
1800 ‘Food Riots’ broke out, as 300 people marched to try and force a local increase in wages – the Thatcham Volunteer Cavalry Corps soon dispersed it
1802 William Mount becomes Lord of the Manor
1804 Independent Chapel in Church Lane is opened
1810 the Kennet Navigation Canal was linked to the Avon – becoming the Kennet & Avon Canal
1828 First National School (Broadway) is opened
1830 ‘Machine or Swing riots’ broke out, over mass unemployment due to increased mechanisation
1834 Weslyan Methodist Chapel is opened
1837 Thatcham had a population of of 2,500 – also the Workhouse in Broadway is closed
1840 Primitive Methodist Chapel is opened
1846 National School (Park Lane) opens
1847 British School (Church Lane) is opened, along with the Berkshire and Hampshire Railway
1857 Norman Church, St Marys’ was constructed on a possible site of a previous Saxon church (was previously known as St Lukes’)
1861 John Henry took over Colthrop Mills
1866 Thatcham gas works is established
1880 Thatcham sewage works is constructed
1887 churchyard is closed for burials and the Cemetery is opened
1888 the two day fairs were cancelled (they had previously replaced the one day fair for St Thomas)

So, what is it about?  Well, it’s about keeping useful, reusable stuff out of local landfill – basically, it’s where people who have stuff they no longer want, can put an ‘offer’ out there, and anyone who want the item can go and get it!  The only stipulation is that the item must be free.  It’s an amazing idea and so useful.  There is everything from Tomato plants and empty jars – through to chickens, sofas and electrical goods.

Although they are classed as ‘Newbury’ freecycle, the link below does actually cover the whole area – including Thatcham.  I cannot recommend it highly enough - so have a rummage through your old stuff and offer it out to someone who may need your surplus stuff to make their life easier. 

Visit the link and either donate your stuff or grab yourself a bargain. http://www.freecycle.org/group/UK/South%20East