Waltham St Lawrence | |
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The tower of St Lawrence church |
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Waltham St Lawrence shown within Berkshire | |
Population | 1,232 (2001) 1,215 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SU8276 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | READING |
Postcode district | RG10 |
Dialling code | 0118 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Royal Berkshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
EU Parliament | South East England |
UK Parliament | |
Waltham St Lawrence is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.
Waltham St Lawrence is located in a rural setting in East Berkshire, south of the A4 trunk road and north of the M4 motorway, between Maidenhead and Reading. The parish is bordered by those of Twyford and Hurst to the west and White Waltham and Maidenhead to the east. The population is around 1000 adults with an all-ages estimate of 1,500 living in approximately 550 households.
Residents are mainly employed in local towns such as Reading or Bracknell, although a significant number also commute to London. Waltham St Lawrence used to have its own village shop (with part-time post office), as it had closed down a while ago, and two public houses, while Shurlock Row, in the parish, has just one public house (the Shurlock Inn), since the Royal Oak closed down in 2009. West End, between the two villages, is a residential area, where the local village school is located.
The nearest rail stations are at Twyford (4 miles), Maidenhead (5 miles), Wokingham (6 miles) and Bracknell (7 miles). There is a local bus service to Maidenhead and Bracknell.
The name 'Waltham' is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon words Wealt and Ham, meaning 'dilapidated homes'. The church is called St. Lawrence and thus gives the village its name. There is evidence of the existence of a Roman temple in Weycock Field in the parish. The word Weycock is thought to be a corruption of the Saxon word, Vic-cope, meaning 'the road on the hill'. Most of the coins found from the site are of the lower empire (except for a silver one of Amyntas, the grandfather of Alexander the Great) and the area was occupied until AD 270.