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 is known as the sounding arch because it gives very clear echoes (the Thames Path runs inside the arch). There is a on the bridge. Wandering a little towards Windsor (downstream) there are some lovely on the Berkshire bank.
Through the sounding arch in you can see the brick built road bridge which opened on 22 August 1777.
In the photo above you can see the same bridge, we are looking downstream. On the right are some new flats which were built in 1998 (picture taken May 1998). Tolls were collected on the bridge until 1903. Here's a of the road bridge. Standing on the road bridge and looking upstream towards Cookham gives .
A few yards further upstream is . There is a small bridge linking to Ray Mill Island from which you can . The island is a popular place on sunny summer afternoons. As is the Boulter's Lock Hotel which appears in the .
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 at all times 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 .
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 is attached to the wall there. Two mark the spot.
A large shopping centre, Nicholson's 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, Virgin (record stores), Woolworth, Next, W H Smith, Sainsburys, Mothercare, Miss Selfridge, Thomas Cook, Tesco 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 area is being redeveloped with a cinema - details on this . There is a modern looking (opened in 1973) and an un-inspiring , 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 of the tower, showing the railway bridge over the A308 road to Windsor.
There is a 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 .
The Outskirts
There are many places of interest away from the centre. 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. 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 can be seen in . There is a good variety of pubs and restaurants on the . 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 . Here's a couple of views of which can get very busy in the summer months.
Burchett's Green is the home of the annual Berkshire Show at which 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 .
Also just down the road is the village of with its grass airfield.
and its famous Castle is just ten minutes drive away or about half an hour by boat.
is another village not far from Maidenhead.
