Old Windsor

Coordinates: 51°27′36″N 0°35′10″W / 51.46°N 0.586°W / 51.46; -0.586

Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire which adjoins the River Thames.

Nomenclature

The village was originally called Windsor, until the (now, larger) town of New Windsor, situated 3 miles (5 km) from the village, assumed the name. Windsor is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The name originates from old English Windles-ore, Windlesora, or winch by the riverside.

Location

Old Windsor lies on the south bank of the River Thames, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of the town of Windsor. It is near to the villages of Englefield Green and Datchet, and is connected by a towpath to Old Windsor Lock. The parish church lies on the edge of the village by the river, at the site of the original settlement.

History

Old Windsor was once the site of an important palace of the Saxon Kings. The settlement is documented as a defended royal manor in Edward the Confessor's time, but archaeological evidence suggests royal connections had existed since at least the 9th century. Edward gave the manor to the Abbot of Westminster in 1066, but it was soon taken back into royal possession by William the Conqueror. Old Windsor was popular with the monarch because of its convenient location; near to the river for transport and Windsor Forest for hunting. Old Windsor was also an early minster location and market, probably associated with a lock, and important riverside mill complex. The Saxon palace was eventually superseded by the Norman castle – Windsor Castle – at 'New' Windsor. The medieval manor house, however, became a popular Royal hunting lodge, at a time when the castle was a fortress rather than a comfortable residence.