Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Bourne End is a village
predominantly in the parish
of Wooburn and Bourne End
, but also in the parish of Little Marlow
, in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire
, near where the River Wye
meets the River Thames
. Bourne End has just under five and a half thousand inhabitants and is twinned with Octeville sur Mer, a French little town located in Upper Normandy, between Le Havre and Etretat.
term for 'river'), and it would be the mouth of the River Wye that this is derived from. The then hamlet appears on Morden's 1722 map of Buckinghamshire as "Born end". It was noted in the nineteenth century however, that the name had been corrupted to "Bone End", apparently through local mispronunciation, and thence on official maps and documents; in 1858, the vicar of Wooburn
successfully reversed this, and the corrected name remains in use today.
The entire length of the River Wye was the provider of water power for many mill
s in the valley for hundreds of years, and Bourne End was no exception. There were four on the final stretch of the river; Princes Mill, Jacksons (or Gunpowder) Mill, Hedsor Mill and Lower Mill. These mills were historically the predominant employers of the area, along with the local farms and two wharf
s on the Thames.
In the early nineteenth century, the settlement known as Bourne End was a hamlet
of Wooburn
parish, along with others such as Spring Gardens, Eghams Green, Cores End
, Heavens Lea and Upper Bourne End. This changed with the emergence of the Wycombe Railway Company
in 1846. By 1854, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
had designed and constructed a railway linking Maidenhead
to High Wycombe
. The station was originally known as Marlow Road station, until 1874, a year after the branch line to Marlow
was built, and from then on Bourne End station
. The railway created more travel opportunities for locals and greatly benefited the mills, and thus Bourne End expanded, on a greater scale than other similar settlements in the surrounding area. See Marlow Branch Line
and Marlow Donkey for more information.
The hamlets soon merged into what is now known as Bourne End, as did Well End
and Coldmoorholme in the neighbouring parish of Little Marlow. Both a church and school were built at the turn of the century for the residents' convenience. The Parade became established as the focal point of the village for shops and services.
In the 1920s Bourne End became home for two distinguished literary figures; Enid Blyton
, a perennially popular children's writer, moved into Old Thatch on Coldmoorholm Lane, and Edgar Wallace
, a prolific crime author and dramatist, bought Chalklands off Blind Lane.
The Royalty Cinema opened in The Parade in 1934. The late 1940s saw extensive development in Bourne End, of the Chalklands estate and the Council Estate north of The Parade. The 1960s saw the building of Community Centre and Library in Wakeman Road after some years of local campaigning.
The Beeching Axe
hit the village in 1969, when it was announced the line between Bourne End and High Wycombe would be shut. The track bed was lifted soon after closure in 1970. Some land was developed on as an office park, but much remains as a de facto footpath between the village and Wooburn.
and M40
motorways, and retains its railway station on the Maidenhead
to Marlow
branch line
. Because of its close proximity to London
, it has become a popular place for commuters to live. Located on the southern border of Buckinghamshire, it runs alongside the River Thames, with some publicly accessible frontage; the River Wye skirts across on the eastern side of the village, joining the Thames to the south. Considered by many to be a desirable place to live in South East England
, it consequently suffers from high house prices.
All of the mills along the Wye Valley have now been shut down and demolished, Jacksons Mill in Furlong Road being the last (in Bourne End) in the late 1980s. These have been replaced by houses, offices or industrial estates, which has led to the continuation of the village as an employment centre.
Bourne End remains a distinct settlement, although the continued house-building over the past century means it is threatened by the evident ribbon development
, through to High Wycombe. In 1997, when the Local Plan was in preparation, the Residents Associations of Bourne End and Wooburn successfully lobbied to stop Slate Meadow (the field which separates the two settlements) being designated for housing for the time being. Other undeveloped land around the village looks likely to remain so, as it has been specified as Green Belt
, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
, or a combination of the three. In parts, Bourne End is surrounded by farmland. Somewhat further away, Cliveden
and Hedsor
overlook the village from higher ground to the south east.
In the early 2000s, a Twinning Association was established, and subsequently Octeville-sur-Mer
, a town on the north coast of France
, was chosen to be its twin town. Frequent events are held by members of the association to foster and enhance the relationship between the two settlements.
(formerly Wooburn Parish Council, until 2005), based in Wooburn
; Wycombe District Council, based in High Wycombe
; and Buckinghamshire County Council
, based in Aylesbury
. The local police force is Thames Valley Police
, who have an office in Boston Drive from which the local constables operate. Local healthcare services are provided by Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust (PCT)
; GPs
operate from The Hawthornden Surgery in Wharf Lane, and The Orchard Surgery in Station Road, and district nurses and health visitors are based at the Bourne End Clinic in Wakeman Road. There is also a dentist
, the Bourne End Dental Practice, situated in Station Road, which offers private treatment for patients.
The village has two recreation grounds (Furlong Road and Blind Lane), riverside open space at the marina
and Spade Oak Reach, a Junior Sports Club and fitness centre and the long-established Upper Thames Sailing Club. For many residents and visitors alike, the river is the central attraction of Bourne End, and many leisure pursuits involve or revolve around it. The Sailing Club traditionally host a week-long regatta every year in June, known as Bourne End Week.
Bourne End hosts a number of restaurants of varying cuisines. There are also a number of pubs
:
Near Bourne End, across the River Thames, is Cock Marsh
, an area of common land
and floodplain
owned by the National Trust
. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
and has a prehistoric burial mound. Cock Marsh is accessible via the footbridge (attached to the railway bridge
) over the river, and footpaths continue to Cookham
, Cookham Dean
and beyond.
The Thames Path
National Trail follows the River Thames through Bourne End; upstream on the Buckinghamshire side, crossing the river at the footbridge, and downstream through Berkshire.
s:
There are also a number of pre-schools and nurseries across the village.
in Cores End, which was founded as a Congregational Chapel
in 1773 (as a non-conformist alternative to St. Paul's in Wooburn).
Bourne End used to have a Methodist Church in Furlong Road, which closed down in 2002. Well End also once had a Congregational mission hall, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; this is now a residential house, named The Chapel.
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
predominantly in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Wooburn and Bourne End
Wooburn and Bourne End
Wooburn and Bourne End is a civil parish within Wycombe district, Buckinghamshire, England. It comprises the villages of Wooburn, Wooburn Green and Bourne End and the hamlets of Berghers Hill, Cores End, Hawks Hill, Widmoor, Wooburn Green and Wooburn Moor....
, but also in the parish of Little Marlow
Little Marlow
Little Marlow is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England.It is on the north bank of the River Thames, about a mile east of Marlow. The toponym "Marlow" is derived from the Old English for "land remaining after the draining of a pool"...
, in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated close to the border with Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, near where the River Wye
River Wye, Buckinghamshire
The River Wye in Buckinghamshire is a river in England that rises in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire. It flows for around , through High Wycombe on its way down to Bourne End, where it meets the River Thames on the reach above Cookham Lock....
meets the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Bourne End has just under five and a half thousand inhabitants and is twinned with Octeville sur Mer, a French little town located in Upper Normandy, between Le Havre and Etretat.
History
Bourne End's original location is somewhat different from today's established village centre, a half a mile downstream on the River Thames. The name refers to the end of the river (bourne being an Old EnglishOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
term for 'river'), and it would be the mouth of the River Wye that this is derived from. The then hamlet appears on Morden's 1722 map of Buckinghamshire as "Born end". It was noted in the nineteenth century however, that the name had been corrupted to "Bone End", apparently through local mispronunciation, and thence on official maps and documents; in 1858, the vicar of Wooburn
Wooburn
Wooburn is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located off the A4094 road between Wooburn Green and Bourne End in the very south of the county near the River Thames, about two miles south west of Beaconsfield and four miles east of Marlow...
successfully reversed this, and the corrected name remains in use today.
The entire length of the River Wye was the provider of water power for many mill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s in the valley for hundreds of years, and Bourne End was no exception. There were four on the final stretch of the river; Princes Mill, Jacksons (or Gunpowder) Mill, Hedsor Mill and Lower Mill. These mills were historically the predominant employers of the area, along with the local farms and two wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
s on the Thames.
In the early nineteenth century, the settlement known as Bourne End was a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Wooburn
Wooburn
Wooburn is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located off the A4094 road between Wooburn Green and Bourne End in the very south of the county near the River Thames, about two miles south west of Beaconsfield and four miles east of Marlow...
parish, along with others such as Spring Gardens, Eghams Green, Cores End
Cores End
Cores End is a hamlet in the parish of Wooburn, in Buckinghamshire, England....
, Heavens Lea and Upper Bourne End. This changed with the emergence of the Wycombe Railway Company
Wycombe Railway
The Wycombe Railway was a British railway between and that connected with the Great Western Railway at both ends; there was one branch, to .-History:The Wycombe Railway Company was incorporated by an act of Parliament passed in 1846...
in 1846. By 1854, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
had designed and constructed a railway linking Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
to High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
. The station was originally known as Marlow Road station, until 1874, a year after the branch line to Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
was built, and from then on Bourne End station
Bourne End railway station
Bourne End railway station serves Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated on the line between Maidenhead and Marlow 4½ miles north of Maidenhead....
. The railway created more travel opportunities for locals and greatly benefited the mills, and thus Bourne End expanded, on a greater scale than other similar settlements in the surrounding area. See Marlow Branch Line
Marlow Branch Line
The Marlow Branch Line is a single track railway line between Maidenhead, Berkshire, Bourne End and Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. Passenger services are operated by First Great Western using Class 165 diesel trains...
and Marlow Donkey for more information.
The hamlets soon merged into what is now known as Bourne End, as did Well End
Well End, Buckinghamshire
Well End is a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated on the north-west side of the village of Bourne End...
and Coldmoorholme in the neighbouring parish of Little Marlow. Both a church and school were built at the turn of the century for the residents' convenience. The Parade became established as the focal point of the village for shops and services.
In the 1920s Bourne End became home for two distinguished literary figures; Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
, a perennially popular children's writer, moved into Old Thatch on Coldmoorholm Lane, and Edgar Wallace
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals....
, a prolific crime author and dramatist, bought Chalklands off Blind Lane.
The Royalty Cinema opened in The Parade in 1934. The late 1940s saw extensive development in Bourne End, of the Chalklands estate and the Council Estate north of The Parade. The 1960s saw the building of Community Centre and Library in Wakeman Road after some years of local campaigning.
The Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
hit the village in 1969, when it was announced the line between Bourne End and High Wycombe would be shut. The track bed was lifted soon after closure in 1970. Some land was developed on as an office park, but much remains as a de facto footpath between the village and Wooburn.
Locale
Bourne End conveniently lies between the M4M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
and M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
motorways, and retains its railway station on the Maidenhead
Maidenhead railway station
Maidenhead railway station serves the town of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is served by local services operated by First Great Western from to , and is also the junction for the Marlow Branch Line. It has five platforms which are accessed through ticket barriers at both entrances to the...
to Marlow
Marlow railway station
Marlow railway station serves the town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. It is the terminus of a single-track branch line with the station situated west of Bourne End station.-History:...
branch line
Marlow Branch Line
The Marlow Branch Line is a single track railway line between Maidenhead, Berkshire, Bourne End and Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. Passenger services are operated by First Great Western using Class 165 diesel trains...
. Because of its close proximity to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, it has become a popular place for commuters to live. Located on the southern border of Buckinghamshire, it runs alongside the River Thames, with some publicly accessible frontage; the River Wye skirts across on the eastern side of the village, joining the Thames to the south. Considered by many to be a desirable place to live in South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, it consequently suffers from high house prices.
All of the mills along the Wye Valley have now been shut down and demolished, Jacksons Mill in Furlong Road being the last (in Bourne End) in the late 1980s. These have been replaced by houses, offices or industrial estates, which has led to the continuation of the village as an employment centre.
Bourne End remains a distinct settlement, although the continued house-building over the past century means it is threatened by the evident ribbon development
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
, through to High Wycombe. In 1997, when the Local Plan was in preparation, the Residents Associations of Bourne End and Wooburn successfully lobbied to stop Slate Meadow (the field which separates the two settlements) being designated for housing for the time being. Other undeveloped land around the village looks likely to remain so, as it has been specified as Green Belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, or a combination of the three. In parts, Bourne End is surrounded by farmland. Somewhat further away, Cliveden
Cliveden
Cliveden is an Italianate mansion and estate at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. Set on banks above the River Thames, its grounds slope down to the river. The site has been home to an Earl, two Dukes, a Prince of Wales and the Viscounts Astor....
and Hedsor
Hedsor
Hedsor is a small village and civil parish in Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England, in the very south of the county, near the River Thames and Bourne End....
overlook the village from higher ground to the south east.
Community
Bourne End sustains many businesses and services whilst still retaining a village-like atmosphere. There is a Community Centre in the centre of the village, with a large hall, function rooms and a bar, which is open for member's use. It is, for many, considered the focal point of village activity.In the early 2000s, a Twinning Association was established, and subsequently Octeville-sur-Mer
Octeville-sur-Mer
Octeville-sur-Mer is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France and is twinned with Bourne End in United Kingdom since 2003 and with Furci Siculo in Italy since 2010.-Geography:...
, a town on the north coast of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, was chosen to be its twin town. Frequent events are held by members of the association to foster and enhance the relationship between the two settlements.
Administration and Services
The local government of the village is made up of three tiers. Wooburn and Bourne End Parish CouncilWooburn and Bourne End
Wooburn and Bourne End is a civil parish within Wycombe district, Buckinghamshire, England. It comprises the villages of Wooburn, Wooburn Green and Bourne End and the hamlets of Berghers Hill, Cores End, Hawks Hill, Widmoor, Wooburn Green and Wooburn Moor....
(formerly Wooburn Parish Council, until 2005), based in Wooburn
Wooburn
Wooburn is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located off the A4094 road between Wooburn Green and Bourne End in the very south of the county near the River Thames, about two miles south west of Beaconsfield and four miles east of Marlow...
; Wycombe District Council, based in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
; and Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
, based in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
. The local police force is Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
, who have an office in Boston Drive from which the local constables operate. Local healthcare services are provided by Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust (PCT)
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
; GPs
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
operate from The Hawthornden Surgery in Wharf Lane, and The Orchard Surgery in Station Road, and district nurses and health visitors are based at the Bourne End Clinic in Wakeman Road. There is also a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, the Bourne End Dental Practice, situated in Station Road, which offers private treatment for patients.
Leisure
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
and Spade Oak Reach, a Junior Sports Club and fitness centre and the long-established Upper Thames Sailing Club. For many residents and visitors alike, the river is the central attraction of Bourne End, and many leisure pursuits involve or revolve around it. The Sailing Club traditionally host a week-long regatta every year in June, known as Bourne End Week.
Bourne End hosts a number of restaurants of varying cuisines. There are also a number of pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
:
- The Black Lion, Marlow Road, Well EndWell End, BuckinghamshireWell End is a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated on the north-west side of the village of Bourne End...
- The Bounty, Cock Marsh
- The Firefly, Station Road
- The Garibaldi, Hedsor Road, Upper Bourne End
- The Spade Oak, Coldmoorholme Lane
- The Walnut Tree, Hedsor Road
Near Bourne End, across the River Thames, is Cock Marsh
Cock Marsh
Cock Marsh is an area of flat water meadows and steep chalk hillsides near Cookham village and civil parish in the north-eastern corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames. It covers and has been common land used for grazing since 1272. It was bought by local villagers and given to the ...
, an area of common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
and floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and has a prehistoric burial mound. Cock Marsh is accessible via the footbridge (attached to the railway bridge
Bourne End Railway Bridge
Bourne End Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the Marlow Branch Line, and a footpath over the River Thames in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach between Cookham Lock and Marlow Lock....
) over the river, and footpaths continue to Cookham
Cookham
Cookham is a village and civil parish in the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames, notable as the home of the artist Stanley Spencer. It lies north of Maidenhead close to the border with Buckinghamshire...
, Cookham Dean
Cookham Dean
Cookham Dean is a settlement to the west of the village of Cookham in Berkshire, England. It is the highest point of all the Cookhams -Commerce:...
and beyond.
The Thames Path
Thames Path
The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about long....
National Trail follows the River Thames through Bourne End; upstream on the Buckinghamshire side, crossing the river at the footbridge, and downstream through Berkshire.
Education
Bourne End has three schoolSchool
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s:
- Westfield School, on Highfield Road, a special school which was the village first schoolFirst SchoolFirst school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some English Local Education Authorities have introduced First Schools since the 1960s...
until 1995. - Claytons County Combined School, on Wendover Road, the village junior schoolJunior schoolA junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
which was formerly a middle schoolMiddle schoolMiddle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and was merged with Westfield. - Wye Valley SchoolWye Valley SchoolThe Wye Valley School is a co-educational secondary school in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England. It is a community school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18...
, on New Road, an upper schoolUpper schoolUpper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
which has specialistSpecialist schoolThe specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
Sports CollegeSports CollegeSports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
status. Prior to amalgamation with Pembroke School, Flackwell HeathFlackwell HeathFlackwell Heath is a village in the civil parish of Chepping Wycombe on the outskirts of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire England. It is at an elevation of about 150m as it sits on the top of one of the Chiltern Hills. It has a population of around 6000.-History:...
in 1985, this was known as Deyncourt School.
There are also a number of pre-schools and nurseries across the village.
Churches
The village currently has three active churches. The Anglican parish church, in Station Road, is dedicated to St. Mark. The Roman Catholic church of St. Dunstan is situated in the centre of the village, off Cores End Road. The most well established is the United Reformed ChurchUnited Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
in Cores End, which was founded as a Congregational Chapel
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in 1773 (as a non-conformist alternative to St. Paul's in Wooburn).
Bourne End used to have a Methodist Church in Furlong Road, which closed down in 2002. Well End also once had a Congregational mission hall, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; this is now a residential house, named The Chapel.
Shopping
Bourne End continues to support a bustling array of shops, chiefly in The Parade, although it has struggled in recent times. Community events focused on the village centre, such as 'Fun Night' in December, have attempted to turn residents' attention to upholding local trade and businesses. There is a small parade of shops on Furlong Road, including the main Post OfficePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
.