Slough: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 49 - 131 Premier Inn Slough
 The hotel is near the M4, close to Legoland and Thorpe Park, and only 3 miles (4.8 km) from Windsor. Slough Train Station (direct links to London) is … MoreGBP 36 - 95 Skyways Hotel
 With free parking and free Wi-Fi, Skyways Hotel has a restaurant and spacious rooms with en suite facilities. Just 10 minutes from Heathrow Airport, c… MoreGBP 55 - 155 The Pinewood Hotel
 Within 15 minutes of Legoland and Windsor, this hotel set in 5 acres of mature parkland is ideal for families and business guests alike.
The Pinewoo… MoreGBP 42 - 90 Upton Park Hotel
 In a quiet and leafy cu-de-sac, overlooking Herschel Park, this recently refurbished Victorian property offers free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, delicious foo… MoreGBP 37 - 170 Holiday Inn Slough Windsor
 Holiday Inn Slough Windsor offers outstanding service and friendly staff. It is 10 minutes from Heathrow Airport, and some rooms have a view of Windso… MoreGBP 52 - 102 Holiday Inn Express Slough
 In the heart of Slough, next to the train station, this hotel has spacious, thoughtfully decorated bedrooms. The Slough Trading Estate, the largest in… MoreGBP 50 - 65 Baylis House Hotel - Heathrow
 Baylis House Hotel is a stunning grade one listed historical building surrounded with beautiful garden. Enjoy a delightful blend of luxury, comfort & … MoreGBP 53 - 455 Copthorne Hotel Slough Windsor
 Less than 10 minutes’ drive from historic Windsor, The Copthorne Hotel Slough features extensive leisure facilities including an indoor heated swimm… MoreGBP 65 - 100 Datchet Mead Hotel
 Just 10 minutes from Heathrow Airport, the Datchet Mead Hotel offers en suite rooms and free parking when you fly from Heathrow and stay at the hotel … MoreGBP 49 - 129 Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow T5
 The newly built Holiday Inn Express London - Heathrow T5 is a modern hotel offering 24-hour reception and an on-site café.
Terminal 5 at London Heat… MoreGBP 35 - 68 Airport Guest House
 Just 5 minutes from Heathrow Airport, The Airport Guest House offers free Wi-Fi, free private parking and traditional rooms with en suite facilities. … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slough: Guide
For slough (in the United Kingdom|UK, pronounced ; in the United States|U.S., pronounced ) as a type of aquatic feature, see Slough (wetland).
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Slough (population was 119,070 (est. 122,000 in 2006). It is one of the most ethnically diverse towns in the UK, situated some 22 miles (35 km) west of central London and 20 miles (32 km) east of Reading, Berkshire|Reading.
It is home to the Slough Trading Estate, the United Kingdom|UK's first such estate, the largest in single ownership, and one of the largest in Europe overall. This, coupled with extensive transport links, makes it one of the most important business centres in the South East England|south east of England. It is also home to the main campus of Thames Valley University.
Slough is located at . The town is situated just to the west of Greater London. Proximate towns include Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor to the south, Maidenhead, Berkshire|Maidenhead to the west, Uxbridge to the northeast and Bracknell to the southwest.
Suburbs
Over the years Slough has expanded greatly, incorporating a number of different villages.
Original villages which now form suburbs of modern-day Slough include:
Most of the area was traditionally part of sloughs in the area, although some people think it may refer instead to Sloe bushes growing in the vicinity. The name first seems to have applied to a hamlet between Upton, Slough|Upton to the west and Chalvey to the east, roughly around the 'Crown Crossroads' where the road to Windsor (now the A332) met the Great West Roadp 46, The History of Slough, Maxwell Fraser, Slough Corporation, 1973. Along with Salt Hill, these settlements formed the parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey.
The Domesday Survey of 1086, refers to Upton, and a wood for 200 pigs, worth £15. Upton, with its Norman architecture|Norman Church, was situated at the top of the slope from the river terrace - the various levels in the area having been formed in the Ice-Age.
In Pipe Roll - the earliest documentary reference found to Slough.
During the 13th Century, King Henry III of England|Henry III had a palace in Cippenham: the spot (now a scheduled ancient monument) is still marked on modern maps as "Cippenham Moat". St Laurence's Church, Slough|St Laurence's Church in Upton is around 900 years old and is the oldest building in Slough. Parts of Upton Court were built in 1325, while St Mary's Church in Langley was probably built in the late 11th Century|11th or early 12th century, though it has been rebuilt and enlarged several times.
Montem Mound, also known as Salt Hill (originally Salts Hill) is located in Chalvey. Its date of origin is not known, but it now forms a scheduled ancient monument. Eton College held its 'Eton Montem' ceremonies here until 1844. The surrounding area to the north of Chalvey and the Great West Road is also known as Salt Hill and includes Salt Hill Park. Salt Hill Park once boasted great iron gates, which were subsequently smelted as part of the war effort during World War II.
From the mid 17th Century, stagecoach|stagecoaches began to pass through Slough, and a 1727 Act of Parliament established the Colnbrook Turnpike trust|Turnpike Trust to manage the Great West road from Cranford, London|Cranford Bridge to Maidenhead Bridge. Slough and Salt Hill became locations for the second stage to change horses on the journey out from London. Coaching inn|Coaching Inns grew up along the Great West Road to service the traffic between London and the West. Perhaps most notable were the Crown in Slough, and the Windmill and Castle (Botham's) inns in Salt Hill. None of these survive, although the Red Cow (Upton) and the Three Tuns (Salt Hill) still exist as public house|pubsp 45-46, The History of Slough, Maxwell Fraser, Slough Corporation, 1973.
The astronomer William Herschel (1738 - 1822), and his sister Caroline Herschel|Caroline, produced the first true map of the universe with a 40 foot long, 49 inch reflecting telescope he built in his garden in Windsor Road, Slough. A monument in Windsor Road commemorates his achievement. William married and is buried in St Laurence's Church, Slough|St Laurence's Church, Slough. It is also believed that Joseph Haydn also visited Slough and met Herschel during his time there. According to one account, Haydn asked the esteemed astronomer for his opinion on the Biblical story of the seven days of Creation. Herschel's answer is unknown, but - so the story goes - Haydn went back to his lodgings and began to compose his famous oratorio The Creation.
By 1838 and the opening of the Great Western Railway, Upton-cum-Chalvey's parish Population of Slough|population had reached 1,502 - but this was exceeded by the neighbouring parish of Langley Marish (1,797)p 50, The History of Slough, Maxwell Fraser, Slough Corporation, 1973. If Slough was known at all, it was as a source of bricks, and of hotels where visitors to the royal family at Windsor Castle might lodgepp 55, 70-71, The History of Slough, Maxwell Fraser, Slough Corporation, 1973.
In 1849, a Slough to Windsor & Eton Line|branch line was completed from Slough Station to Windsor and Eton Central railway station for the Queen's greater convenience. Originally, the headmaster of Eton College, Dr. John Keate, had resisted efforts to place a station closer to Eton College than Slough, because he feared that it would "interfere with the discipline of the school, the studies and amusements of the boys, affecting the healthiness of the place, from the increase of floods, and endangering even the lives of boys."http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r042.html
On January 1 1845, John Tawell, who had recently returned from Australia, murdered his lover, Sarah Hart, at Salt Hill in Slough by poisoning her with prussic acid. With various officials in chase, Tawell fled to Slough Station and boarded a train to Paddington. Fortunately, the electrical telegraph had recently been installed and so a message was sent ahead to Paddington with Tawell's details. Tawell was trailed and subsequently arrested, tried and executed for the murder at Aylesbury on March 28 1845. This is believed to be the first time ever that the telegraph had been involved in the apprehension of a murderer.
In 1858, Charles Dickens rented a cottage on Church Street, under the name of Charles Tringham. This was most likely to be closer to his alleged mistress, Ellen Ternan. Dickens' second link to the town was his publisher, Richard Bentley, proprietor of the publishing firm 'Bentley's'.
In 1863 Slough became a local government area for the first time, when a Slough Local Board of Health was elected to represent what is now the central part of the modern Borough. This part of Upton-cum-Chalvey Parish became an urban sanitary district in 1875 and an Urban District Council area in 1894.
The Grand Junction Canal spur arrived in 1882, and, during the mid to late 1800s, the arrival of the large-scale brickmaking industry into Langley and the area north of the Great West Road, saw dramatic growth northwards encroaching on the very south of the parish of Stoke Poges. This new development saw the population centre of the town move northwards and the name Slough suppressed Upton-cum-Chalvey. The part of that parish not originally included in the Slough Urban District was incorporated in 1900.
The Church of England ecclesiastical parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey still exists, however, and includes the parish church of St Mary, and the churches of St Laurence's Church, Slough|St Laurence (Upton) and St Peter (Chalvey). St Laurence's church overlooks Upton Court - now the administrative home of the Slough Observer newspaper - famously said to be haunted by a young woman in a blood-stained nightdress.
Slough has 96 St Laurence's church (Upton), St Mary the Virgin's church (Langley), Baylis House and Godolphin Court; seven Grade II : St Mary's church (Upton-cum-Chalvey), Upton Court, the Kederminster and Seymour Almshouses in Langley, St Peter's church (Chalvey), The Ostrich Inn (Colnbrook), King John's Palace (Colnbrook); and four Grade II listed milestones and listed buildings including Slough railway station|Slough station, and Beech, Oak and Linden Houses at Upton Hospital.
In April UK and abroad. Large housing estates were built to cater for these workers and their families, notably Manor Park and Cippenham.
There was a major extension of the Slough Urban District in 1930. The local government district expanded westward. The town was divided into wards for the first time; which were the new areas of Burnham, Farnham and Stoke as well as the divisions of the old district Central, Chalvey, Langley, Slough|Langley and Upton, Berkshire|Upton. In 1938 the town received its first Royal charter and became a Municipal Borough. See List of Mayors of Slough which starts with the Charter Mayor in 1938, who became the first elected Mayor in November 1938.
After the Second World War, several further large housing developments arose to take large numbers of people migrating from war-damaged London, notably the London County Council estates at Britwell and Langley, and the estate at Wexham Court .
In the early 1970s the main A4 road was routed onto Wellington Street, north of and parallel to the High Street. This re-routing allowed the building of a major shopping complex, Queensmere, between the High Street and Wellington Street. Slough was incorporated into Berkshire in the 1974 local government reorganisation. The old Municipal Borough was abolished and replaced by a Non-metropolitan district authority, which was made a Borough by the towns second Royal charter. Britwell and Wexham Court became part of Slough at this time, with their own parish council|parish councils.
On April 1 1995, the Borough of Slough expanded slightly into Buckinghamshire and Surrey, to take in Colnbrook and Poyle, which received a joint parish council. Slough became a unitary authority on April 1 1998, with the abolition of Berkshire County Council and the 1973-1998 Borough. The present unitary authority was created a Borough by the town's third Royal charter.
Before the 1800s, the main businesses of Slough were brickfields and agriculture. The bricks for the building of Eton College were made in Slough. Later, as the A4 road|Great West Road traffic increased, inns and pubs sprang up along the road to service the passing trade.
During the 1800s the only major employer apart from the brickfields was James Elliman, who started as a draper in Chandos Street. In 1847, he changed careers and manufactured his and Royal Embrocation horse liniment from factories in Wellington Street and Chandos Street. Elliman became a major benefactor to the town, and is remembered today in the names of local roads and schools.
In 1906, Horlicks|James Horlick, one of the founders of the eponym|eponymous malted milk company, opened a purpose-built red-brick factory near to Slough Railway Station to manufacture his malted milk product. Starting in the 1920s, Slough Estates Ltd, the operator of the original Slough Trading Estate, created and operated many more estates in the United Kingdom|UK and abroad.
The Slough Trading Estate meant that the town was largely insulated from many of the effects of recession. For many years Slough's economy was mainly manufacturing based. In the last 20 or so years there has been a major shift from a manufacturing to an information based economy. This has seen the closing down of many factories (some of which have been in Slough for many decades). The factories are rapidly being replaced by office blocks.
Hundreds of major companies have sited in Slough Trading Estate over the years, with its proximity to London Heathrow Airport and good motorway connections being attractive. In the 1960s Gerry Anderson's film company was based in Slough, and his Supermarionation series including Thunderbirds (television)|Thunderbirds were filmed there.
The European headquarters of Mars, Incorporated is based in Slough, the main factory having been created in 1932 by Forrest Mars Sr. after a quarrel with his father, Frank C. Mars. He proceeded to produce and develop the world famous Mars Bar in Slough over 70 years ago. The European head offices of major IT companies such as Network Associates, Computer Associates, PictureTel and Compusys (amongst others) are all located in the town. The town is also home to the National Foundation for Educational Research, which is housed in The Mere. Also, O2 plc|O2 is headquartered in the town.
In recent years, Slough's manufacturing industries have been in decline, instead being replaced by modern offices, including those of Nintendo, Black and Decker, and the UK branch of popular online retailer, Amazon.com. Dulux paints are still manufactured in Slough by Imperial Chemical Industries. Satchwell have been manufacturing electrical and electronic products in Slough since the 1920's, currently focusing on climate controls such as thermostats.
The motor trade has long been represented in Slough. Citroën assembled cars in a Liverpool Road factory (later used by Mars Confectionery) on Slough Trading Estate, and retain their UK headquarters in the town. Ford Motor Company|Ford built Ford Transit|Transit vans at their factory in Langley until the site was redeveloped for housing in the 1990s.Ferrari, Fiat and Maserati now have offices in the town.
Slough's transport links make it an ideal location for those working in "The City", but looking for affordable accommodation; as such it attracts a large number of young professionals and families.
In the post-war years, immigrants from the Commonwealth|Commonwealth of Nations, notably Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, India and Pakistan were attracted to the town, settling predominantly in Chalvey.
In the early 1950s there were a number of Polish refugee camps scattered around the Slough area. As returning to Poland (then in the Soviet Bloc) was not considered an option by many of the war-time refugees, many Polish families decided to settle in Slough, an expanding town seeking committed workers and offering a chance to own homes for those prepared to work hard. In time, a Polish speaking Roman Catholic Parish was established with its own church building. A new wave of Polish migration to Slough has followed since Poland became part of the EU.
Slough Council made history by electing the country's first black female mayor, Lydia Simmons, in 1984.
Slough has the highest percentage of Sikh residents in the country according to the latest national census figures (2001). Sikh residents make up 9.1 per cent of Slough’s population, more than any other local authority. Slough also has the highest percentage of Muslim (13.4 per cent) and Hindu residents (4.5 per cent) in the South East region.
In 1999, a group of young Sikhs got together to create Khalsa Aid, an international, non-profit aid and relief organisation.
Reading and Maidenhead.
1932: (but set in the 26th century) In Aldous Huxley|Aldous Huxley's Brave New World the chimneys of Slough Crematorium, around which Bernard Marx flies, are used to demonstrate the physio-chemical equality of all people.
1937: The poet John Betjeman wrote, in his poem Slough as a protest against the 850 factories and a new town in what had been formerly a rural area, and the onslaught of the suburban lifestyle:
:However, on the centenary of the poet's birth, the daughter of the poet apologised for the poem. Candida Lycett-Green said her father "regretted having ever written it". During her visit, Ms Lycett-Green presented Mayor of Slough David MacIsaac with a book of her father's poems. In it was written: "We love Slough".
1979: Slough is mentioned by name in the hit single Eton Rifles by The Jam from the album Setting Sons , in the line "There's a row going on down near Slough"
1991: Film Buddy's Song with externals filmed mainly on the Britwell Estate and the Farnham Road (A355) released.
1996: The Tiger Lillies' album The Brothel to the Cemetery includes a track called Slough, probably inspired by Betjeman's poem. The lyrics to the chorus are:
:''Drop a bomb on Slough, Drop a bomb on Slough
1998: The song "Costa del Slough" by the rock band Marillion posits the town as a post-global warming coastal resort, possibly in a reference to the comedian Spike Milligan having presented Slough on TV as a holiday resort.
2001, 2002, 2003: The BBC comedy series The Office is set in Slough, reiterating Betjeman's view of the place as a depressing industrial wasteland. In fact the character David Brent comments on Betjeman's poem in the series, and it also appears on the inside sleeve of the video and DVD of Series 1.
Slough Bus Service
Slough, along with a number of other boroughs, is bidding to be part of the Crossrail Project:
Comedian Jimmy Carr said: "I was born in Slough in the 1970s, if you want to know what Slough was like in the 1970s, go there now".
The Slough Sewage Treatment Works between M4 Junc 6 and 7, sometimes releases malodorous fumes detectable to drivers on the nearby M4 motorway, a phenomenon known colloquially as The Slough Stench.
Slough has a strong rivalry with local neighbouring town, Staines. Both are located near Heathrow and vie for out-of-town businesses moving from London. Ali G, a fictional resident of Staines, often pokes fun at Slough and sports teams of both towns enjoy a strong rivalry.
Montreuil-sur-Mer|Montreuil, France (Since 1988)
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Slough". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Chalvey
Cippenham
Colnbrook
Langley, Slough|Langley
Poyle
Upton, Slough|Upton
Wexham
Other areas of the town include:
Britwell
Huntercombe
Lynch Hill
Manor Park
Salt Hill
Upton Lea
Windsor Meadows
The urban area (but not the borough council area) merges into the neighbouring parishes of
Burnham, Buckinghamshire|Burnham
Datchet
Farnham Royal
Stoke PogesHistory
Before the railway
From the coming of the railway to the founding of the trading estate
The Great Western Railway opened in Slough in June 1838. Initially, opposition from Eton College prevented the construction of a Train station|station and trains 'happened' to be held at Slough allowing passengers to board: tickets were sold from the Crown coaching inn and subsequently from the newly built North Star Inn. However, a station was built and opened by June 1840, and Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria made her first ever railway journey, from Slough railway station|Slough station to Bishop's Bridge near Paddington, on 13 June 1842 - some 3 years after her husband Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert who had first travelled from the trackside at Slough to Paddington on 14 November 1839pp 50-52, The History of Slough, Maxwell Fraser, Slough Corporation, 1973. Post-trading estate
1918 saw a large area of agricultural land to the west of Slough developed as an army motor repair depot, used to store and repair huge numbers of motor vehicles coming back from World War I|First World War in Flanders. Economy
Cultural, Ethnic and Faith Communities
During the Great depression of the 1930s, Slough became a haven for unemployed Wales|Welsh people, who walked up the Great West Road looking for employment. Heart of Slough
The Heart of Slough Project is a highly ambitious, multimillion Pound plan for the redevelopment of Slough's Town Centre. The aim is to create a leading European and national focus, and cultural quarter for creative media, information and communications industries. It will create a mixed-use complex, multi-functional buildings, visual landmarks and a
public space in the Thames Valley. Cultural, artistic and literary references
:Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough
:It isn't fit for humans now
:There isn't grass to graze a cow.
:Swarm over, death!
:''Drop a bomb on Slough, Drop a bomb on Slough Transport
To Heathrow Airport: First Berkshire bus routes 75, 76 and 77 serve Slough town centre, Langley and Heathrow. taxicab|Taxis and Taxicabs of the United Kingdom|minicabs are also available at a higher cost.
To London: Buses are available, but rail is more generally used. See below. Taxis, minicabs and private cars on roads are also used.
Major roads
M4 motorway|M4
Junction 5 (Langley & Slough East)
Junction 6 (Central Slough)
Junction 7 (Slough West)
M25 motorway|M25 (Via M4)
M40 motorway|M40
A4 road|A4
A40 road|A40
A355Bus services
Rail links
Slough railway station|Slough Railway Station
Slough to Windsor & Eton Line|Windsor branch line
Burnham railway station|Burnham Railway Station
Langley railway station|Langley Railway StationCrossrail
Cross London Rail Links (Crossrail) is a 50/50 joint venture company formed by Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
Crossrail is tasked with promoting and developing two new routes through London: Crossrail line 1 (West-East) and Crossrail line 2 (NorthEast-SouthWest).
Crossrail was allocated a budget of £154m in 2001 by central Government to carry out feasibility work for both Lines 1 and 2, and to acquire Parliamentary powers for Line 1. Criticism Trivia
Slough has been the subject of much derision. Some references are mentioned above. However, the BBC aired a four-part series called 'Making Slough Happy', where a team of experts attempted to bring happiness to the whole town. Despite complaints by some residents who said "the series was not particularly representative of the diversity of Slough", this can be contradicted because the sample "50" did provide a cross section of Slough with different ethnic minorities and age groups represented. However, most of the criticism was seen to come from people within Slough while the majority of people outside Slough thought it was quite good, overall it did make a big impact and raised people's awareness of Slough as a whole..Trivia
Slough has produced many Olympic Games|Olympic class athletes as part of the "Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow Athletics Club".
Time 106.6|Time Radio is a local radio station based in Slough.
Slough has 42 parks and open spaces plus an ice skating arena where Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean once trained.
The Beatles began their May/June 1963 British tour with Roy Orbison at Slough's Adelphi Cinema, returning there as headliners in their own right on 5 November 1963 .
According to the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in 2006, Slough is England's least tranquil area .
Famous people associated with Slough
Henry III of England|Henry III (Monarch)
Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (Royal Aristocrat)
Gerry Anderson (Broadcaster)
Richard Bentley ('Bentley's', the publishing firm)
Fenner Brockway (Anti-War Activist and Politician)
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (Engineer)
Queen Victoria (Monarch)
Jimmy Carr (Entertainer)
Charles Dickens (Novelist)
Gregory Edwards (Musician)
Rod Evans (Original lead Singer of Deep Purple)
Ricky Gervais (As David Brent) (Actor/Comendian)
Thomas Gray (English Poet, Classical Scholar, and Professor of History)
Geri Halliwell (Entertainer)
Caroline Herschel (Astronomer)
John Herschel (Mathematician and Astronomer)
William Herschel (Astronomer and Composer)
Mark Hylton (Olympic Athlete)
Iain Lee (Entertainer)
Forrest Mars Sr. (Entrepreneur)
Gary Numan (Musician)
Helen Sharman (Scientist and Astronaut)
Marcia Richardson (Olympic Athlete)
Mark Richardson (athlete) (Olypmic Athlete)
Una Stubbs (Actress)
Ellen Ternan (Actress)
Tracy Ullman (Entertainer)
Robert Watson-Watt (Scientist) Sister cities
Slough is Town twinning|twinned with:
Riga, LatviaSee also
Electrical telegraphNotes and References
External links
Official
Media
Mapping
Community
Sporting clubs
Business
Heart of Slough Project
Miscellaneous