Taplow Parish is approximately 5 miles long by 1 mile wide. Stretching from just above Bray Lock in the south, its boundary follows the Thames past Cliveden and then heads northwards to Wooburn Common Road. From the south it goes east to include Marsh Lane, then to Hitcham Road from where, after passing the allotments in Boundary Road, it crosses the fields heading north to join again with Wooburn Common Road.
Contained within its boundary are some magnificent stately homes and estates including Cliveden, Taplow Court and Dropmore, all of which have a mix of intriguing and interesting histories. There was a time when Taplow was reputedly the richest parish in the whole of England, not just because of the wealth of the owners of these estates, but also due to rich Londoners taking advantage of the Great Western Railway to build homes at what was then the end of the line and in the countryside. Yes, in those days Taplow was the end, and remained so until Brunel built his famous “Sounding Arch” to carry trains across the Thames and on to the West Country. Until that time, passengers would leave the train at Taplow, and be carried by horse & coach across the Thames to board again at Maidenhead Station.
Taplow is tiny, yet it can tell more tales than most – not only of the headlines at Taplow Court and Cliveden, but also of the everyday everywhere you look.
In June 2015, Nigel Smales gathered these tales to create Taplow Moments, a unique history of 506 pages with many photographs, maps and family trees made all the more colourful by virtue of a grant from Taplow Parish Council.
Contact the Parish Clerk to arrange to see the copy kept in the Village Centre, or call Nigel on 01628 661636 to purchase your own copy for £25 in aid of St Nicolas’ Church .
The housing stock in Taplow has risen by 50% in recent years as pending developments have completed – largely from three major schemes which were: new apartments to be built adjacent to Taplow Station; completion of Cliveden Gages on the site where the Royal Canadian Hospital stood within the grounds of Cliveden; and the long awaited Riverside, the redevelopment of the Taplow Paper Mill and Skindles Hotel sites. We do, and will continue to make strong representations to Buckinghamshire Council on planning matters.
Not all issues arising in the Parish are necessarily the responsibility of your Parish Council, but be assured that if it’s not down to us, you should be able to obtain advice from the Parish Clerk, who will direct you or your query to the right location.
So it will help you to know what our main responsibilities are;
- Street-lighting (excluding A4)
- The Village Green
- The Village Hall
- Planning (PC does not decide applications, but can take a view and lobby Bucks Planning accordingly)
Of course, we are involved in many additional issues. For example, we are currently negotiating with Bucks County Council on local parking and speeding issues.
Trees in areas like the Village Green and The Old Priory Garden are regularly surveyed and receive any necessary remedial and cosmetic treatments.
And… we agitate about all the things that annoy you such as potholes or uneven pavements, both of which are the responsibility of BCC Highways . Fly-tipping? That’s for Buckinghamshire so tell them about any dumped rubbish you see, or if you see some being tipped, make a note of the registration number and report it on the Bucks Fix My Street portal, which can also be used to report highways issues.
Do remember that if ever you have a doubt as to where you need to go for any advice relating to the parish, please contact the Parish Clerk.
I really do hope you will find this Parish Website a truly useful means of keeping up-to-date with what is going on in Taplow and as time passes, will use it to communicate ideas and suggestions relating to Parish Life.
Make it Happy. Enjoy Taplow!