PodCast

The population of Thatcham was just 250 people in 1066. In 800 years (1801) it increased to 1,995. The population then started to explode increasing first to 2,981 in 1901 and presently stands at 23,000.

The Methodist Church in Chapel Street was established on its present site in 1834, enlarged in 1880 and has subsequently had other extensions.

Monkey Marsh Lock is a restored turf-sided lock, one of only two originals left on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Sydney Ashman and Wilfred Street saw an opportunity for business and together they formed Thatcham Road Transport Services (TRTS) in 1921.

In 1838, to celebrate Queen Victoria's coronation there is the first recorded "anvil salute" or “anvil firing". This entails packing gunpowder into the "hardie hole" at the opposite end to the beak of the anvil and igniting it with a fuse.

Thatcham Electric Light Works is established in 1920 by AH and CG Brown and Charles Gunter, extending the supply around the village.