Colnbrook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colnbrook is a large village in the unitary authority of Slough, in Berkshire, England. It has formed part of the Colnbrook with Poyle parish since 1995, previously having been part of Iver parish in Buckinghamshire.
Colnbrook forms part of the Windsor constituency, and thus its local Member of Parliament is Adam Afriyie (Conservative).
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[edit] History
Mentioned in William the Conquerors Domesday Book, Colnbrook sits on a tributary to the main Colne river hence "Colnbrook". Coaching inns were the village's main industry. In 1106 the first one was founded by Milo Crispin, named "The Hospice" (now the Ostrich Inn). By 1577 Colnbrook had no fewer than ten coaching inns. Colnbrook's High Street was on the main London to Bath road and turn off point for Windsor and was used as a resting point for travellers.
One 17th century landlord Jarman of the Ostrich Inn installed a bedside trap door in one of the bedrooms, and 60 of his richer clients were dropped into a vat of boiling water. Their bodies were then disposed of in the Colne River. Jarman was hanged for robbery and murder.
Colnbrook is also the place where Cox (a retired brewer) first grafted the Cox's Orange Pippin at his orchard named The Lawns.
[edit] Modern times
The Ostrich Inn was recently a focus of a supernatural TV program on Sky Television because of its reported resident ghosts. Many members of staff over the years have claimed to have had experiences with the ghosts which apparently tend to locate themselves in the restaurant in the upstairs of the Inn next to where the murders took place.
[edit] Transport
Colnbrook has a railway line running into West Drayton, formerly carrying passenger traffic, today only carrying goods desired for the Heathrow airport extension (Terminal 5). This railway line formerly continued to Staines and there are plans to re-use the southern part of it for the AirTrack rail link from Staines to Heathrow Airport.
Local bus services are operated by London United and First Group.
