Towns & Villages in Runnymede

HISTORY of ENGLEFIELD GREEN

Englefield Green is a pleasant residential village to the west of Egham.

The Green itself, which is Crown Property leased to the Council, provides a traditional focal point for the village. Cricket is played there, and the two fairs are held there every year, and so the most Hardy-like rural associations (combined with the old English tradition of a village green pub) make it a relaxing place to visit on a summer's evening.
Englefield Green was popular with the aristocracy and gentry in bygone days, and there are a number of imposing residences which reflect occupation by some of the country's wealthiest patrons. The Old House dates from 1715 and Englefield House was built in the late 18th Century.

The great architectural feature of Englefield Green is Royal Holloway, part of the University of London, which stands among trees, gardens and playing fields between the village and the railway. This vast and splendid building was originally Royal Holloway College, one of the first women's colleges in the country when it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1886. It is one of the most impressive Victorian structures anywhere around London and was built between 1879 and 1887 by Thomas Holloway whose genius for advertising and marketing his patent medicines made him a fortune which he used in part to build his college.

The original Royal Holloway College building, now known as 'Founders' is in the French Renaissance style of the Chateau at Chambord on the Loire. It measures 550 by 376 feet and is built around a double courtyard.

The exterior is ornate with an amazing array of chimneys, turrets, gables, balustrades and classical urns which combine to make a castle-like roofline visible over the treetops from miles away. Inside 'Founders' are a number of remarkable formal rooms, including a chapel, a library and a picture gallery. The gallery houses paintings by some of the best known Victorian artists including Millias, Landseer, Fildes, Frith, Holl and Maclise. It is open to the public on certain days as advertised locally. In addition, tours can be specially arranged on request.

Royal Holloway, University of London, was formed in 1985 by the amalgamation of Royal Holloway and Bedford Colleges, both originally women's colleges of the University of London which first admitted male undergraduates in 1965. The college now has a student population of over 3,500 and 19 academic departments housed mostly in purpose built modern buildings on the campus. A wide range of arts and science undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses are offered. In addition, the college is actively widening its contact with the local community through the provision of research facilities, tailor-made short courses for industry and commerce and programmes of public lectures and concerts. It also provides an excellent venue for conference and banquets. The External Affairs Office welcomes enquiries of all sorts. A specialist campus of Brunel University is based at Cooper's Hill. The main campus is at Uxbridge.

Englefield Green merges, on the north, into Cooper's Hill, a pleasant locality that offers a marvellous panorama of Runnymede and the Thames. Much of this land was acquired by the former Egham Urban District Council and donated to the National Trust.

Towns & Villages in Runnymede Englefield Green
HISTORY of ENGLEFIELD GREEN Englefield Green is a pleasant residential village to the west of Egham. The Green itself, which is Crown Property leased to the Council, provides a traditional focal point for the village. Cricket is played there, and the two fairs are held there every year, and so the most Hardy-like rural associations (combined with the old English tradition of a village green pub) make it a relaxing place to visit on a summer's evening. Englefield Green was popular with the aristocracy and gentry in bygone days, and there are a number of imposing residences which reflect occupation by some of the country's wealthiest patrons. The Old House dates from 1715 and Englefield House was built in the late 18th Century. The great architectural feature of Englefield Green is Royal Holloway, part of the University of London, which stands among trees, gardens and playing fields between the village and the railway. This vast and splendid building was originally Royal Holloway College, one of the first women's colleges in the country when it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1886. It is one of the most impressive Victorian structures anywhere around London and was built between 1879 and 1887 by Thomas Holloway whose genius for advertising and marketing his patent medicines made him a fortune which he used in part to build his college. The original Royal Holloway College building, now known as 'Founders' is in the French Renaissance style of the Chateau at Chambord on the Loire. It measures 550 by 376 feet and is built around a double courtyard.		The exterior is ornate with an amazing array of chimneys, turrets, gables, balustrades and classical urns which combine to make a castle-like roofline visible over the treetops from miles away. Inside 'Founders' are a number of remarkable formal rooms, including a chapel, a library and a picture gallery. The gallery houses paintings by some of the best known Victorian artists including Millias, Landseer, Fildes, Frith, Holl and Maclise. It is open to the public on certain days as advertised locally. In addition, tours can be specially arranged on request. Royal Holloway, University of London, was formed in 1985 by the amalgamation of Royal Holloway and Bedford Colleges, both originally women's colleges of the University of London which first admitted male undergraduates in 1965. The college now has a student population of over 3,500 and 19 academic departments housed mostly in purpose built modern buildings on the campus. A wide range of arts and science undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses are offered. In addition, the college is actively widening its contact with the local community through the provision of research facilities, tailor-made short courses for industry and commerce and programmes of public lectures and concerts. It also provides an excellent venue for conference and banquets. The External Affairs Office welcomes enquiries of all sorts. A specialist campus of Brunel University is based at Cooper's Hill. The main campus is at Uxbridge. Englefield Green merges, on the north, into Cooper's Hill, a pleasant locality that offers a marvellous panorama of Runnymede and the Thames. Much of this land was acquired by the former Egham Urban District Council and donated to the National Trust.