Didcot

Many visitors flock to Didcot to visit the famed Railway Centre, a source of great pleasure for family parties and steam enthusiasts alike.

The town is home to the Great Western Society and its unique collection of former Great Western Railway steam engines, coaches and buildings. The centre also houses a re-creation of Brunel's broad gauge railway.

At certain times of the year visitors may even be fortunate enough to see Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends on one of their trips to the centre.

There are regular "steam days", during which visitors have a chance to ride in original 1930s carriages on one of the demonstration lines.

Didcot's original Saxon name was Wibaldinton and as recently as the 1900's the town was still called Dudecote.

It was the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1839 and the erection of Brunel's railway station in 1844 that started the transformation of Didcot from a rural location into the small town it is today.

Modern visitors are more welcome than the Danes were when they raided in 1006, and the town was also caught up in Civil War strife centred on nearby Wallingford.

The First World War saw the construction of an Army barracks and ordnance depot, which brought workers to Didcot. In the 1970s the construction of Didcot Power Station dramatically changed the face of the town.

Didcot is rightly proud of its open spaces and boasts several large parks and play areas such as Edmonds Park and Ladygrove Park as well as fishing lakes. The Millennium Wood at the Hagbourne Triangle is notable for its mixed deciduous wood and native species shrubs.

The Orchard Shopping Centre, which opened in 2005, is probably the most important local development this millennium and provides visitors with the chance for some welcome "retail therapy". In 2008, Cornerstone, the town's arts centre opened its doors. Cornerstone has a fantastic array of facilities for you to enjoy; an auditorium for theatre, shows, gigs and performances, a visual art gallery, a welcoming cafe, bar and restaurant, a dance studio, an visual arts gallery and various multi-purpose spaces for meetings and workshops.

Didcot

Didcot Town Council
Council Offices
Britwell Road
Didcot
OX11 7HN

Tel: +44 (0)1235 812637

WWW: www.didcot.gov.uk