About Didcot
The origins of Didcot can be traced to the Iron Age, although the name is first recorded in historical records in the 1200s. Didcot remained a small village for hundreds of years, until the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1839.
Brunel’s railway brought growth to the town, and even today a fast main line connection to London makes Didcot popular with commuters. Didcot Railway Centre captures the town’s historical link with the golden age of the locomotive.
The Didcot area is also notable for being the home of some major scientific employers, including UKAE, Harwell Laboratory and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
Didcot is designated as one of the three areas in Oxfordshire where major growth in housing is planned. The Ladygrove development aimed to double the number of dwellings in the town to the North and East of the railway. The population of the town is now more than 25,000.
To support the increased housing in Didcot, a re-developed town centre opened in 2005. Local facilities include two single-sex public secondary schools, the Orchard Centre shopping complex and a brand new multiplex cinema.
Didcot lies just minutes from the charming market town of Wallingford and the Ridgeway, Britain’s oldest road. Oxford, Newbury and Reading are all within easy reach, as are the M4 and M40 motorways.
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