| Bray | |
|---|---|
| Village andcivil parish | |
 St Michael's Church | |
  Bray Location withinBerkshire | |
| Population | 8,425 (2001) 9,110 (2011 Census including Burchett Green, Hawthorn Hill, Oakley Hill and Paley Street)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU9079 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MAIDENHEAD |
| Postcode district | SL6 |
| Dialling code | 01628 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°30′25″N0°42′00″W / 51.507°N 0.700°W /51.507; -0.700 | |
Bray, occasionallyBray on Thames, is a village andcivil parish in theWindsor and Maidenhead district, in the ceremonial county ofBerkshire. It sits on the banks of theRiver Thames, to the southeast ofMaidenhead with which it is contiguous. The village is mentioned in the comedic song "The Vicar of Bray". Bray contains two of the nine three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom and has several large business premises includingBray Studios atWater Oakley, where the first series ofHammer Horror films were produced.
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The civilparish of Bray is far larger than the village itself and includes a number of other villages andhamlets over an area of 24.98 km2 (9.64 sq mi). It had a population of 8,425 at the2001 census,[2] increasing to 9,110 at the2011 census.[1] Bray is a large parish, although its area has shrunk considerably since Maidenhead was detached. As well as the village, the parish contains a large number of villages and hamlets, which were originally scattered amongst the remains of the dense woodland ofWindsor Forest that once covered the area. These include:Braywick,Holyport, Water Oakley,Oakley Green, Moneyrow Green, Stud Green, Foxley Green,Touchen End,Braywoodside andFifield.
Exclusive houses on the river between Bray andMaidenhead Bridge have been referred to as Berkshire's 'Millionaires' row' in the national press.[citation needed] The flood risk of these houses has been decreased by theJubilee River, a large drainage ditch dug between north Maidenhead andDatchet.Monkey Island, in theThames, is associated with the3rd Duke of Marlborough, and houses two structures that he built and furnished with paintings of monkeys, and theGrade I listed building, Monkey Island Hotel.[3] Theecclesiastical parish shares the wide parish boundaries and is named Bray St Michael withBraywoodside.[4]
The first documented mention of Bray was asBrai in theDomesday Book of 1086.
Since the redistribution of parliamentary boundaries, which took effect at the2010 general election, Bray has been inMaidenhead. In terms of local government, it is in the Bray electoral ward of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
Bray contains two of the eight three-Michelin-starred restaurants in theUnited Kingdom:[5]The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chefHeston Blumenthal in the centre of Bray. The restaurant opened in 1995,[6] and has held a three-star Michelin Guide rating since 2004. In 2005, it was named thebest restaurant in the world byRestaurant magazine[7] and in 2008, 2009 and 2010, Best Restaurant in the UK,[8] scoring a maximum 10 out of 10 in theGood Food Guide.The Waterside Inn was founded in 1972 by the brothersMichel andAlbert Roux after their success withLe Gavroche. It is currently run by Michel's son,Alain and Frederic Poulette. The restaurant has three Michelin stars and in 2010 became the second restaurant outsideFrance to retain all three stars for 25 years.[9]
Bray sits on the banks of theRiver Thames, one and a half miles (2.4 km) south of Maidenhead town centre and 5 miles (8 km) northwest ofWindsor. The B3028 road runs through the centre of Bray, and theA308 Maidenhead to Windsor road runs between Bray and the adjoining village of Holyport. TheM4 motorway junction 8/9 is approximately 1 mile (2 km) from Bray, andMaidenhead railway station is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away in Maidenhead town centre.
TheChurch of England parish church ofSt Michael was built in 1293, supposedly to replace aSaxon church at Water Oakley.[10] It has a number of sculptures which may have come from the earlier church, including a damagedSheela na Gig. It is best known tobrass rubbers for housing the superbmemorial brass of 1378 to Sir John Foxley, the Constable ofSouthampton Castle, and his two wives. One of the local cottages has a tunnel which it is believed leads to the church and served as an escape route for clergymen. The currentVicar of Bray is the Reverend Ainsley Swift.
The Jesus Hospital is a red-brick group ofalmhouses, founded in 1609 by William Goddard to house thirty-four of the aged poor of Bray and six of theWorshipful Company of Fishmongers, to which he belonged. A full-size effigy of Goddard stands over the entrance.[11] Jesus Hospital is now run by TheDonnington Hospital Trust having been transferred from The Fishmongers Company in 2010.
The village features as the home of the eponymous "The Vicar of Bray" in a satirical 18th-century song of that name. The titular character frequently changed his religious principles in order to remain in office throughout various reforming upheavals in the English church. The story was turned into anopera in 1882 and a film in 1937.
Edward Lear makes reference to Bray inMore Nonsense Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, etc:[18]
"There was an old person of Bray,
Who sang through the whole of the day
To his ducks and his pigs,
Whom he fed upon figs,That valuable person of Bray."
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