The Thames Valley region is a loose term for the English counties or parts of
those counties roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows
from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It is generally taken to
include parts of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey and
sometimes two boroughs of southwest London. It rarely includes either the
source of the Thames at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, or any part of
Wiltshire, and does not include the informal entities Central London or the
Thames Gateway which surrounds the Thames Estuary.
The Thames Valley region can be compared with the longer and narrower M4
corridor, i.e. the area within a few miles of the M4 motorway, which runs
East-West extending from Hammersmith, London through Berkshire and then
Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire and over the River Severn via the Second
Severn Crossing, a Toll Bridge to South Wales.
Economy The Thames Valley is one of the
wealthiest parts of the European Union, aided by a skilled workforce and its
accessibility to London. Historic trades have been replaced by wealth-generating
knowledge-based industries: in particular, information and
communications technology and life sciences.
Productivity was £49,000 per worker in 2006, which was £8,600 higher than the
average for the wider region of south-east England. The knowledge
economy provides 29% of employment, compared with the national average of
17%; and 37% of people in employment hold a degree. 20% of Thames Valley
workers are employed in managerial and senior positions, for which the UK-wide
average is 15%. The direct labour force amounts to 1 million people, but the
total workforce within an hour of the Thames Valley towns is close to 3.7
million. Since 2002, the Thames Valley has been
the UK's fastest growing region, averaging 3.5% per year economic growth
after inflation, well ahead of the 2.5% national average. Its economy was valued
at £32 billion in 2007. Tourism
The Thames Valley is a major tourist destination in the United Kingdom for
domestic and international visitors. Attractions close to the river include:
Bray, Berkshire with its highly Michelin-ranked gastronomic pubs and
restaurants Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, which faces
Maidenhead, Berkshire Eton and its college, Berkshire,
connected by footbridge to Windsor Hampton Court Palace, London, which
faces East Molesey, Surrey Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire
Marlow, Buckinghamshire Oxford
Runnymede, Surrey Windsor Castle
The only long-distance walking and cycling route through the whole region
is the Thames Path. Scenic landscapes include the Chiltern Hills, Ridgeway
National Trail, and Windsor Great Park. Luxury spa hotels and golf resorts cater
to the luxury and leisure stay market. Regattas, food fairs and fun fairs in
the towns mentioned above and traditional centres of population are
among the attractions for a regional audience, as well as theme parks. Dorney
Lake is a major national venue for kayaking, canoeing and rowing. The
American Community Schools, England are centred on the area. Wentworth and
Sunningdale Golf Clubs are also in the area. Five horse racing venues are
within 20 kilometres of the river. Policing
The Thames Valley Police cover the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire
and Oxfordshire. Other forces cover the rest of the Thames Valley region.
Major towns and cities Basingstoke
Bracknell High Wycombe
London Maidenhead
Newbury Oxford
Reading Slough
Swindon Wokingham
Universities Buckinghamshire New University
Oxford Brookes University Oxford University
Reading University Royal Holloway, University of London
Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London
University of West London See also
Great Western Main Line South Wales Main Line
Golden Valley Line Cherwell Valley Line
M4 Corridor References