Odney
Odney is an eyot (island) of common land in the Thames, forming part of the parish of Cookham, Berkshire. The island may have been sacred to the main Saxon god, Woden, as "Wodenes-Eye" ("Woden’s Isle").[1]
Location
It lies next to the village of Cookham and the River Thames, and is located approximately two and a half miles north of Maidenhead. It is also very close to Cookham Lock. The Cliveden Estate borders Odney, and in autumn the entire valley surrounding the two estates experiences a burst in vibrant autumn colour.
Pottery
There was the Odney Pottery works (1942–1956) on the common. The building can still be seen. The very attractive earthenware pottery is still sought after. John Bew was asked to set up the pottery by the John Lewis department store in Cookham in 1942 to train disabled people. In 1948, they were given a government licence to produce domestic pottery. Geoffrey Eastop (1921–2014) spent a year working at the pottery early in his career as a potter.[2]
Lullebrook Manor and the Odney Club
The Odney Club,[3] a hotel and conference centre owned by the John Lewis Partnership and available for the use of its Partners (staff), is centred on Lullebrook Manor.[4]
This fine mid-18th-century country house was once rented by Colonel Francis Ricardo, the first car owner in Cookham, who was High Sheriff of Berkshire in the early 1900s and supposedly the inspiration for Kenneth Grahame's Toad, in the Wind in the Willows.
A property on the site is known to have existed from as early as the 13th Century, when the house was owned by the De Lullebrook family.
References
- ↑ Ford, David Nash. "The Historic Buildings of Berkshire: Lullebrook Manor, Cookham, Berkshire". David Nash Ford Publishing. http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/cookham.html. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ↑ "Geoffrey Eastop: An artist's life in pots". Newbury Weekly News (UK): pp. 44–45. 15 January 2015.
- ↑ "The Odney Club". UK. http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-odney-club-cookham. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ↑ Ford, David Nash. "The Historic Buildings of Berkshire: Lullebrook Manor, Cookham, Berkshire". David Nash Ford Publishing. http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/lullebrook_manor.html. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
Outside links
- Location map: 51°33’38"N, 0°42’17"W
