Cox Green Local History Group

At around 4 p.m. on Wednesday 3rd July 1940 an aircraft could be heard circling in low cloud over Maidenhead Thicket. Turning south the plane approached White Waltham airfield, Head Quarters of the Air Transport Auxiliary, moments later bombs crashed to the ground. The plane officially thought to be a Dornier 17 turned once more to the airfield dropping a second stick of bombs and opening up with its machine guns on the hangers. The plane turned again and made one final attack before disappearing through the mist. World War II had arrived to the south west of Maidenhead. Cox Greens proximity to the airfield at White Waltham meant the village and surrounding area had quite a busy time between 1940 and 1945.

'A Quite War!' by Leslie Ritson-Smith and Riki Knight tells the story.

On 27th August 1908, the Boyn Hill, Cox Green, White Waltham And Shottesbrook Vegetable, Fruit and Flower Show opened its gates to 232 entries of garden produce. The shows name became shortened to the Cox Green Flower Show and the forerunner of the villages modern Horticultural and Craft Show was born. In Pat Barlow's book ' Cox Green Flower Show 1908-1939 ' the history of the shows early and most productive years is told.

Formula One motor racing was dominated by Italian cars Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari. In the late 1940's a British industrialist named Tony Vandervell decided it was about time for Britain to beat those "Bloody Red Cars." During the 1950's in factories in Acton and Cox Green a car began to take shape that would rule the world of formula one grand prix racing The Vanwall. Riki Knights book 'Hopes of a Nation' gives a short history of the worlds first streamliner racing car.

The earliest written records so far found to mention Cox Green by name date from 1660 and 1661. What was life like in Cox Green during the time of highwaymen and French Revolution, and how was the village affected by the enclosures and the coming of the railway. Sarah Scott explores the village's growth and population in her book Change and stability, Cox Green in the 17th – 19th centuries. Showing not just the growth in Cox Green but the break down of the type of work the population did has made this one of the best-received books the group has ever produced.

Cox Green's first building was probably the Romano British farm, which stood in what is now Northumbria Road. One of a number of Roman stile buildings in the area excavated in the 1950's, the villa and surrounding areas have had many local historians and archaeologists produce notes on them. In his book The Cox Green Roman Villa, Leslie Ritson-Smith brings together the information to show not just how the farm developed but its relation to the other local sites in a way that has not been presented before.

A great way of finding out about an areas history is to go for a walk. The Cox Green Local History Group have produced a book containing four walks around the village describing the historical importance and back ground knowledge to the roads and buildings on route.

All the above mentioned books can be obtained from the Cox Green Community Centre office or via the history group at the May Day Fayre or Horticultural show.