Is It Correct That Thatcham Is The Earliest Occupied Place In Britain?

Thatcham has continuously been occupied from Prehistoric times. The remains of a Mesolithic village dating from 7700 BC have been found in the vicinity.

Thatcham is noted in the Guinness Book of World records as the oldest continously inhabited place in England, with evidence of Bronze and Iron Age settlements and also a Roman town.

Thatcham lies on the River Kennet, the A4 road, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the course of a Roman road.

Thatcham has a population of 23,000 people. The population has grown rapidly over the last few decades, with 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.

Thatcham is 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers approximately 8.75 squares of land.

One of the local attractions in Thatcham is the Nature Discovery Centre, which is situated at Thantcham lake, a flooded gravel quarry.

Thatcham is twinned with the Nideggen, Germany.