A local guide to Wraysbury

The leafy Thameside village of Wraysbury in East Berkshire is a popular place to live and visit for many people because of its picturesque surroundings.

Obviously the plentiful flora and fauna of the River Thames is a big draw for many, but it is the area’s lakes and gravel pits that attract most attention from nature fans.

For instance, the Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits might not sound all that impressive but they are in fact a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and are home to a veritable menagerie of rare wildlife and plants.

The downside of being close to all this water is that the village has experienced flooding in the past.

Hints of Wraybury’s past are dotted around the local area with the Ankerwycke estate in the village featuring the ruins of a Benedictine nunnery that was founded by King Henry II.

It’s also here that one of the UK’s oldest trees, the Ankerwycke Yew, can be found. It’s over 2000 years old and is rumoured to be where Henry VIII met Anne Boleyn in 1530.

The nearby Magna Carta Island is where it is reputed that the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215.

The village is ideally suited to commuters as it is in close proximity to the M25 and in easy reach of both the M4 and M3.

In addition, it also boasts two railway stations; Wraysbury and Sunnymedes. Both of these connect travellers with Windsor and Eton Riverside Station and London Waterloo.