Located between the River Thames and Ascot, the quaint outer London village of Englefield Green is a unique part of town. Its residential area is sandwiched between the vast green spaces of Runnymede and Windsor Great Park, and the buildings are a combination of Edwardian and interwar terraced houses, and more modern blocks accommodating many of the students from Royal Holloway University which sits to the south. While there’s little by way of high street or public transport, there are a number of local favourites, including Megna Tandoori and Village Pizza, and pubs such as The Armstrong Gun and The Happy Man. The nearby town of Egham is just a short walk to the east and provides trains into central London if residents fancy something a bit more lively.

Despite its unassuming nature, Runnymede is incredibly significant in the history of Great Britain. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon words for ‘Meeting Meadow’, as the land was used as a regular place for important assemblies. It was the location of the Council of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of the 7th to 11th centuries, and in 1215 was the site on which King John sealed the Magna Carta, which affected common and constitutional law, as well as political representation, ultimately developing parliament. The area’s association with the ideals of democracy, equality and freedom under law has made it a popular location for memorials and monuments, such as the John F. Kennedy Memorial, an art installation named The Jurors, which commemorates the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, as well as a number of ceremonial tree plantings.

In 1852 Cooper’s Hill was the site of the last ever fatal duel in England, between two French refugees, Lt. Frederic Constant Cournet and Emmanuel Barthelemy. Supposedly, Barthelemy, who was an extremely questionable individual, coaxed Cournet into challenging him after he had made comments about Barthelemy’s girlfriend. Cournet was prepared for a sword duel but Barthelemy chose pistols and killed his opponent. Barthelemy was arrested for murder but was subsequently acquitted. He was also a suspected spy for the regime of Napoleon III and was later involved in a crime in London for which he was hanged. Barthelemy was initially defended by Victor Hugo, who wrote a small section praising him in Les Miserables, though he later turned his back on Barthelemy, saying that he “flew one flag only, and it was black.”

While the area is attractive and popular with students and commuters, nearby Egham station operates on the South Western Railway, which is prone to delays and cancellations. It is also located more than 21 miles from Waterloo, meaning that travel can prove expensive, especially if one has to commute at peak times. Rail fairs are also were also increased in 2019, which put even more pressure on the wallets of commuters.

A new train line known as the Heathrow Southern Railway (HSR), is set to pass through Egham by 2027. The ‘innovative, privately financed’ railway will provide direct connections to Heathrow Airport from Guildford, Farnborough, Woking, and London Waterloo, ultimately help relieve congestion on the roads and reduce rail overcrowding at no cost to the taxpayer, as well as transferring a predicted 3 million road journeys per year to rail. That said, plans for HSR have been uncertain and ambiguous for a few years now. In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in part due to economic turbulence across the nation, the Department for Transport’s Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP), which includes plans for the HSR), has been subjected to budget cuts and continued delays. People are now waiting for the updated plans of the RNEP, which are long overdue, to gain a clearer picture of what’s going on.