Rain, Steam, Speed, Maidenhead
River, Silver, Sleep
Boat, Tackle, Trade
Storm, Buffet, Breath
Bridge, Span, Scream
Train, Monster, Myth
Hare, Leap, Loss
By Robert Seatter
If you enjoyed this poem, take a look at the other Thames Path 30th Anniversary poems.
MAIDENHEAD
Turner famously painted the railway bridge over the Thames at Maidenhead in the picture Rain, Steam, Speed (1844), celebrating the new speed of trains but also capturing the clash of natural and man-made elements. One tiny hare leaps across the train tracks in the picture’s foreground.
Maidenhead is part of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. The town centre has a range of over 300 shops, Maidenhead Heritage Centre is a must and for arts and culture visit the Norden Farn Centre for the Arts just a 5 minute drive away from the town centre. A short walk from the town centre takes you to the river with its 18th-century road bridge and Brunel’s famous ‘Sounding Arch’ featured in Turner's painting of ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’. A walk along the riverside offers amazing views of the Thames and great walks towards the villages of Cookham, Marlow, Bray and Windsor and Eton. Boulter’s Lock and Island, which was immortalised in Gregory’s 19th-century painting, boasts a restaurant and bar whilst Ray Mill Island remains a firm favourite with its bird aviary, beautiful gardens and great views of Maidenhead weir.