Riverside west of the Tower, north bank. Southlea

This posting covers sites north of the river only. South of the river is Albert Bridge

Post to the north Windsor Home Park Eastern riverside and Datchet and Southlea
Post to the east Ham Island and Nickcroft Ait


Southlea Road
This road now goes to the Albert Bridge and is thus a new road

Southlea Farm Lane
This lane was the original road which went to the riverside but did not cross it. This was replaced by the current Southlea Road when Albert Bridge was built.St Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate. In 1263 St Helen’s nunnery was endowed with property in Datchet.  A Manor of Datchet St Helen’s thus existed although its possessions were mixed up with the Manor of Datchet. It has been assumed that Southlea farm was the administrative centre for the Manor of Datchet St Helen’s, but this does not seem to have been so. Later in the 15th Christopher Barker bought up land here but the property was sold in 1631 and eventually ended up in the 18th with the Earls of Harewood.
Southlea Farm. The farm is on a small ‘island’ of raised ground and this suggests that the farm may go back to the late Roman period. In 1899, Sir Henry Simpson (veterinary surgeon to Queen Victoria) bought the farm from the Harewoods and converted it to stabling, However when Albert Bridge was built the Crown began to buy up all properties in the area and it was sold to them in 1901. It now operates as a farm,
Southlea House. This lay further down the lane but was burnt down in the late 19th  Walled enclosures here have been associated with St Helen’s nunnery at Bishopsgate in London, and described as the remains of a monastery far. However they are actually the garden walls of what was Southlea House


Sources
Datchet History. Web site

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