Crowthorne is a village at the south eastern edge of the county.
Until the second half of the nineteenth century Crowthorne was a small hamlet with just a handful of dwellings. The name comes from a local landmark known as Crow Thorn. The centre of the hamlet was at the junction of the Roman road, the Devil's Highway and a road between Sandhurst and Bracknell.
In the 1860s the opening of Wellington College and Broadmoor Hospital helped Crow Thorn greatly expand. It was proposed to give the fast growing settlement a new name in the 1890s, Albertville after Prince Albert was proposed, but in the end Crowthorne was chosen.
Crowthorne railway station was opened in 1859 to serve the college. In latter years Crowthorne has also gained the Transport Research Laboratory. A notable manufacturing company C.F. Taylor produced parts for aviation and road vehicles. it later became part of British Aerospace.
