Didcot

Town in Oxfordshire, England, 11 km/7 mi south of Abingdon; population (2001) 23,450. Didcot is the site of an important railway junction, where the main line from London to the West Country joins that to Oxford and Birmingham. A large coal-fired power station serving central England and known as Didcot A, is situated near the town. A smaller power station, using natural gas to produce electricity, and known as Didcot B, opened on the same site in July 1997.

Didcot expanded rapidly during the 1980s, as large housing developments were constructed on the outskirts to cater for commuters to London, Swindon, and the high-tech industries of the Thames Valley. Harwell atomic-energy research station is 6 km/4 mi east of the town.