Coley Park
Encyclopedia
Coley Park is a suburb
of the town of Reading
in the English
county of Berkshire
. It is largely built on the estate
of a country house of the same name.
, to the south and east by the Holy Brook
and the water meadows of the Kennet Valley
, and to the west by the railway line from Reading to Basingstoke
and the suburb of Southcote
.
Coley Park lies entirely within the borough of Reading, within Minster ward. It is within the Reading West parliamentary constituency
.
Coley Park is split between the Church of England parishes
of All Saints Church
and St Giles' Church
, although neither church is actually within the area.
rivulet (located where Coley Park Farm remains today). It was restored after the English Civil War
c. 1651 by Tanfield Vachell
(1602–1658).
Eventually Vachel House once again fell into disrepair and a new mansion, Coley House, was built on higher ground by the new owner, John McConnell in 1802.
Between 1882 and 1889, Reading Football Club
played their games at Coley Park, on the site now known as Coley Park Recreation Ground.
During the First World War
, part of Coley Park was used as an airfield, housing the Royal Flying Corps
' No.1 School of Military Aeronautics and No.1 School of Technical Training. However flying was disrupted by river fogs and by the end of the war the airfield was no longer in use. Amongst the pilots trained at Coley Park was W. E. Johns
, who went on to create the Biggles
series of aviation based adventure stories.
After the Second World War, the Ministry of Agriculture
occupied Coley House and the garden areas in the northern part of the estate. Two blocks of offices were built for the ministry in these grounds, the more recent in 1968. Coley House subsequently became semi-derelict.
In 1956 the then Reading Corporation purchased the southern section of Coley Park estate for a future council housing estate. By 1958 new residents were arriving and by 1960 a set of three high-rise 15-storey flats were under construction. By the end of the 1960s a row of five shops, a pub, a church and a school had been built on the Coley Park estate. New roads built at this stage included Wensley Road and Lesford Road.
In 1993 the Berkshire Independent Hospital was purpose built on a site (part of the ministry site) adjacent to Coley House. This involved constructing a new access road (known as Swallows Croft) parallel to Wensley Road and between that road and Coley House. Subsequently Coley House itself underwent major restoration works , including the construction of new buildings to the rear and a complete facelift of the roof areas. Today this Grade II Heritage listed building contains consulting rooms and other outpatient facilities for the hospital.
Two new housing developments on the site of Coley House's former gardens followed. One, at the end of Swallows Croft, replaced the later of the ministry office blocks. The other, accessed by the new Rembrandt Way, was situated to the north of the hospital. The earlier ministry office block remains occupied by what is now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
and has recently been refurbished and reroofed.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It is largely built on the estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
of a country house of the same name.
Location
Coley Park is an area of south-west Reading, bounded to the north by the Berkeley Avenue and the east by the older district of ColeyColey, Berkshire
Coley is an inner-town district near the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire.The district has no formal boundaries, but the historically the name referred to the area roughly bounded by Castle Street, Castle Hill and the Bath Road to the north, Berkeley Avenue to the...
, to the south and east by the Holy Brook
Holy Brook
The Holy Brook is a channel of the River Kennet in the vicinity of the English town of Reading, Berkshire. While of considerable historical significance, the origin and nature of the brook is still unclear...
and the water meadows of the Kennet Valley
River Kennet
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary of the River Thames. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol...
, and to the west by the railway line from Reading to Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
and the suburb of Southcote
Southcote, Berkshire
Southcote is a suburb and local government ward of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.The suburb of Southcote is bounded to the north by the Bath Road and Prospect Park, to the west by the more recently developed suburb of Fords Farm, to the south by the Holy Brook and the water meadows of...
.
Coley Park lies entirely within the borough of Reading, within Minster ward. It is within the Reading West parliamentary constituency
Reading West (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading West is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like all such constituencies, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
.
Coley Park is split between the Church of England parishes
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of All Saints Church
All Saints' Church, Reading
All Saints' Church is an Church of England parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The church is on Downshire Square, a tree lined square in West Reading close to the Bath Road....
and St Giles' Church
St Giles' Church, Reading
St Giles' Church is a parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.St Giles' was one of the three original parish churches, along with St Mary's and St Laurence's, serving the medieval borough of Reading...
, although neither church is actually within the area.
History
The suburb of Coley Park was built largely on the lands of the Coley Park estate. The original manor house, known as Vachel House, was built c. 1555 by Thomas Vachell (1537–1610) on the banks of the Holy BrookHoly Brook
The Holy Brook is a channel of the River Kennet in the vicinity of the English town of Reading, Berkshire. While of considerable historical significance, the origin and nature of the brook is still unclear...
rivulet (located where Coley Park Farm remains today). It was restored after the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
c. 1651 by Tanfield Vachell
Tanfield Vachell
Tanfield Vachell was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1653.Vachell was the son of John Vachell of Warfield and his wife Mary Vincent, daughter of Clement Vincent of Peckleton, Leicestershire. He was baptised Gayton, Northamptonshire on 27 December 1602...
(1602–1658).
Eventually Vachel House once again fell into disrepair and a new mansion, Coley House, was built on higher ground by the new owner, John McConnell in 1802.
Between 1882 and 1889, Reading Football Club
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
played their games at Coley Park, on the site now known as Coley Park Recreation Ground.
During the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, part of Coley Park was used as an airfield, housing the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
' No.1 School of Military Aeronautics and No.1 School of Technical Training. However flying was disrupted by river fogs and by the end of the war the airfield was no longer in use. Amongst the pilots trained at Coley Park was W. E. Johns
W. E. Johns
William Earl Johns was an English pilot and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the name Captain W. E. Johns. He is best remembered as the creator of the ace pilot and adventurer Biggles.-Early life:...
, who went on to create the Biggles
Biggles
"Biggles" , a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns....
series of aviation based adventure stories.
After the Second World War, the Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and from 1919 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries...
occupied Coley House and the garden areas in the northern part of the estate. Two blocks of offices were built for the ministry in these grounds, the more recent in 1968. Coley House subsequently became semi-derelict.
In 1956 the then Reading Corporation purchased the southern section of Coley Park estate for a future council housing estate. By 1958 new residents were arriving and by 1960 a set of three high-rise 15-storey flats were under construction. By the end of the 1960s a row of five shops, a pub, a church and a school had been built on the Coley Park estate. New roads built at this stage included Wensley Road and Lesford Road.
In 1993 the Berkshire Independent Hospital was purpose built on a site (part of the ministry site) adjacent to Coley House. This involved constructing a new access road (known as Swallows Croft) parallel to Wensley Road and between that road and Coley House. Subsequently Coley House itself underwent major restoration works , including the construction of new buildings to the rear and a complete facelift of the roof areas. Today this Grade II Heritage listed building contains consulting rooms and other outpatient facilities for the hospital.
Two new housing developments on the site of Coley House's former gardens followed. One, at the end of Swallows Croft, replaced the later of the ministry office blocks. The other, accessed by the new Rembrandt Way, was situated to the north of the hospital. The earlier ministry office block remains occupied by what is now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
and has recently been refurbished and reroofed.
External links
- Coley Park and Beyond (local history website)