Newbury, Berkshire
Encyclopedia
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town
in the west of the county
of Berkshire
in England
. It is situated on the River Kennet
and the Kennet and Avon Canal
, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse
and the adjoining former USAF airbase at Greenham Common.
settlement at Newbury. Artefacts were recovered from the Greenham Dairy Farm in 1963, and the Faraday Road site in 2002. Additional material was found in excavations along the route of the Newbury Bypass.
Newbury was founded late in the eleventh century following the Norman invasion as a new borough, hence its name. Although there are references to the borough that predate the Domesday Survey
it is not mentioned by name in the survey. However, its existence within the manor of Ulvritone is evident from the massive rise in value of that manor at a time when most manors were worth less than in Saxon times.
Doubt has been cast over the existence of 'Newbury Castle
', but the town did have Royal connections and was visited a number of times by King John
and Henry III
while hunting in the area.
Historically, the town's economic foundation was the cloth trade. This is reflected in the person of the 16th century cloth magnate, Jack of Newbury, the proprietor of what may well have been the first factory in England, and the later tale of the Newbury Coat. The latter was the outcome of a bet as to whether a gentleman's suit could be produced by the end of the day from wool taken from a sheep's back at the beginning.
Newbury was the site of two Civil War
battles, the First Battle of Newbury
(at Wash Common
) in 1643 and the Second Battle of Newbury
(at Speen
) in 1644. The nearby Donnington Castle
was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle.
The disruption of trade during the Civil War followed a major collapse of the local cloth trade in the late 16th century leaving Newbury impoverished. The local economy was boosted in the 18th century by the rise of Bath as a popular destination for the wealthy escaping London's summer heat and associated stench. Newbury was roughly half way between London and Bath and an obvious stopping point in the two day journey. Soon Newbury, in particular Speenhamland, was filled with coaching inns of ever increasing grandeur and size. One inn, the George & Pelican, was reputed to have stabling for 300 horses, and this was not the largest of the inns. A theatre was built to provide the travellers with entertainment featuring the major stars of the age.
In 1795, local magistrates, meeting at the George and Pelican Inn in Speenhamland
, introduced the Speenhamland System which tied parish welfare payments to the cost of bread.
The opening of the Great Western Railway
killed the coaching
trade and Newbury became something of a backwater, a market town with an economy based on agriculture
until the arrival of the high tech industries that provide so much employment in the town today. When, in the 1980s, Racal
decided to locate their newly-formed Racal Vodafone division in the town it was a decision that ensured a new economic boom.
station was established during the Second World War at Greenham Common on the edge of the town. In the 1950s, it became home to US Air Force bomber and tankers, for which it was equipped with the longest military runway
in the United Kingdom
. In the 1980s, it became one of only two USAF bases in the UK equipped with ground-launched nuclear
-armed cruise missile
s, causing it to become the site of protests by up to 40,000 protesters and the establishment of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
. With the end of the Cold War
, the base was closed, the runway was broken up for use as fill material in building the Newbury bypass
, and much of the area restored to heathland.
of West Berkshire
.
Newbury is also a civil parish, with parish council responsibilities undertaken by Newbury Town Council since 1997. Newbury Town Council currently has 23 councillors, representing 7 wards of the town. These are Brummel Grove, Clay Hill, Falkland, Northcroft, Pyle Hill, Victoria and St Johns. As of 2007, 12 of the councillors represent the Liberal Democrats and 11 represent the Conservative Party
.
In Parliament
, the town is in the Newbury constituency. Since the election of May 2005
this constituency has been represented by Richard Benyon
, a Conservative
.
Newbury is twinned with: Braunfels
in Germany
(1963) Bagnols-sur-Cèze
in France
(1970) Eeklo
in Belgium
(1974) Feltre
in Italy
(2003)
The civil parish of Newbury consists of the town, and the suburbs of Wash Common
, the City, West Fields, East Fields and Speenhamland
. The modern conurbation of Newbury, however, also takes in the surrounding villages of Speen
, Donnington
, Shaw
and Greenham
.
Today, Newbury town has a population of about 32,000 (2004) and, with adjacent towns such as Thatcham
, is the centre of a continuously built up area with an overall population of around 60,000. Newbury serves as the major commercial and retail centre of West Berkshire.
The River Kennet
and the Kennet and Avon Canal
flow through the centre of the town, while the River Lambourn
partly forms its northern boundary and the River Enborne
forms its southern boundary (and also the county boundary with Hampshire
). Adjoining the town's south-eastern border is Greenham Common and the famous racecourse. Newbury is surrounded on three sides (north, west and south) by the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The downland
to the south rises steeply out of the river valley providing scenic views, including Watership Down
(made famous by the novel of the same name), Beacon Hill
and Combe Gibbet
.
Vodafone
, which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 people. Before moving to their £129 million headquarters in the outskirts of the town in 2002, Vodafone used 64 buildings spread across the town centre.
As well as Vodafone, Newbury is also home to the UK headquarters of the pharmaceutical company
Bayer AG
, National Instruments
, Micro Focus, NTS Express Road Haulage, Jokers' Masquerade
, Newbury Parcels and Quantel
. It also is home to the Newbury Building Society
which operates in the region.
Newbury is situated on the River Kennet
, the valley of which has always formed an important east–west transport route, served by the Kennet and Avon Canal
, and the Great Western Railway
line from London
to the West Country
. Today, Newbury is served by two railway stations, Newbury
and Newbury Racecourse
, which both lie on the Reading to Plymouth Line
.
Following a similar east–west route is the A4 road from London to Bristol
, historically the main route west from London. This road has been superseded as a long distance route by the M4 motorway
which here runs parallel three miles to the north. The Newbury junction, at Chieveley
, is Junction 13.
At Newbury this east–west route is crossed by an equally important north–south route, from the major south coast port of Southampton
to the industrial centres of the Midlands
. Although this route was once served by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway line
, today it is only served by the A34 road, which now bypasses Newbury to the west on an alignment partially using the old rail route (see also 'Newbury Bypass' below).
Until the completion of the bypass, the A34 and A4 met in the town centre at Robin Hood Roundabout, a complicated gyratory system encompassing 6 approaching roads, a fire station
, ambulance station
, and an exit on the internal (right-hand) side of the roundabout which has to fly-over the roundabout as it heads away to the north. In 2007, the sculpture Couple in Conversation was unveiled on the roundabout, providing a new landmark for one of the major gateways into the town.
Other significant roads radiating from Newbury include the A339
which now includes the renumbered part of the old A34 through the town centre and then heads towards Basingstoke
and the M3 motorway, the A343 to Andover
, the B4000 to Lambourn
, the B4494 to Wantage
and the B4009 to Streatley
.
Most local bus services are provided by Newbury Buses, a division of Reading Transport Ltd.
to Bristol
and from Southampton
to Birmingham
made it, for many years, a transport bottleneck. In 1963 a Dual Carriageway
was built east of the town centre to ease congestion and the opening of the M4 in 1971 moved the intersection of these major trunk routes 5 km north of the town, to Chieveley
. The ring road around the town still suffered serious congestion and the Newbury bypass
was proposed in 1981. The plans were approved in 1990. However they were extremely controversial and this led to a major environmentalist
campaign (sometimes dubbed the Third battle of Newbury) opposing the development. In spite of this, the road was built and finally opened in 1998. Within two months the road surface began to break up and the entire length of the bypass was eventually resurfaced over two weekends using an improved low-noise water-absorbent surface.
In August 2004, the improved A34-M4 junction 13 was re-opened which allowed north–south traffic on the A34 to completely bypass the roundabout at the M4. This junction continued to be improved, with new road markings and traffic signals completed in 2008.
Newbury has three main secondary schools:
There are also Newbury College, a further and higher education college funded by private finance initiative
and Mary Hare School, a residential co-educational community special school for deaf pupils.
Independent schools nearby include:
, which celebrated its centenary in 2005. The most prestigious race in the calendar is the Hennessy Gold Cup which normally takes place in late November.
Newbury is fortunate enough to still have one of the last remaining lidos in the UK. It was built in the 1890s originally although the structure we see today was erected in the 1930s. The pool is still in use today and is capable of receiving more than 1000 visitors a day during peak times. It is owned and subsidised by West Berkshire District Council but managed by an external contractor Parkwood Leisure.
Newbury was home to A.F.C. Newbury
, which was for a period one of only two football clubs to be sponsored by Vodafone (the other being Manchester United
). In May 2006 Vodafone ended its sponsorship of the club, following which the club collapsed. A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over the ground temporarily and now compete in the Reading League as Newbury F.C.
Their future at the ground is uncertain as the owner (West Berkshire District Council) plans to turn it into a car park.
Newbury's rugby union
club, Newbury R.F.C.
(also sponsored by Vodafone), is based in the town. In the 2004/05 season, the club finished second in the National Two division earning promotion to National One and is now in the top 26 clubs nationally. Newbury had previously won National Four South (now renamed as National Three South) in 1996/97 with a 100% win record. The club was founded in 1928 and in 1996 moved to a new purpose-built ground at Monks Lane, which has since hosted England U21 fixtures.
Major cricket clubs in the town include Falkland C.C. and Newbury C.C.. Newbury also has two strong athletics clubs with Team Kennet and Newbury Athletics Club and there are Newbury District Leagues in many other sports such as badminton, table tennis, squash and darts.
Victoria Park
, near the centre of the town, is used for several events during the year such as the Newbury Waterways Festival, the Keep Off The Grass (KOTG) dance music event and Crafty Craft, a raft race along the canal.
As well as lending out books, Newbury Library, which moved to a new building in July 2000, provides internet access and a wide range of other services to its users and members.
There is a wide range of arts provision in the Newbury area - The Corn Exchange providing a venue for both professional and amateur live performances. Other theatres in the town are the Watermill Theatre
, and New Greenham Arts on the former Greenham Common air force base.
Annually the Newbury Spring Festival of classical music brings internationally renowned soloists and ensembles to a variety of venues in and around the town. The Newbury Comedy Festival
which started in 2004 has become a feature in the town's cultural calendar.
Newbury is also home to Donnington Grove
, where a golf course was opened in 1993. The course is associated with
Jonathan Yarwood who is one of the UK's leading golf coaches. Donnington Grove is also a historic landmark for Newbury as its mansion was built between 1763 and 1772.
, BBC Radio Berkshire
- and two independent local radio
stations - Newbury Sound (formerly Kick FM) which broadcasts from Newbury, and Heart Berkshire (formerly 210FM)which broadcasts into the area from nearby Reading
. International Radio Station - [Reach OnAir] has its International Head Quarters in Newbury.
The following local newspaper
s are distributed in Newbury (circulation in brackets):
.jpg)
A number of notable people have originated from, worked, lived or died in Newbury:
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the west of the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
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...
in England
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...
. It is situated on the River Kennet
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 the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse
Newbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps...
and the adjoining former USAF airbase at Greenham Common.
History
There was a MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
settlement at Newbury. Artefacts were recovered from the Greenham Dairy Farm in 1963, and the Faraday Road site in 2002. Additional material was found in excavations along the route of the Newbury Bypass.
Newbury was founded late in the eleventh century following the Norman invasion as a new borough, hence its name. Although there are references to the borough that predate the Domesday Survey
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
it is not mentioned by name in the survey. However, its existence within the manor of Ulvritone is evident from the massive rise in value of that manor at a time when most manors were worth less than in Saxon times.
Doubt has been cast over the existence of 'Newbury Castle
Newbury Castle
Newbury Castle is the name of an English adulterine castle built by John Marshal during The Anarchy. The Castle is mentioned in the "L'Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal" wherein it describes King Stephen as besieging the castle in 1152 and holding Marshal's son, William Marshal, as a hostage...
', but the town did have Royal connections and was visited a number of times by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
and Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
while hunting in the area.
Historically, the town's economic foundation was the cloth trade. This is reflected in the person of the 16th century cloth magnate, Jack of Newbury, the proprietor of what may well have been the first factory in England, and the later tale of the Newbury Coat. The latter was the outcome of a bet as to whether a gentleman's suit could be produced by the end of the day from wool taken from a sheep's back at the beginning.
Newbury was the site of two Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
battles, the First Battle of Newbury
First Battle of Newbury
The First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex...
(at Wash Common
Wash Common
Wash Common is a small suburb to the south of Newbury, Berkshire. It is built on the former Newbury Wash, which was flat open heathland overlooking Newbury, and until the 19'th century there was just a small group of houses separated from Newbury by open country. Both places have grown into each...
) in 1643 and the Second Battle of Newbury
Second Battle of Newbury
The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the English Civil War fought on 27 October, 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year.The combined armies of Parliament...
(at Speen
Speen, Berkshire
Speen is a village and civil parish in the unitary district of West Berkshire and county of Berkshire, England. The parish is about north west of Newbury....
) in 1644. The nearby Donnington Castle
Donnington Castle
Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire.- History :...
was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle.
The disruption of trade during the Civil War followed a major collapse of the local cloth trade in the late 16th century leaving Newbury impoverished. The local economy was boosted in the 18th century by the rise of Bath as a popular destination for the wealthy escaping London's summer heat and associated stench. Newbury was roughly half way between London and Bath and an obvious stopping point in the two day journey. Soon Newbury, in particular Speenhamland, was filled with coaching inns of ever increasing grandeur and size. One inn, the George & Pelican, was reputed to have stabling for 300 horses, and this was not the largest of the inns. A theatre was built to provide the travellers with entertainment featuring the major stars of the age.
In 1795, local magistrates, meeting at the George and Pelican Inn in Speenhamland
Speenhamland
The Speenhamland system was a form of outdoor relief intended to mitigate rural poverty in England at the end of the 18th century and during the early 19th century. The law was an amendment to the Elizabethan Poor Law. It was created as an indirect result of Britain’s involvements in the French...
, introduced the Speenhamland System which tied parish welfare payments to the cost of bread.
The opening of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
killed the coaching
Coaching
Coaching, with a professional coach, is the practice of supporting an individual, referred to as the client or mentee or coachee, through the process of achieving a specific personal or professional result....
trade and Newbury became something of a backwater, a market town with an economy based on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
until the arrival of the high tech industries that provide so much employment in the town today. When, in the 1980s, Racal
Racal
Racal Electronics plc was once the third-largest British electronics firm. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, Racal was a diversified company, offering products including: as voice and data recorders; point of sale terminals; laboratory instruments;...
decided to locate their newly-formed Racal Vodafone division in the town it was a decision that ensured a new economic boom.
Greenham Common
A large Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station was established during the Second World War at Greenham Common on the edge of the town. In the 1950s, it became home to US Air Force bomber and tankers, for which it was equipped with the longest military runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In the 1980s, it became one of only two USAF bases in the UK equipped with ground-launched nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
-armed cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s, causing it to become the site of protests by up to 40,000 protesters and the establishment of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp was a peace camp established to protest at nuclear weapons being sited at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire, England. The camp began in September 1981 after a Welsh group, Women for Life on Earth, arrived at Greenham to protest against the decision of the British...
. With the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the base was closed, the runway was broken up for use as fill material in building the Newbury bypass
Newbury bypass
The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road , is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
, and much of the area restored to heathland.
Government
Newbury is part of, and the administrative centre of, the district administered by the unitary authorityUnitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of West Berkshire
West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...
.
Newbury is also a civil parish, with parish council responsibilities undertaken by Newbury Town Council since 1997. Newbury Town Council currently has 23 councillors, representing 7 wards of the town. These are Brummel Grove, Clay Hill, Falkland, Northcroft, Pyle Hill, Victoria and St Johns. As of 2007, 12 of the councillors represent the Liberal Democrats and 11 represent the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
In Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, the town is in the Newbury constituency. Since the election of May 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
this constituency has been represented by Richard Benyon
Richard Benyon
Richard Henry Ronald Benyon MRICS is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Newbury since 2005 and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since May 2010.-Early life:Benyon was born in...
, a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Newbury is twinned with: Braunfels
Braunfels
Braunfels is a town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Location :The climatic spa of Braunfels lies at a height of some 100 m above the Lahn valley...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1963) Bagnols-sur-Cèze
Bagnols-sur-Cèze
Bagnols-sur-Cèze is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon région in southern France.-History:A small regional center, Bagnols-sur-Cèze was quite certainly a Roman town before the main part was built in the 13th century around a central arcaded square that is still preserved...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1970) Eeklo
Eeklo
Eeklo is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Eeklo proper. The name Eeklo comes from the contraction of “eke” and “lo”, two Old German words meaning “oak” and “sparse woods”....
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(1974) Feltre
Feltre
Feltre is a town and comune of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about 4 km from its junction with the Piave, and 20 km southwest from Belluno...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(2003)
Geography
Wash Common
Wash Common is a small suburb to the south of Newbury, Berkshire. It is built on the former Newbury Wash, which was flat open heathland overlooking Newbury, and until the 19'th century there was just a small group of houses separated from Newbury by open country. Both places have grown into each...
, the City, West Fields, East Fields and Speenhamland
Speenhamland, Berkshire
Speenhamland is a district of Newbury, Berkshire, which gave rise to the Speenhamland system of poor relief in the early 19th century. It lies to the north of the River Kennet, between the centre of Newbury and the village of Speen to the north-west....
. The modern conurbation of Newbury, however, also takes in the surrounding villages of Speen
Speen, Berkshire
Speen is a village and civil parish in the unitary district of West Berkshire and county of Berkshire, England. The parish is about north west of Newbury....
, Donnington
Donnington, Berkshire
Donnington is a village in the civil parish of Shaw-cum-Donnington just north of the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England.Donnington Castle, a ruined medieval castle of some historical significance, is in the village. Donnington Hospital almshouses, established in 1393, are the oldest charity in...
, Shaw
Shaw, Berkshire
Shaw is a village in Berkshire, England.It is located to the north of Newbury, near the village of Donnington. It is in the parish of Shaw-cum-Donnington....
and Greenham
Greenham
Greenham is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Greneham.It is situated just to the south-east of Newbury and is in the West Berkshire district of England....
.
Today, Newbury town has a population of about 32,000 (2004) and, with adjacent towns such as Thatcham
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
, is the centre of a continuously built up area with an overall population of around 60,000. Newbury serves as the major commercial and retail centre of West Berkshire.
The River Kennet
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 the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
flow through the centre of the town, while the River Lambourn
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
partly forms its northern boundary and the River Enborne
River Enborne
thumb|left|250px|River Enbournethumb|left|250px|River Enbourne at Headley Ford, near Crookham Commonthumb|left|250px|River Enborne at Shalford bridge, near [[Brimpton]]thumb|left|250px|Oxford Bridge over a small tributary of the River Enborne, near Inwood Copse...
forms its southern boundary (and also the county boundary with Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
). Adjoining the town's south-eastern border is Greenham Common and the famous racecourse. Newbury is surrounded on three sides (north, west and south) by the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
to the south rises steeply out of the river valley providing scenic views, including Watership Down
Watership Down, Hampshire
Watership Down is a hill, or down, at Ecchinswell in the civil parish of Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green in the English county of Hampshire. It rises fairly steeply on its northern flank , but to the south the slope is much gentler . .The Down is best known as the setting for Richard...
(made famous by the novel of the same name), Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, Burghclere, Hampshire
Beacon Hill is near the village of Burghclere and Watership Down, in north Hampshire. The hill's name is derived from the fact that it was one of many Beacon Hills in England and beyond. This hill was once the site of the most famous beacon in Hampshire. It is 261 metres high and has one of...
and Combe Gibbet
Combe Gibbet
Combe Gibbet is a gibbet at the top of Gallows Down, near the village and just within the civil parish of Combe in Berkshire .-Location:...
.
Economy
Newbury is home to the UK headquarters of the mobile network operatorMobile network operator
A mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...
Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 people. Before moving to their £129 million headquarters in the outskirts of the town in 2002, Vodafone used 64 buildings spread across the town centre.
As well as Vodafone, Newbury is also home to the UK headquarters of the pharmaceutical company
Pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to deal in generic and/or brand medications and medical devices...
Bayer AG
Bayer
Bayer AG is a chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen , Germany in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and well known for its original brand of aspirin.-History:...
, National Instruments
National Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, or NI , is an American company with over 5,000 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software...
, Micro Focus, NTS Express Road Haulage, Jokers' Masquerade
Jokers' Masquerade
Jokers' Masquerade is a prominent online retailer selling fancy dress costumes and accessories.-History:Founded in 2001, the company was originally an online joke shop run by owners Mark and Sandra Lewis...
, Newbury Parcels and Quantel
Quantel
Quantel is a company based in the United Kingdom and founded in 1973 that designs and manufactures digital production equipment for the broadcast television, video production and motion picture industries...
. It also is home to the Newbury Building Society
Newbury Building Society
Newbury Building Society is a building society based in Newbury, Berkshire in the south of England. 'The Newbury' was established in 1856 and is one of the oldest surviving building societies in the United Kingdom...
which operates in the region.
Transport
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...
, the valley of which has always formed an important east–west transport route, served by the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
, and the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
line from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. Today, Newbury is served by two railway stations, Newbury
Newbury railway station
Newbury railway station is a railway station in the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 December 1847 by the Great Western Railway...
and Newbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse railway station
Newbury Racecourse railway station is a railway station serving the East Fields area of the town of Newbury, Berkshire, England. It was opened on 21 September 1905. The station is next to Newbury Racecourse and handles heavy traffic and additional trains on race days...
, which both lie on the Reading to Plymouth Line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
.
Following a similar east–west route is the A4 road from London to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, historically the main route west from London. This road has been superseded as a long distance route by the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
which here runs parallel three miles to the north. The Newbury junction, at Chieveley
Chieveley
Chieveley is a village and civil parish about north of Newbury in Berkshire, close to the M4 motorway and A34 road.-Character:Chieveley is a village of 1,481 people and 508 households. A map of 1877 stated the area at the time to be roughly . Chieveley Service Station serves Junction 13 of the M4...
, is Junction 13.
At Newbury this east–west route is crossed by an equally important north–south route, from the major south coast port of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to the industrial centres of the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. Although this route was once served by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway line
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was a cross-country railway running north-south between Didcot, Newbury and Southampton although it actually reached the latter by running over the London and South Western Railway tracks from Shawford Junction, south of Winchester...
, today it is only served by the A34 road, which now bypasses Newbury to the west on an alignment partially using the old rail route (see also 'Newbury Bypass' below).
Until the completion of the bypass, the A34 and A4 met in the town centre at Robin Hood Roundabout, a complicated gyratory system encompassing 6 approaching roads, a fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
, ambulance station
Ambulance station
An ambulance station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of ambulance vehicles, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and other medical supplies. Most stations are made up of garage bays or a parking area, normally undercover...
, and an exit on the internal (right-hand) side of the roundabout which has to fly-over the roundabout as it heads away to the north. In 2007, the sculpture Couple in Conversation was unveiled on the roundabout, providing a new landmark for one of the major gateways into the town.
Other significant roads radiating from Newbury include the A339
A339 road
The A339 is a long A road in England. It is the main road between Newbury in Berkshire and Alton in Hampshire.-Points of interest:...
which now includes the renumbered part of the old A34 through the town centre and then heads towards 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 M3 motorway, the A343 to Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, the B4000 to Lambourn
Lambourn
Lambourn is a large village and civil parish in the northwestern part of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt racehorse training....
, the B4494 to Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
and the B4009 to Streatley
Streatley, Berkshire
Streatley is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England.-Location:Streatley is about from Reading and from Oxford. It is in the Goring Gap on the River Thames and is directly across the river from the Oxfordshire village of Goring-on-Thames...
.
Most local bus services are provided by Newbury Buses, a division of Reading Transport Ltd.
Newbury bypass
The town's location at the intersection of the routes from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
made it, for many years, a transport bottleneck. In 1963 a Dual Carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
was built east of the town centre to ease congestion and the opening of the M4 in 1971 moved the intersection of these major trunk routes 5 km north of the town, to Chieveley
Chieveley
Chieveley is a village and civil parish about north of Newbury in Berkshire, close to the M4 motorway and A34 road.-Character:Chieveley is a village of 1,481 people and 508 households. A map of 1877 stated the area at the time to be roughly . Chieveley Service Station serves Junction 13 of the M4...
. The ring road around the town still suffered serious congestion and the Newbury bypass
Newbury bypass
The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road , is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
was proposed in 1981. The plans were approved in 1990. However they were extremely controversial and this led to a major environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
campaign (sometimes dubbed the Third battle of Newbury) opposing the development. In spite of this, the road was built and finally opened in 1998. Within two months the road surface began to break up and the entire length of the bypass was eventually resurfaced over two weekends using an improved low-noise water-absorbent surface.
In August 2004, the improved A34-M4 junction 13 was re-opened which allowed north–south traffic on the A34 to completely bypass the roundabout at the M4. This junction continued to be improved, with new road markings and traffic signals completed in 2008.
Education
- St. Bartholomew's SchoolSt. Bartholomew's SchoolSt Bartholomew's School is a co-educational comprehensive school founded in 1466 in Newbury, Berkshire in the United Kingdom. It accepts students aged 11–18 and currently has approximately 1,600 students on roll including a sixth form of around 400...
– one of the oldest schools in Berkshire, founded in 1466 - Park House SchoolPark House SchoolPark House School is a secondary school in Newbury, Berkshire in the United Kingdom. It accepts students aged 11–18 and currently has approximately 1,300 students on roll including a sixth form of around 300....
- Trinity SchoolTrinity School (Newbury)Trinity School is a co-educational comprehensive of about 1000 pupils in Newbury, Berkshire. The school is relatively new and has been open since 1999 when two existing schools and one new school combined - hence the name Trinity. The Elizabethan Grade 1 listed Shaw House mansion is located in the...
, formed after the closure of Shaw HouseShaw House, BerkshireShaw House is an important example of an early symmetrical H-plan Elizabethan mansion, located at Shaw, on the north-eastern outskirts of Newbury in Berkshire.-History:...
School and Turnpike School.
There are also Newbury College, a further and higher education college funded by private finance initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
and Mary Hare School, a residential co-educational community special school for deaf pupils.
Independent schools nearby include:
- Horris HillHorris Hill SchoolHorris Hill, is a boarding and day preparatory school for boys, situated in the far north of Hampshire in England, south of Newbury in West Berkshire and near the village of Newtown. The school was founded on its present site in 1888 by A. H. Evans, a master at Winchester College...
- Downe House School
- Cheam SchoolCheam SchoolCheam School is a preparatory school in Headley in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in the English county of Hampshire. It was founded in 1645 by the Reverend George Aldrich in Cheam, Surrey and has been in operation ever since....
- St Gabriel's SchoolSt Gabriel's SchoolSt Gabriel's School is an independent girls' day school at Sandleford Priory at Sandleford, two miles south of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire.-Priory:...
, an all girls school. - Thorngrove School, a day co-ed school in nearby Highclere.
- Newbury Hall School, an international high school
Sports and leisure
Newbury is home to one of England's major racecourses Newbury RacecourseNewbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps...
, which celebrated its centenary in 2005. The most prestigious race in the calendar is the Hennessy Gold Cup which normally takes place in late November.
Newbury is fortunate enough to still have one of the last remaining lidos in the UK. It was built in the 1890s originally although the structure we see today was erected in the 1930s. The pool is still in use today and is capable of receiving more than 1000 visitors a day during peak times. It is owned and subsidised by West Berkshire District Council but managed by an external contractor Parkwood Leisure.
Newbury was home to A.F.C. Newbury
A.F.C. Newbury
A.F.C. Newbury were a football club based in Newbury, Berkshire, in England. At their peak they were a strong force in the Wessex League and had over 30 teams from seven years old through to veterans including junior teams, a senior squad, a ladies and several girls teams competing in national,...
, which was for a period one of only two football clubs to be sponsored by Vodafone (the other being Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
). In May 2006 Vodafone ended its sponsorship of the club, following which the club collapsed. A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over the ground temporarily and now compete in the Reading League as Newbury F.C.
Newbury F.C.
Newbury F.C. are a football club based in Newbury, Berkshire, England. Newbury was originally formed in 2002 as the Saturday side for A.F.C. Newbury and entered into the Reading League Division 4, winning it in its debut season...
Their future at the ground is uncertain as the owner (West Berkshire District Council) plans to turn it into a car park.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Newbury R.F.C.
Newbury R.F.C.
Newbury Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing Newbury. For season 2011/12 they will be playing in National League 3 South West.-Current standings:...
(also sponsored by Vodafone), is based in the town. In the 2004/05 season, the club finished second in the National Two division earning promotion to National One and is now in the top 26 clubs nationally. Newbury had previously won National Four South (now renamed as National Three South) in 1996/97 with a 100% win record. The club was founded in 1928 and in 1996 moved to a new purpose-built ground at Monks Lane, which has since hosted England U21 fixtures.
Major cricket clubs in the town include Falkland C.C. and Newbury C.C.. Newbury also has two strong athletics clubs with Team Kennet and Newbury Athletics Club and there are Newbury District Leagues in many other sports such as badminton, table tennis, squash and darts.
Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Newbury
Victoria Park is a small public park near to the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. Current features of the park include a bandstand, tennis courts, boating lake, bowls club, skatepark, and a statue of Queen Victoria.-History:...
, near the centre of the town, is used for several events during the year such as the Newbury Waterways Festival, the Keep Off The Grass (KOTG) dance music event and Crafty Craft, a raft race along the canal.
As well as lending out books, Newbury Library, which moved to a new building in July 2000, provides internet access and a wide range of other services to its users and members.
There is a wide range of arts provision in the Newbury area - The Corn Exchange providing a venue for both professional and amateur live performances. Other theatres in the town are the Watermill Theatre
Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
, and New Greenham Arts on the former Greenham Common air force base.
Annually the Newbury Spring Festival of classical music brings internationally renowned soloists and ensembles to a variety of venues in and around the town. The Newbury Comedy Festival
Newbury Comedy Festival
The Newbury Comedy Festival is a festival of comedy which takes place every July in the West Berkshire town of Newbury.-History:It was launched in 2004. Committed to showcasing the best comedy talent working in the UK , the comedy festival has become an annual event , and the only fully curated...
which started in 2004 has become a feature in the town's cultural calendar.
Newbury is also home to Donnington Grove
Donnington Grove
Donnington Grove is a Strawberry Hill Gothic mansion, now an hotel and country club, and associated Golf Course at Donnington in the civil parish of Shaw-cum-Donnington, near Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. It is overlooked by Donnington Castle....
, where a golf course was opened in 1993. The course is associated with
Jonathan Yarwood who is one of the UK's leading golf coaches. Donnington Grove is also a historic landmark for Newbury as its mansion was built between 1763 and 1772.
Media
There are three main local radio stations broadcasting in the Newbury area - a publicly-funded radio service from the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
- and two independent local radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
stations - Newbury Sound (formerly Kick FM) which broadcasts from Newbury, and Heart Berkshire (formerly 210FM)which broadcasts into the area from nearby 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....
. International Radio Station - [Reach OnAir] has its International Head Quarters in Newbury.
The following local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s are distributed in Newbury (circulation in brackets):
- Newbury Weekly NewsNewbury Weekly NewsThe Newbury Weekly News is an award-winning English local weekly newspaper, covering Newbury and West Berkshire. The paper's website is known as Newbury Today. It is published by the Newbury Weekly News Group.- History :...
(24,300) - Newbury & Thatcham Chronicle (21,500)
- Newbury Advertiser & News (33,400)
Places of interest
- West Berkshire MuseumWest Berkshire MuseumThe West Berkshire Museum is a museum located in Newbury, Berkshire. Established in 1904, the museum houses various artworks and collections. The museum is housed in two of Newbury's most historic buildings. The Cloth Hall was built in 1626-1627 by Richard Emmes, a master carpenter of Speenhamland...
- Corn Exchange - now used as a theatre and cinema
- Kennet & Avon Canal Shop & Tearooms
- Jack of Newbury’s House
- St Nicolas' Church (CofEChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
), completed in 1532. This is a fine example of a parish churchChurch of England parish churchA 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:...
built entirely in the Perpendicular style. - St Bartholomew's Hospital (almshouses)
- The Litten Chapel
- The Falkland Memorial
- Donnington CastleDonnington CastleDonnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire.- History :...
- Nearby places of interest include the Family Adventure Farm/Action Farm, Bucklebury Farm ParkBucklebury Farm ParkBucklebury Farm Park is a animal park located in Bucklebury in Berkshire, England.Originally Bucklebury Farm Park grew corn and housed a small flock of sheep. Then in 1986 of strawberry fields were planted which became a major product of the Farm. In 1992 went into the tourist industry, with the...
, Combe GibbetCombe GibbetCombe Gibbet is a gibbet at the top of Gallows Down, near the village and just within the civil parish of Combe in Berkshire .-Location:...
, Highclere CastleHighclere CastleHighclere Castle is a country house in the Jacobethan style, with park designed by Capability Brown. The 1,000 acre estate is in the English county of Hampshire, about south of the border with Berkshire, and south of Newbury...
, the Sandham Memorial ChapelSandham Memorial ChapelSandham Memorial Chapel is in the village of Burghclere, Hampshire, England. It is a Grade I listed 1920s decorated chapel, designed by Lionel Pearson as a memorial to the memory of Lieutenant Henry Willoughby Sandham, who had died at the end of World War I. It was commissioned by his sister and...
, The Nature Discovery CentreThe Nature Discovery CentreThe Nature Discovery Centre is a nature centre in the town of Thatcham in the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated at Thatcham Lake, a flooded gravel quarry near to the Thatcham Reed Beds....
, the Watermill TheatreWatermill TheatreThe Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
and Watership Down. - New Greenham Arts - an ex-US military building on Greenham Common airbase, now used to house artist studios, and a thriving performing arts centreArts centreAn art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for musical performance, workshop areas, educational...
. - Disused GAMA and control tower at Greenham Common.
Notable people
- Richard Adams – author
- Roger AttfieldRoger AttfieldRoger L. Attfield is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.In his native England, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970...
– thoroughbred horse trainerHorse trainerIn horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter... - Francis BailyFrancis BailyFrancis Baily was an English astronomer, most famous for his observations of 'Baily's beads' during an eclipse of the Sun.-Life:Baily was born at Newbury in Berkshire in 1774...
– astronomer - Captain Collet Barker - early Australian explorer
- Michael BondMichael BondThomas Michael Bond, OBE is an English author, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear series of books.-Life:Bond was educated at Presentation College, a Catholic school in Reading...
– creator of Paddington BearPaddington BearPaddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in several books, most recently in 2008, written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum.... - Harry BowlHarry BowlHenry Thomas. W "Harry" Bowl was an English professional footballer. He played for Swindon Town, Blackpool and Exeter City.-Career:...
- footballer - Bruno BrookesBruno BrookesBruno Brookes is a British radio presenter who became prominent in the 1980s.-Early life and career:...
– radio and television presenter - Duke of ChandosHenry Brydges, 2nd Duke of ChandosHenry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos, MP , known from 1727 to 1744 by his courtesy title Marquess of Carnarvon, was the second son of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos PC and his first wife Mary Lake...
– bought his 2nd wife in Newbury - Earl of CarnarvonRobert Dormer, 1st Earl of CarnarvonRobert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon was an English peer. He was the son of Sir William Dormer, and thus a grandson of Robert Dormer, 1st Baron Dormer. His mother was Alice Molyneux, daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Bt. and Frances Gerard...
– killed at the 1st battle of NewburyFirst Battle of NewburyThe First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex... - Keith ChegwinKeith ChegwinKeith Chegwin is an English television presenter, former child actor and singer.-Early career:Chegwin's early roles were in works of the Children's Film Foundation, appearing as Egghead Wentworth in The Troublesome Double Egghead's Robot . He also appeared as a stowaway in Doomwatch episode...
– television presenter - Miles Coverdale – co-author of the 1st English BibleEarly Modern English Bible translationsEarly Modern English Bible translations are those translations of the Bible which were made between about 1500 and 1800, the period of Early Modern English. This was the first major period of Bible translation into the English language including the King James Version and Douai Bibles...
- Emma CrosbyEmma CrosbyEmma Catherine Crosby , is a British television newsreader and journalist, currently presenting for 5 News.-Early life:...
– television presenter - George DangerfieldGeorge DangerfieldGeorge Dangerfield was a journalist, historian, and the literary editor of Vanity Fair from 1933 to 1935...
– journalist and author - Lord FalklandLucius Cary, 2nd Viscount FalklandLucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland was an English author and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642...
– killed at the 1st battle of Newbury - Sebastian FaulksSebastian Faulks-Early life:Faulks was born on 20 April 1953 in Donnington, Berkshire to Peter Faulks and Pamela . Edward Faulks, Baron Faulks, is his older brother. He was educated at Elstree School, Reading and went on to Wellington College, Berkshire...
– author - Gerald FinziGerald FinziGerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres...
– composer and founder of the Newbury String Players - Jill FraserJill FraserJill Fraser, MBE was a British theatre owner and director.The daughter of the actor Alec Fraser, who played the Vagabond King in New York, and the West End actress Guinevere Fraser, she co-owned , and was artistic director of, the Watermill Theatre from 1981 until her death.The Watermill Theatre...
- theatre owner and director - Christopher HallChristopher HallChristopher Hall may refer to:People*Christopher Newman Hall, English clergyman*Christopher Hall *Christopher Hall , singer*Christopher Hall *Christopher Hall Places...
- artist and former Mayor of Newbury - Lord Hanson - industrialist
- Alec Hopkins – actor
- Sir Michael Hordern - actor
- Tom Hynes - bass guitarist of metal band MaleficeMaleficeMalefice are a British heavy metal band from Reading, Berkshire, England, formed in 2003.-Band history:They were formed by friends at college and started to write their songs straight away. Their first major break was to open a four band bill charity gig at the Rivermead Centre in Reading...
- John KendrickJohn Kendrick (cloth merchant)John Kendrick was a prosperous English cloth merchant and patron of the towns of Reading and Newbury in Berkshire....
– patron of the town - William MarshalWilliam Marshal, 1st Earl of PembrokeSir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
– given up as a hostage from 'Newbury Castle' - George MellyGeorge MellyAlan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
- jazz musician and writer - Jack O'NewburyJack O'NewburyJack O'Newbury was the much-used nickname of John Winchcombe, otherwise John Smallwood, one of the richest and most influential English cloth merchants of the late 15th and early 16th century...
– cloth merchant & patron - William of Newbury – 13th century Abbot of Abingdon
- Baron Palumbo - property developer and art collector
- Jacqueline du PréJacqueline du PréJacqueline Mary du Pré OBE was a British cellist. She is particularly associated with Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor; her interpretation has been described as "definitive" and "legendary." Her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, which forced her to stop performing at 28 and led to her...
– one of the best twentieth century CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
players - Hannah Richings – member of preteen UK pop group S Club 8
- Lord George SangerLord George Sanger"Lord" George Sanger was an English showman and circus proprietor. Born to a showman father, he grew up working in travelling peep shows. He successfully ran shows and circuses throughout much of the nineteenth century with his brother John...
– circus owner born in Newbury who presented the Queen Victoria statue to the town in 1902 - John Septimus RoeJohn Septimus RoeJohn Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...
– the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia - Hannah SnellHannah SnellHannah Snell was a British woman who disguised herself as a man and became a soldier.Hannah Snell was born in Worcester, England on 23 April, 1723. Locals claim that she played a soldier even as a child. In 1740, she moved to London and later married James Summs on 6 January, 1744.In 1746, she...
– 18th century female soldier - Earl of SunderlandHenry Spencer, 1st Earl of SunderlandHenry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland, 3rd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton , known as The Lord Spencer between 1636 and June 1643, was an English peer who fought and died in the English civil war on the side of the Cavaliers.Henry was born at Althorp to William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer and was...
– killed at the 1st battle of Newbury - Edward Charles TitchmarshEdward Charles TitchmarshEdward Charles "Ted" Titchmarsh was a leading British mathematician.He was educated at King Edward VII School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he began his studies in October 1917....
– mathematician - Theo WalcottTheo WalcottTheo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
– footballer, originally for A.F.C. NewburyA.F.C. NewburyA.F.C. Newbury were a football club based in Newbury, Berkshire, in England. At their peak they were a strong force in the Wessex League and had over 30 teams from seven years old through to veterans including junior teams, a senior squad, a ladies and several girls teams competing in national,... - Sir Frank Williams – grand prix motor racing manager
Local clubs and societies
- Newbury Dramatic Society, currently rehearsing the Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
for performance in November at New Greenham Arts - Newbury Astronomical Society
- Newbury Choral Society, one of the longest continually performing choral societies in Britain
- The Newbury Society, a civic societyCivic societyIn the United Kingdom a civic society is a voluntary body or society which aims to represent the needs of a local community.A civic society may campaign for high standards of planning of new buildings or traffic schemes, conservation of historic buildings, and may present awards for good standards...
established for the Newbury area - Earl Rivers' Regiment of Foot, Newbury's Regiment of The Sealed Knot Society
- Kennet Badminton Club, Thatcham, Newbury
Further reading
- Higgott Tony (2001). The Story of Newbury. Countryside Books.
- Money, Walter (1887). History of Newbury. Oxford.