Padworth
Encyclopedia
Padworth is a hamlet
and civil parish in the English
county of Berkshire
, between Burghfield Common and Tadley
.
Padworth is in the unitary authority
of West Berkshire
, not far from the Hampshire
border. Padworth proper is around the little Norman
church and the old manor house
, once the home of the military Darby-Griffith family but now an independent co-educational boarding and day school
for students aged 13–19. However, the biggest centres of population in the parish are the two hamlet
s of Lower Padworth, along the A4 Bath Road, and Padworth Common
, and the village
of Aldermaston Wharf
. Grim's Ditch in the parish is supposed to be a sub-Roman
bank and ditch dug to defend Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester
Roman Town) when the Anglo-Saxons
began to settle the area.
The parish church of St John the Baptist is aisleless and Norman. Features of interest include the Norman chancel arch and north and south doorways, the semi-domed apse and the 18th century monuments.
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and civil parish 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...
, between Burghfield Common and Tadley
Tadley
Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
.
Padworth is in the unitary authority
Unitary 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:...
, not far from the 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...
border. Padworth proper is around the little Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church and the old manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
, once the home of the military Darby-Griffith family but now an independent co-educational boarding and day school
Padworth College
Padworth College is an independent co-educational senior school at Padworth, between Burghfield Common and Tadley in the English county of Berkshire....
for students aged 13–19. However, the biggest centres of population in the parish are the two hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s of Lower Padworth, along the A4 Bath Road, and Padworth Common
Padworth Common
Padworth Common is a hamlet and common in the English county of Berkshire, within the civil parish of Padworth. It is bounded by Burghfield Common to the East Aldermaston to the West. To the North lies Padworth, and to the South is Mortimer West End....
, and the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Aldermaston Wharf
Aldermaston Wharf
Aldermaston Wharf is a small settlement situated north-northwest of Aldermaston in the West Berkshire district, part of the English county of Berkshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and Great Western Railway pass through it and Aldermaston railway station and Aldermaston Lock are located here. The A4...
. Grim's Ditch in the parish is supposed to be a sub-Roman
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
bank and ditch dug to defend Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester
Silchester
Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading....
Roman Town) when the Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
began to settle the area.
The parish church of St John the Baptist is aisleless and Norman. Features of interest include the Norman chancel arch and north and south doorways, the semi-domed apse and the 18th century monuments.