Compton, Berkshire
Coordinates: 51°30′54″N 1°15′11″W / 51.515°N 1.253°W
| Compton | |
 St Mary's and St Nicholas Church |
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 Compton
Compton shown within Berkshire |
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| Population | 1,521 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU5279 |
| Civil parish | Compton |
| Unitary authority | West Berkshire |
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Newbury |
| Postcode district | RG20 |
| Dialling code | 01635 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Newbury |
| Website | Compton Parish Council |
| List of places: UK • England • Berkshire | |
Compton is a village and civil parish in the River Pang valley in the Berkshire Downs about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south of Didcot. It has a population of 1,521.[1] The Pang flows through the village as a winter bourne, a stream that only flows after periods of unusually high rainfall.
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[edit] Parish church
The bell tower of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas was built in the 13th century[2] and has Perpendicular Gothic features[2] that were added in the 15th century.[3] In 1850 the nave and chancel were modernised[3] or rebuilt[2] and in 1905 the Gothic Revival architect John Oldrid Scott added the north aisle.[2]
[edit] Former railway
In 1881 the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was completed through the parish and Compton railway station was opened. British Railways withdrew passenger services from the line and closed Compton station in 1962. BR had closed Compton goods yard by 1966. Through freight traffic was withdrawn in 1967 and the line was closed and dismantled.
[edit] Amenities and economy
The academically successful The Downs School local authority secondary school is in Compton.
The Institute for Animal Health is at Compton. Substantial portions of the BBC Television series Trainer were filmed in and around Compton and the neighbouring village of East Ilsley.
[edit] References
- ^ "Area selected: West Berkshire (Unitary Aurhority)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790310. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d Pevsner, 1966, page 120
- ^ a b Page & Ditchfield, 1924, pages 15-21
[edit] Sources
- Page, William; Ditchfield, P.H., eds. (1924). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 4. pp. 15–21.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). The Buildings of England: Berkshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 120–121.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Compton, Berkshire |
- Berkshire History: Compton
- The Institute for Animal Health
- Compton CoE Primary School
- The Downs School
- St Mary and St Nicholas Parish Church
- West Berkshire Council Parish Plan for Compton
- Compton Players, a local amateur dramatics group
- The Compton Swan, a gastropub in Compton
