West Woodhay
| West Woodhay | |
|---|---|
 St Laurence's Church, with West Woodhay House in the background | |
  West Woodhay Location within Berkshire | |
| Area | 14.75 km2 (5.70 sq mi) |
| Population | 122 (2011 census including Coombe)[1] |
| • Density | 8/km2 (21/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU396632 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWBURY |
| Postcode district | RG20 |
| Dialling code | 01488 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
West Woodhay (/ˈwʊdi/) is a rural scattered village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. At the 2011 census it had 59 households.
Geography
The area is more elevated compared to the rest of the county of Berkshire and the district. It is undulating and has the main source of the Enborne. It has a border to the south with Hampshire and is centred 3 miles (4.8 km) west south-west of Newbury, between Inkpen and Ball Hill. The eastern slopes of Walbury Hill, the highest point in South East England fall within its bounds as is the adjoining West Woodhay Down, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[2]
Places of Interest
West Woodhay House
Located west of the village, the house is a Grade I listed building erected in 1635. Notable residents of the house have included poet and politician Benjamin Rudyerd, soprano Susannah Cibber and the notorious prankster Horace de Vere Cole.[3]
St Laurence's Church
The present church, St Laurence's, is the third church to stand in the village,[4] with the first record of a church in West Woodhay in 1332.[5]
By the early 18th century, the medieval building was in a damaged state, and was replaced in 1717 by a new church.[5] This church was located in the grounds of West Woodhay House, and was designed by John Vanbrugh.[4] The 1717 building was destroyed and replaced in 1882/3 with the current church, designed by Arthur Blomfield,[6] which stands on a slightly different site to the church preceding it.
The current grade II listed church is built in flint and Bath stone, and consists of a chancel, aisleless nave, south porch and tower on the south side.[6] The tower contains two bells, one of which is from the 1717 church (from the foundry in Aldbourne). A Willis Organ was added in 1902. The church today forms part of the Church of England Walbury Beacon benefice.[4]
Motte
The remains of a small medieval motte (mound) lie in woodland near the village centre. The mound is 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter, and 8 feet (2.4 m) high.[7] Pottery found near the motte suggests possible occupation between the 12th and 14th centuries,[8] and it may have been used as a moated hunting lodge.[9] There is no indication of building on the central mound. It was excavated in the 1880s (possibly after being mistaken for a barrow), and excavated again in 1935-6.[8]
Demography
| Output area | Homes owned outright | Owned with a loan | Socially rented | Privately rented | Other | km² roads | km² water | km² domestic gardens | Usual residents | km² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil parish | 12 | 7 | 1 | 33 | 6 | 0.096 | 0.025 | 0.061 | 122 | 14.75 |
References
- ^ a b Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005
- ^ "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ "Parishes; West Woodhay". British History Online. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "St Laurence's West Woodhay". www.walburybeaconbenefice.org.uk. Church of England. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 25 December 2016 suggested (help) - ^ a b "West Woodhay". www.british-history.ac.uk. British History. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 28 February 2019 suggested (help) - ^ a b "Church of St Laurence". https://historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "Monument no. 228809". www.pastscape.org.uk. Historic England. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ a b "West Woodhay Motte". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Heritage Gateway. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Woodhay Castle". www.berkshirehistory.com. Berkshire History. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
External links
Media related to West Woodhay at Wikimedia Commons
