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B E R K S H 1K E .

D I R E C T O R Y .]

Uffington Junction railw ay station on the G reat W estern
m ain line to B ristol is situated in th is parish, about
half a m ile w est of the village, from w hich there
is a branch to Faringdon. Th e riv er Ock separates
this parish from S h ellingford, and th e W ilts and
B erks canal is half a m ile south. Th e ch urch of St.
Nicholas is a sm all b u t ancient edifice of stone in the
E arly E nglish style, consisting of chancel, nave and a
western tu rret containing 2 bells ; the chancel arch, sup­
ported on open buttresses, forms a kind of screen, and
there is a canopied piscina and sedilia ; the stairs to the
rood lo ft also re m a in ; on the south side is a m arble
slab inscribed to Ann Frances (Josselyn), wife of the
Rev. Francis Rose D.D. vicar here, died 4th M ay, 1870;
on the north side a mem orial to Robert G rove, gent. ob.
30th May, 1698, M argaret his wife and four children ;
there are also m onum ents, w ith arm s to G eorge C h am ­
pion, gent. ob. 26 Septem ber, 1722; and to Thomas
Cham pion, of London, ob. 23rd M arch, 1724 ; there are
also inscribed floor stones to the H yde fam ily, 1743-82;
the font is ancient and o cta g o n al: there are 100 sittin gs,
all being free. The registers date from the year 1846,

BEECH

H IL L .

39

previous to w hich they were kept at the m other church
at Uffington. Th e liv in g is a vicarage, n et yearly value
£43, w ith residence, in the g ift of C ap t. H. L . A rch er
Houblon, and held since 1914 by the B ev. John Southby,
of K in g 's College, London.
A vicarage house was
erected in 1864. The principal landowners are the E arl
of Craven, M r. W illiam M artin T ag g , of Reading, Mr.
Percy Reade and Mrs. M atthew s. Th e soil is principally
c l a y ; subsoil, clay. Th e ch ief crops are the usual
cereals.
T he area is 1,580 ac re s; rateable value,
£ 6 ,6 9 4 ; the population in 1911 was 190 in th e civil
parish and 324 in the ecclesiastical parish.
B y L ocal Governm ent Board O rder 21,438, dated
M arch 2 4 , 1888, Old F ield F arm and C ottages weretransferred from K ingston Lisle and F aw ler to B aulking.
Letters through Faringdon arrive at 7.15 a.m . & 4.30
p.m. W a ll L e tter Boxes at R ailw ay station cleared at
6.20 p.m . ; sunday, 11.35 a.m . & in village, cleared at
6.5 p.m . w eek days only. T he nearest m oney order &
telegraph office is at Uffington, about a m ile distant
E lem en tary School, erected in 1878, to hold 40; Miss
F ricker, m istress

M atthew s T. J.
(M rs.), farm er, S m ith F ran k, Junction hotel
Spencers farm
Stevenson Joseph (M rs.), farm er,
Reade Percy, farm er & landowner,
Oldfield farm
C olliers farm
C O M M E R C IA L .
W heeler W m .Jn. brick & tile m anufr
Collins G eorge, farm er, C h urch farm Reade Sidney, farm er, Manor farm
W hitfield E lizabeth (M iss), farm er
B E A K W O O D is an ecclesiastical parish, form ed in an upper lake covers over three a c r e s ; below the lake1846 ou t of parts of the parishes of H urst and W oking­ head are the kitch en garden and other buildings ; the
ham, the H urst portion consisting of the L ib erty of New- waste w ater of the lake is applied to turning a large
land and th at p art of the L ib e rty of W innersh which w ater wheel, w hich drives a saw m ill and other
comprises the v illage of S in d lesh a m ; it still form s part m achinery. T h e m ansion, w hich was reb uilt between
of the civil parish of H urst, in the E astern division of 1865 and 1869, is a stately edifice of red brick w ith
the county, p etty sessional division and union of W ok­ dressings of Mansfield sto n e ; it contains a suite of fine
ingham , Reading county c o u r t district, rural deanery of reception rooms, including a p ictu re g allery. Sindles­
Sonning, archdeaconry of Berks and diocese of O xford; ham House, pleasantly situated a short distance from
Bear Wood is two m iles w est from W okingham railway the road, is the residence of M rs. B etton-Foster. The
station and 5 south-east from Reading. The church of principal landowners are John W a lter esq. and Mrs.
S t. Catherine, situated on risin g ground at the top of B etton-Foster. T h e soil is gravel and c la y ; subsoil,
the village of Sindlesham (b u ilt and endowed about the London clay. The population in 1911 was 814.
year 1845 at the expense of John W a lter esq.), is a
Newland is
m iles south-west.
building of stone in the Decorated style, consisting of
SIN D L E SH A M , half a mile north, is included in the
chancel, nave of four bays and an em battled western
tower w ith pinnacles containing 2 bells. T h e organ was ecclesiastical p arish of Bear Wood, and consists of about
presented by Thom as Rickm an Harm an esq. : there are 60 cottages, an inn and the school. Th e place was
280 sittin gs. The reg ister dates from th e year 1845. alm ost entirely reb uilt by the late John W alter esq. (<L
The liv in g was declared a rectory June 26th, 1866, net T 8 9 4 ), and has a B ap tist chapel.
Parish C lerk , W illiam Oates, Sindlesham .
yea rly value £ 175 , w ith good residence and 6 acres
of glebe, in th e g ift of John W alter esq. and held Post Office, Sindlesham .— M rs. Isabella Brigden, subpostm istress. L etters arrive from W okingham at 7.10
since
1914 by the Rev. P ercy Pleydell N eale Nott
& 11 a.m . & 5.50 p .m . ; Sundays, 7 a.m . (restricted ) ;
M .A .
of Pem broke College, C am bridge. Bear Wood,
dispatched at 7 & 11 a.m . & 6.15 p.m . ; & on S u n d a y s
the property and residence of John W alter esq.
a t 10.40 a.m .
A rborfield Cross, 2 m iles distan t, i3
was form erly an o u tlyin g p art of W indsor F orest, and
th e nearest m oney order & .telegrap h office
still retains m uch of its prim itive wildness of character ;
its nam e is supposed to be derived from th e Saxon word Post Office, K in g street.— M rs. Louisa Leach, sub-post­
“ here,” sign ifyin g a farm stead in a wood ; hollies and
m istress. Letters delivered from W okin gh am at 8
junipers flourish here in great perfection, and the g a r­
a.m . & 12.30 & 6.30 p .m . (re s tric te d ); Sundays, at
dens
abound w ith rhododendrons and other exotic
7.20 a.m . ; box cleared at 8.10 a.m . & 12.40 & 6.40
plants ; m ost varieties of the fir tribe, including a large
p .m .; S u n d a y s a t 10.55 a -m - W okingham , i£ m iles
num ber of C edrus Deodara, are to be found here ; but
d istan t, is the nearest m oney order & telegrap h office
the chief attraction is th e m agnificent lake, w h ich covers School, Sindlesham (m ixed & in fan ts), b u ilt by the late
a space of over 43 acres and contains several islands, one
John W alter esq. (d. 1894), enlarged 1896; it will
of which is over an acre in e x te n t; this fine sheet of
hold 200 children ; H enry Francis Sim m ons, m aster ;
water yields to none in the county but V irgin ia W ater
M rs. E m m a Jessie Sim m ons, m istress
in point of size, and perhaps not even to that in b e a u t y ; C arrier to Reading.— John W ingfield, tues. & sat. 10 a.m
Bow yer Charles, farm er, H atch farm , N eve Thom as, head gardener to Mrs.
P R IV A T E R E S ID E N T S .
Sindlesham
B etton-Foster, Sindlesham
B etton-Foster Mrs. Sindlesham house
Godsal E dw ard H ugh, W innersh Deane W illiam , sub-estate agen t to New berry Am os H. clerk of works to-John
W
alter
esq.
Bear
Wood
John W a lter esq
lodge, K in g Street
E sta te office
S m ith H enry, farm er, K in g Street
N o tt Rev. Percy P. N ., M .A. Rectory
Dimond Jam es Goodland, farm bailiff S m ith W m . blacksm ith. Sindlesham
W alter John, Bear Wood
to J. W alter esq. Home farm , Tubb John Thom as, head gardener toW ilson Courtenay B. W innersh grove,
Bear Wood
John W alter esq
K in g Street
Dimond Jas. M arsh ,frm r.C arter's hill W ingfield John, carrier, K in g S treet
C O M M E R C IA L .
Gas W orks (Robert Shadbolt, m gr)
A lln att John Edw d.baker,Sindlesham G race H arry L im ited, woolstaplers, (T he rem ainder of
the names in
Bastow Stephen 0 .farm er, Sindleshm
Loddon B ridge house, K in g Street
Newland w ill be found under
Bear Wood In stitu te (Thos.N eve, sec) Howkins B rothers, m illers (water).
Arborfield, bein g placed th ere for
Black Charles, W alter A rm s inn
Sindlesham m ill
postal purposes)
B E E C H H I L L is a tith in g and ecclesiastical parish, belfry containing 3 b e lls : there are ten stained windows
form ed January 31st, 1868, ou t of the B erkshire portion and a font of various m arbles : the church affords 220
of Stratfieldsaye parish, H am pshire, on the riv er Loddon, sittin gs.
T h e reg ister dates from the year 1868. The
2 m iles east from Stratfield M ortim er railw ay station, 6 livin g is
a vicarage, net incom e £300, w ith 9 acres of
south from Reading and 10 north from Basingstoke, in glebe and residence, in the gift of Mrs. H unter, and held
the union of Bradfield and county cou rt d istrict of R ead­ since 1895 by the Rev. Charles Stephen Turner M .A. of
ing, ru ra l deanery of Reading, archdeaconry of Berks, Corpus C h risti College, Oxford. T here is a chapel for
and diocese of Oxford. T h e church of St. M ary the B aptists, founded in 1796, w ith 140 sittin gs and an
V irgin is a structure of brick and flint, erected in 1867 endowm ent for the m inister. The common lands have
in the G othic style of the 14th century, and consists of been enclosed. The Benedictine priory of St. Leonard
chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch and a wooden on the Loddon was founded in 1170 by N icholas de
P R IV A T E

R E S ID E N T .

Southby Rev. John
V icarage

K .C .L .

(vicar),