Brimpton Common
Encyclopedia
Brimpton Common is a village in Berkshire
, England
. It is part of Brimpton
Parish, and part of the Benefice
of Aldermaston
and Woolhampton
in the Diocese of Oxford
. It is in the Aldermaston
Ward of West Berkshire Council.
It has a population of just under 150. The majority of the housing stock is detached with generous size plots. There is a mixture of late 19th century estate and farm-workers' homes (some terraced or semi-detached), plus a post-war ribbon development of larger homes along Brimpton Lane, The Byway and Kingsclere Road.
Brimpton Common is the most westerly of a series of former medieval “commons” to the south of three rivers between Newbury
and Reading
: River Enborne
, River Kennet
and River Thames
, the other commons being Tadley Common, Silchester Common, Mortimer Common
, Wokefield Common and Burghfield Common.
The commons are flat land about 100 metres above sea level and the highest land between the watercourses to north and south. They are the remains of a marine sedimentation laid down in Tertiary times, subsequently raised by the uplift of the land in later geological times. A layer of clay between 0.5 and 1.0 metres thick provided an acidic topsoil on which the native vegetation was pine, heather and associated species. Below this was a bed of gravel, up to 3 metres deep. All of the exploitable gravel in Brimpton Common has now been extracted and the land has been restored to a mixture of agricultural land and fishing lake.
There are no shops in Brimpton Common, but the local employment includes: AWE Blacknest, a major centre for international seismological research; Lakeside Garden Centre; The Pineapple Public House; plus a few small businesses surrounding AWE Blacknest.
The Pineapple is 900 years old and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was frequently used by shepherds and drovers as an overnight stop. The name is derived from the pine forest that once surrounded the area, a pine apple being a local name for a pine cone. The furniture inside the pub is noteworthy. It was made by a local craftsman using only a chainsaw and chisel and carved from the last of the English elm. For many years up to the 1990s its local worthies included “Cowboy Roy” (who lived in a wild-west mock-up in nearby Haughurst Hill) and Gerry the Poacher, and their portraits once hung on either side of the fireplace in the public bar.
There have been notable residents in Brimpton Common:
Ruth Ellis
: the last woman to be hanged in England. Although born in Wales, she grew up in Brimpton Common, just along the road from The Pineapple, and attended Brimpton Primary School. Her family moved to London when she was 15 years old.
Victor Gollancz
, the left-wing publisher owned Lane End in the 1940s and for a number of years it subsequently became the weekend retreat of the then Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan
and his wife Jennie Lee
.
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...
, 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 part of Brimpton
Brimpton
Brimpton is a rural village and civil parish in Berkshire, South East England, with a population of 613. The village is located between the River Kennet and the River Enborne, and is near the Hampshire county boundary.- History :...
Parish, and part of the Benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
and Woolhampton
Woolhampton
Woolhampton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the London to Bath road between the towns of Reading and Newbury...
in the Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
. It is in the Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
Ward of West Berkshire Council.
It has a population of just under 150. The majority of the housing stock is detached with generous size plots. There is a mixture of late 19th century estate and farm-workers' homes (some terraced or semi-detached), plus a post-war ribbon development of larger homes along Brimpton Lane, The Byway and Kingsclere Road.
Brimpton Common is the most westerly of a series of former medieval “commons” to the south of three rivers between Newbury
Newbury
-In the United Kingdom:* Newbury, Berkshire**Newbury **Newbury Racecourse**Newbury F.C.**A.F.C. Newbury**Newbury R.F.C.**Newbury Building Society**Newbury Weekly News**Newbury College**Newbury railway station...
and 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....
: 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...
, 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 River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, the other commons being Tadley Common, Silchester Common, Mortimer Common
Mortimer Common
Mortimer Common, generally referred to as Mortimer, is a village in the civil parish of Stratfield Mortimer in Berkshire. Mortimer is in the local government district of West Berkshire and is seven miles south-west of Reading.-Geography:...
, Wokefield Common and Burghfield Common.
The commons are flat land about 100 metres above sea level and the highest land between the watercourses to north and south. They are the remains of a marine sedimentation laid down in Tertiary times, subsequently raised by the uplift of the land in later geological times. A layer of clay between 0.5 and 1.0 metres thick provided an acidic topsoil on which the native vegetation was pine, heather and associated species. Below this was a bed of gravel, up to 3 metres deep. All of the exploitable gravel in Brimpton Common has now been extracted and the land has been restored to a mixture of agricultural land and fishing lake.
There are no shops in Brimpton Common, but the local employment includes: AWE Blacknest, a major centre for international seismological research; Lakeside Garden Centre; The Pineapple Public House; plus a few small businesses surrounding AWE Blacknest.
The Pineapple is 900 years old and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was frequently used by shepherds and drovers as an overnight stop. The name is derived from the pine forest that once surrounded the area, a pine apple being a local name for a pine cone. The furniture inside the pub is noteworthy. It was made by a local craftsman using only a chainsaw and chisel and carved from the last of the English elm. For many years up to the 1990s its local worthies included “Cowboy Roy” (who lived in a wild-west mock-up in nearby Haughurst Hill) and Gerry the Poacher, and their portraits once hung on either side of the fireplace in the public bar.
There have been notable residents in Brimpton Common:
Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis , née Neilson, was the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom. She was convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, and hanged at Holloway Prison, London, by Albert Pierrepoint.-Biography:...
: the last woman to be hanged in England. Although born in Wales, she grew up in Brimpton Common, just along the road from The Pineapple, and attended Brimpton Primary School. Her family moved to London when she was 15 years old.
Victor Gollancz
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
, the left-wing publisher owned Lane End in the 1940s and for a number of years it subsequently became the weekend retreat of the then Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
and his wife Jennie Lee
Jennie Lee
Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge PC was born Janet Lee in Lochgelly, in Fife, Scotland. The daughter of James Lee, a miner and Euphemia Grieg, she inherited her father's socialist inclinations, and like him joined the Independent Labour Party .-Early life:In her childhood...
.