Caversham, Berkshire
Encyclopedia
Caversham is a suburb
and former village in the unitary authority
of Reading
, England
. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames
, within the royal county
of Berkshire
, on the opposite bank from the rest of Reading. Caversham Bridge
, Reading Bridge
and Caversham Lock
(pedestrian only) provide crossing points, with Sonning Bridge
a few miles east of Caversham.
Caversham was part of the administrative county of Oxfordshire
until 1911 and for administrative purposes formed an urban district
. It was transferred to Berkshire when it became part of the county borough
of Reading
.
Caversham spreads across from the River Thames floodplain (to the east) and up the foothills of the Chilterns
. Besides central Caversham (the shopping area and immediate residential surrounds), there are distinct areas known as Caversham Heights
on the higher ground to the west, Lower Caversham
to the south east, and Caversham Park Village
to the north east on what was the parkland of Caversham Park
. Emmer Green
, to the north, may also be considered part of Caversham.
. This entry indicates that a sizable community had developed with a considerable amount of land under cultivation.
Some time before 1106 a Shrine of Our Lady
was established in Caversham. Its precise location is unknown, but it may have been near the present St Peter's Church
. It became a popular place of pilgrimage
, along with the chapel of St. Anne on the bridge and her well, whose waters were believed to have healing properties. By the 15th century the statue was plated in silver; Catherine of Aragon
is recorded as visiting on 17 July 1532. The shrine was destroyed on 14 September 1538 under the orders of Henry VIII. Only the well survives, now dry and surrounded by a protective wall, topped with a domed iron grill. A modern shrine to Our Lady has been re-established at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady and St. Anne.
In the Middle Ages
Caversham Manor was one of the demesne
s of William Marshal (1146 or 47 – 1219), Earl of Pembroke
and regent
during King Henry III
's minority. It was the place of his death.
The medieval community was clustered on the north side of Caversham Bridge east of St. Peter's Church, which was built in the 12th century. The third Earl of Buckingham
donated the land for the church and neighbouring rectory, together with a considerable amount of land around it, to the Augustinian
Abbey
of Notley near Long Crendon
in Buckinghamshire
. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, these lands were given to Christchurch College, Oxford. The rectory stood in what is now Caversham Court
public park.
In the Civil War
there was fierce fighting around Caversham Bridge for a short time in April 1643. Reading had been held by Royalists
and was besieged by a Parliamentary
force under the Earl of Essex
. Royalists marched south from Oxford
to try to relieve the town's defenders but were heavily defeated, and the town fell to the Parliamentarians a few days later.
The fortified manor house
was replaced by Caversham Park in the 16th century. Several houses have stood on the site, notably the home of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
. The present Caversham Park House, built in 1850, is occupied by BBC Monitoring
, which is a section of the BBC World Service
that analyzes news, information and comment gathered from mass media around the world. It is also the premises of the BBC Written Archives Centre and BBC Radio Berkshire
.
: Caversham, Peppard, Mapledurham and Thames wards. Two of Caversham's wards share their names with Oxfordshire
villages that are outside the borough boundary: Mapledurham
(Mapledurham ward) and Rotherfield Peppard
(Peppard ward).
Caversham is in the Reading East parliamentary constituency, currently represented by Rob Wilson
of the Conservative Party
.
. Many children from the area also attend Chiltern Edge School
in South Oxfordshire. In the independent sector, Queen Anne's School
educates girls between the ages of 11 and 18 while Hemdean House School
has mixed infants and junior schools, and a girls senior school.
There are several primary schools in Caversham including Caversham Primary School
, Caversham Park Primary School, Emmer Green Primary School, The Hill Primary School, St. Anne's RC Primary School, St. Martin's RC Primary School, Micklands Primary School and Thameside Primary School. There is a shortage of primary school places in the west of Caversham, but a 2006 proposal to use part of Mapledurham playing fields to build a replacement for Caversham Primary School did not receive public support.
Caversham has several nursery schools, one of which, New Bridge Nursery school was assessed by OFSTED in 2011 as outstanding.
Chiltern College, once a training school for nannies
, now provides training in all aspects of child care, and claims to be the only childcare training college in the UK with its own nurseries, school, training college and residential accommodation on campus.
is the parish church of central Caversham, with St. John's, St Andrew's and St. Barnabas making up the other Anglican Churches. Our Lady and St. Anne's is the Catholic church and the Methodists have two churches, one on the junction of Gosbrook Road and Ardler Road and one in Caversham Heights. The Baptists are represented in the centre of Caversham at Caversham Baptist Church, and also have premises in Caversham Heights. The Chapel-on-the-Hill is part of the Grace church network, and The New Testament Church of God (pentecostal) meets in Caversham's old cinema. Caversham Park Village Church meets in Caversham Park primary school each Sunday and is an ecumenical project made up of Anglicans, Baptists and Methodists. Finally, Caversham Evangelical Church meets at the Youth and Community centre in Emmer Green.
The under 17s consist of Caversham AFC Colts and Caversham AFC Cobras. Caversham AFC's main ground is Clayfield Copse, commonly referred to as "Swan's Lair" because the mascot for the team is a swan. In previous seasons, Highdown School has been used as Caversham AFC's training ground. The club colours are red and black.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
and former village 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 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....
, 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 lies on the north bank of the 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,...
, within the royal county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
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...
, on the opposite bank from the rest of Reading. Caversham Bridge
Caversham Bridge
Caversham Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames between Caversham and the town centre of Reading. The bridge is situated on the reach above Caversham Lock, carrying the A4155 road across the river and also providing pedestrian access to the adjacent mid-river Pipers Island.The first bridge on...
, Reading Bridge
Reading Bridge
Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the Lower Caversham area of the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Caversham on the north bank...
and Caversham Lock
Caversham Lock
Caversham Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. The lock is connected to De Bohun Island, a somewhat larger than normal lock island...
(pedestrian only) provide crossing points, with Sonning Bridge
Sonning Bridge
Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It links Sonning with Sonning Eye and crosses the Thames on the reach above Shiplake Lock, just short of Sonning Lock. It is a brick arch bridge completed in 1775, to replace an earlier wooden bridge...
a few miles east of Caversham.
Caversham was part of the administrative county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
until 1911 and for administrative purposes formed an urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
. It was transferred to Berkshire when it became part of the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of 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....
.
Caversham spreads across from the River Thames floodplain (to the east) and up the foothills of the Chilterns
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
. Besides central Caversham (the shopping area and immediate residential surrounds), there are distinct areas known as Caversham Heights
Caversham Heights
Caversham Heights is a suburb of the former town of Caversham, which today is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Caversham Heights has no formal boundaries, but the name usually refers to that part of Caversham situated on higher ground to the west of...
on the higher ground to the west, Lower Caversham
Lower Caversham
Lower Caversham is an area of the former town of Caversham, which today is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire...
to the south east, and Caversham Park Village
Caversham Park Village
Caversham Park Village is an area of the former town of Caversham, which today is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire...
to the north east on what was the parkland of Caversham Park
Caversham Park
Caversham Park is a Victorian stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham, on the outskirts of Reading, England. Historically it was in Oxfordshire, but since 1911 it has been in Berkshire.-Early History:...
. Emmer Green
Emmer Green
Emmer Green is a suburb of Reading, Berkshire, in the United Kingdom, situated immediately north of Caversham on the border with Oxfordshire.-History:...
, to the north, may also be considered part of Caversham.
History
The first written description of Caversham appeared in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. This entry indicates that a sizable community had developed with a considerable amount of land under cultivation.
Some time before 1106 a Shrine of Our Lady
Shrines to the Virgin Mary
In the culture and practice of some Christian Churches - mainly, but not solely, the Roman Catholic Church - a Shrine to the Virgin Mary is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion...
was established in Caversham. Its precise location is unknown, but it may have been near the present St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, Caversham
St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated close to the River Thames in Caversham Heights.- History :...
. It became a popular place of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
, along with the chapel of St. Anne on the bridge and her well, whose waters were believed to have healing properties. By the 15th century the statue was plated in silver; Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
is recorded as visiting on 17 July 1532. The shrine was destroyed on 14 September 1538 under the orders of Henry VIII. Only the well survives, now dry and surrounded by a protective wall, topped with a domed iron grill. A modern shrine to Our Lady has been re-established at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady and St. Anne.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Caversham Manor was one of the demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
s of William Marshal (1146 or 47 – 1219), Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
and regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
during King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
's minority. It was the place of his death.
The medieval community was clustered on the north side of Caversham Bridge east of St. Peter's Church, which was built in the 12th century. The third Earl of Buckingham
Earl of Buckingham
The peerage title Earl of Buckingham was created several times in the Peerage of England.It was first created in 1097 for Walter Giffard, but became extinct in 1164 with the death of the second earl. It may have been created again in 1164 for Richard de Clare , who died without issue in 1176...
donated the land for the church and neighbouring rectory, together with a considerable amount of land around it, to the Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Notley near Long Crendon
Long Crendon
Long Crendon is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, about west of Haddenham and north-west of Thame in neighbouring Oxfordshire.The village has been called Long Crendon only since the English Civil War...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, these lands were given to Christchurch College, Oxford. The rectory stood in what is now Caversham Court
Caversham Court
Caversham Court is a public garden and was a mansion located on the north bank of the River Thames in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire . The park lies within the St Peter's conservation area...
public park.
In the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
there was fierce fighting around Caversham Bridge for a short time in April 1643. Reading had been held by Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and was besieged by a Parliamentary
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
force under the Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
. Royalists marched south from Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
to try to relieve the town's defenders but were heavily defeated, and the town fell to the Parliamentarians a few days later.
The fortified 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...
was replaced by Caversham Park in the 16th century. Several houses have stood on the site, notably the home of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan KT PC was a noted military officer in the army of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession...
. The present Caversham Park House, built in 1850, is occupied by BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation which monitors, and reports on, mass media worldwide. Based at Caversham Park in Caversham, Reading in southern England, it has a number of overseas bureaux including Moscow, Nairobi, Kiev, Baku, Tashkent, Cairo, Tbilisi, Yerevan...
, which is a section of the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
that analyzes news, information and comment gathered from mass media around the world. It is also the premises of the BBC Written Archives Centre and BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
.
Government
Caversham is entirely within the borough of Reading and forms four of the borough's sixteen electoral wardsWards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
: Caversham, Peppard, Mapledurham and Thames wards. Two of Caversham's wards share their names with Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
villages that are outside the borough boundary: Mapledurham
Mapledurham
Mapledurham is a small village, civil parish and country estate beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire.It should not be confused with the Mapledurham electoral ward of the nearby Borough of Reading, which is a subdivision of that town's suburb of Caversham....
(Mapledurham ward) and Rotherfield Peppard
Rotherfield Peppard
Rotherfield Peppard is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire. It is just over west of Henley-on-Thames, about north of Reading, Berkshire and just over west of the village of Rotherfield Greys.-History:Rotherfield derives from the Old English redrefeld meaning...
(Peppard ward).
Caversham is in the Reading East parliamentary constituency, currently represented by Rob Wilson
Rob Wilson
Robert Owen Biggs Wilson is a United Kingdom politician and entrepreneur. He was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Reading East parliamentary constituency in the 2005 general election.-Early life:...
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Education
There is one local authority secondary school in Caversham, Highdown SchoolHighdown School
Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is an academy in Emmer Green on the outskirts of Reading, Berkshire, England. It has a capacity for approximately 1450 students aged 11–18.Highdown School has three Grade II listed buildings within its grounds...
. Many children from the area also attend Chiltern Edge School
Chiltern Edge School
Chiltern Edge School, also known as Chiltern Edge Secondary School is a mixed, comprehensive 11-16 school in Sonning Common, Reading, Berkshire...
in South Oxfordshire. In the independent sector, Queen Anne's School
Queen Anne's School
Queen Anne's School in Caversham, Berkshire is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18, situated just north of the River Thames and Reading town centre and occupying a campus.There are around 330 pupils. Nearly half are boarders...
educates girls between the ages of 11 and 18 while Hemdean House School
Hemdean House School
Hemdean House School is a independent school which includes mixed infants and junior schools, and a girls senior school. It is situated in Caversham in Reading, Berkshire, England.- History :...
has mixed infants and junior schools, and a girls senior school.
There are several primary schools in Caversham including Caversham Primary School
Caversham Primary School
Caversham Primary School is a primary school in Caversham, England that was established in 1938. It educates around 450 children between the ages of 4 and 11. The school is funded by Reading Borough Council so there are no fees for the pupils....
, Caversham Park Primary School, Emmer Green Primary School, The Hill Primary School, St. Anne's RC Primary School, St. Martin's RC Primary School, Micklands Primary School and Thameside Primary School. There is a shortage of primary school places in the west of Caversham, but a 2006 proposal to use part of Mapledurham playing fields to build a replacement for Caversham Primary School did not receive public support.
Caversham has several nursery schools, one of which, New Bridge Nursery school was assessed by OFSTED in 2011 as outstanding.
Chiltern College, once a training school for nannies
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
, now provides training in all aspects of child care, and claims to be the only childcare training college in the UK with its own nurseries, school, training college and residential accommodation on campus.
Religion
There are 13 churches in the Caversham area, including five along the main road that runs through Caversham's centre. St Peter's ChurchSt Peter's Church, Caversham
St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated close to the River Thames in Caversham Heights.- History :...
is the parish church of central Caversham, with St. John's, St Andrew's and St. Barnabas making up the other Anglican Churches. Our Lady and St. Anne's is the Catholic church and the Methodists have two churches, one on the junction of Gosbrook Road and Ardler Road and one in Caversham Heights. The Baptists are represented in the centre of Caversham at Caversham Baptist Church, and also have premises in Caversham Heights. The Chapel-on-the-Hill is part of the Grace church network, and The New Testament Church of God (pentecostal) meets in Caversham's old cinema. Caversham Park Village Church meets in Caversham Park primary school each Sunday and is an ecumenical project made up of Anglicans, Baptists and Methodists. Finally, Caversham Evangelical Church meets at the Youth and Community centre in Emmer Green.
Sport
Caversham has one of the largest youth football clubs in the South Chiltern minor league with many of these youth teams competing in the top divisions of South Chiltern minor league.The under 17s consist of Caversham AFC Colts and Caversham AFC Cobras. Caversham AFC's main ground is Clayfield Copse, commonly referred to as "Swan's Lair" because the mascot for the team is a swan. In previous seasons, Highdown School has been used as Caversham AFC's training ground. The club colours are red and black.