Compton, Berkshire
Encyclopedia
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. The Pang flows through the village as a winter bourne, a stream that only flows after periods of unusually high rainfall.
of the Church of England parish church
of Saint Mary
and Saint Nicholas
was built in the 13th century and has Perpendicular Gothic features that were added in the 15th century. In 1850 the nave
and chancel
were modernised or rebuilt and in 1905 the Gothic Revival architect
John Oldrid Scott
added the north aisle.
was completed through the parish and Compton railway station
was opened. British Rail
ways 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 Through freight traffic was withdrawn in 1967 and the line was closed and dismantled.
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
.
River Pang
The River Pang is a small chalk stream river in the west of the English county of Berkshire, and a tributary of the River Thames. It runs for approximately from its source near the village of Compton to its confluence with the Thames in the village of Pangbourne.The river, and its water voles, are...
valley in the Berkshire Downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south of Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
. It has a population of 1,521. The Pang flows through the village as a winter bourne, a stream that only flows after periods of unusually high rainfall.
Parish church
The bell towerBell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
of the Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
and Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
was built in the 13th century and has Perpendicular Gothic features that were added in the 15th century. In 1850 the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
were modernised or rebuilt and in 1905 the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott was an English architect.He was the son of Sir George Gilbert Scott and Caroline née Oldrid. His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, were also prominent architects. He married Mary Ann Stevens in 1868, eldest daughter of the Reverend Thomas...
added the north aisle.
Former railway
In 1881 the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton RailwayDidcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was a cross-country railway running north-south between Didcot, Newbury and Southampton although it actually reached the latter by running over the London and South Western Railway tracks from Shawford Junction, south of Winchester...
was completed through the parish and Compton railway station
Compton railway station
Compton railway station served Compton in the Berkshire Downs. The station closed in 1962.-History:Compton was the largest station between Newbury and Didcot, serving the villages of Compton, East Ilsley and Aldworth. The station consisted of two platforms with the ticket offices and station...
was opened. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways 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.
Amenities and economy
The academically successful The Downs SchoolThe Downs School (Berkshire)
The Downs School is a comprehensive secondary school in rural Compton, Berkshire, England. It is a state school run by West Berkshire Education Authority.-Overview:...
local authority secondary school is in Compton.
The Institute for Animal Health
Institute for Animal Health
The Institute for Animal Health is a research institute in the United Kingdom dedicated to the study of infectious diseases of farm animals. It forms part of the UK government's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council . The institute employs many scientists and vets, along with a...
is at Compton. Substantial portions of the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series Trainer
Trainer (TV series)
Trainer is a British television series transmitted by the BBC between 1991 and 1992.Filmed in and around the village of Compton near Newbury, the series is set in the world of horse racing. It starred Mark Greenstreet as Mike Hardy, an aspiring horse trainer keen to set up his own stables...
were filmed in and around Compton and the neighbouring village of East Ilsley
East Ilsley
East Ilsley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.It is situated at in West Berkshire, north of Newbury very close to the A34 road which bypasses the village....
.
External links
- 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