Hurley, Berkshire
Encyclopedia
Hurley is a village
and civil parish in the English
county of Berkshire
.
Hurley is famous for its proximity to the River Thames
. It is also within easy reach of Henley-on-Thames
, Oxford
and London
. The parish includes the villages and hamlet
s of Cockpole Green
, Warren Row
, Knowl Hill, Burchett's Green
and part of Littlewick Green
. Hurley is an affluent area and house prices are higher than the national average.
The old manor
estate of Hall Place (1728) is now the home of Berkshire College of Agriculture
. The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) also had a facility at Hurley until 1992. The other great mansion
in the parish was Lady Place (demolished 1837) which stood adjoining the present parish church
which was originally a priory. It was the home of the Barons Lovelace
. Hurley is often used as a mooring for barges and motor launches, or by campers. The weir
at Hurley Lock
is considered the premier venue in the United Kingdom for freestyle kayaking
.
The village is home to reputedly the oldest still-working inn
in Britain, 'The Olde Bell
'; it was founded in 1135 as the hostelry of Hurley Priory
. The nave of the priory church survives as the current parish church
.
Cricket
has been played in Hurley for over 100 years. The club currently plays in the Chiltern League on Saturdays and friendly fixtures against local rivals on Sundays. The beautiful ground is typified with an Old English plane tree that lies within the boundaries. The clubhouse was rebuilt in the 1970s after fire destroyed the previous wooden one.
A riverside picnic scene in the James Bond
film From Russia With Love
was filmed near the village.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the English
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...
county 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...
.
Hurley is famous for its proximity to 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,...
. It is also within easy reach of Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, 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...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The parish includes the villages and hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
s of Cockpole Green
Cockpole Green
Cockpole Green is a village in Berkshire, England. Part, including the original village green lies within the civil parish of Hurley and part within the civil parish of Wargrave. Therefore, it is served by two unitary authorities....
, Warren Row
Warren Row
Warren Row is a village in Berkshire, England, and part of the civil parish of Hurley.The settlement lies between the A321 A4 and A4130 roads, and is located approximately south-east of Henley-on-Thames....
, Knowl Hill, Burchett's Green
Burchett's Green
Burchetts Green is a small village to the west of Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire. It is half in the civil parish of Hurley and half in the civil parish of Bisham....
and part of Littlewick Green
Littlewick Green
Littlewick Green is a small village in the north of the civil parish of White Waltham in the English county of Berkshire, located near Maidenhead....
. Hurley is an affluent area and house prices are higher than the national average.
The old manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
estate of Hall Place (1728) is now the home of Berkshire College of Agriculture
Berkshire College of Agriculture
Berkshire College of Agriculture is a further education agricultural college based at Hall Place in Burchetts Green at Hurley, near Maidenhead, in Berkshire...
. The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) also had a facility at Hurley until 1992. The other great mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in the parish was Lady Place (demolished 1837) which stood adjoining the present 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:...
which was originally a priory. It was the home of the Barons Lovelace
Baron Lovelace
Baron Lovelace, of Hurley in the County of Berkshire, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 31 May 1627 for Sir Richard Lovelace, who had earlier represented Berkshire, Abingdon and Windsor in Parliament. The second Baron served as Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire. The third Baron...
. Hurley is often used as a mooring for barges and motor launches, or by campers. The weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
at Hurley Lock
Hurley Lock
Hurley Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames in England, situated in a clump of wooded islands close to the village of Hurley, Berkshire. The lock was first built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1773....
is considered the premier venue in the United Kingdom for freestyle kayaking
Playboating
Playboating is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where the paddler performs various technical moves in one place , as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river...
.
The village is home to reputedly the oldest still-working inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
in Britain, 'The Olde Bell
The Olde Bell, Hurley
The Olde Bell is a hotel and public house in Hurley, Berkshire. It was founded in 1135 as the hostelry of Hurley Priory and is sometimes claimed to be oldest still-operating inn in Britain....
'; it was founded in 1135 as the hostelry of Hurley Priory
Hurley Priory
Hurley Priory is a former Benedictine priory in the village of Hurley on the banks of the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
. The nave of the priory church survives as the current 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:...
.
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
has been played in Hurley for over 100 years. The club currently plays in the Chiltern League on Saturdays and friendly fixtures against local rivals on Sundays. The beautiful ground is typified with an Old English plane tree that lies within the boundaries. The clubhouse was rebuilt in the 1970s after fire destroyed the previous wooden one.
A riverside picnic scene in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film From Russia With Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
was filmed near the village.