Finchampstead
| Finchampstead | |
|---|---|
 Tower of St James' parish church | |
  Finchampstead Location within Berkshire | |
| Population | 668 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SU7964 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOKINGHAM |
| Postcode district | RG40 |
| Dialling code | 0118 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Finchampstead Parish Council |
Finchampstead is a village and
Wokingham Borough in the shire of Berkshire, England. Its northern extremity is 2 miles (3 km) south of Wokingham, 5 miles (8 km) west of Bracknell, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Reading, and 34 miles (55 km) west of Central London. It is an affluent area, with the village ranking as Britain's 31st wealthiest.[1] It has a high standard of living and is rated as one of the most desirable places to live in the United Kingdom.[2][3]
Topography
Finchampstead
Windsor Forest
. It is used as a road at West Court, and from Armholes past Heath Pool and along Roman Ride.
The
National Trust
. Its hills give panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Local government
Finchampstead has a
Wokingham Borough unitary authority
.
Transport
Reading Buses service No 3 or "The Leopard Bus," links northern Finchampstead with Wokingham.
History
The
Roman road between London and Silchester, called the "Devil's Highway", ran through the middle of the parish. A Roman milestone survives at Banisters.[8][4][5] Finchampstead's Old English toponym derives from the large variety of finches that still populate the area.[citation needed] It is referred to by the younger generation as 'Finch'.[citation needed] St. Oswald apparently visited the village in the 7th century and named the local holy well, which is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to have flowed with blood in times of National crisis.[8][5]
Finchampstead is a richly wooded area on the western edge of old
Restoration house of 1683.[10][4] Finchampstead's Wellingtonia Avenue was planted with one hundred giant sequoia trees, as a monument to the 1st Duke of Wellington in the 1860s.[8][5] Wellington College
school nearby was also erected in his memory.
Notable people
- Commissioner Catherine Bramwell-Booth CBE OF, (Granddaughter of The Salvation Army Founders William Booth and Catherine Booth 'Mother of the Salvation Army'), lived in Finchampstead with two of her sisters Lieut. Col. Olive Booth and Major Dora (Dorothy) Booth. The three are buried with their sister Colonel Mary Bramwell Booth CBE and alongside their brother Bramwell Bernard Booth and his wife Jane in the churchyard of St James'. Catherine died aged 104, Olive 98 and Dora 95.
- Christine Keeler lived on the Nine Mile Ride.[citation needed]
- Brigadier General Shanghai Municipal Council retired to Haygates in Finchampstead. He died there in 1948.[11]
- Singer-songwriter, Laura Marling, grew up and attended primary school in Finchampstead.
- Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Stowell Jones, recipient of the Victoria Cross for actions at Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, is buried in the churchyard of St James'.
- General Sir John Watson, recipient of the Victoria Cross for actions at Lucknowduring the Indian Mutiny, is buried in the churchyard of St James'.
Churches
The present
Junior School
in California. It is a shared ministry with St James.
Housing
The village has a number of old cottages. However, most of the parish's housing is at California.
Amenities
The
playground
area in the park. There are additional amenities in the parish at California Crossroads.
Sport and leisure
Finchampstead has clubs for
tennis courts. Finchampstead Football Club plays in the Hellenic Football League, and the Memorial Ground is the home ground of both the football and cricket clubs. There is a nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest
at California.
References
- ^ "Britain's richest villages". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Sunday Times names Finchampstead as one of UK's best places to live". Wokingham Paper.
- ^ "Sunday Times: Best Places To Live (UK)". Sunday Times.
- ^ ISBN 9781905191024.
- ^ ISBN 9781905191024.
- ^ ISBN 9781905191024.
- ^ "Councillors – Finchampstead Parish Council". Finchampstead Parish Council. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ford, David Nash (2003). "History of Finchampstead, Berkshire". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Ford, David Nash (2010). "History of West Court, Finchampstead, Berkshire". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Ford, David Nash (2002). "History of Banisters, Finchampstead, Berkshire". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Armorial families : a directory of gentlemen of coat-armour (Volume 2), p270
- ^ Parish of Finchampstead and California
- ^ The Greyhound
- ^ The Queen's Oak Archived 23 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Tally Ho
- ^ "Finches Pre-School". Finches Pre-School. 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ 1st Finchampstead Scout Group
- ^ Finchampstead Cricket Club
- ^ Finchampstead FC
- ^ Finch Netball Club
- ^ Finch Coasters Running Club
Sources
- Page, W.H., eds. (1923). A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 3. Victoria County History. pp. 241–247.
- The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 143–144.
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