Spencers Wood

Coordinates: 51°23′40″N 0°58′20″W / 51.3944°N 0.9722°W / 51.3944; -0.9722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Spencers Wood
Wokingham
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townReading
Postcode districtRG7
Dialling code0118
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Berkshire
51°23′40″N 0°58′20″W / 51.3944°N 0.9722°W / 51.3944; -0.9722

Spencers Wood is a village in the Borough of Wokingham, Berkshire, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Reading. The village of Three Mile Cross adjoins it to the north, and both form part of the civil parish of Shinfield.

Basingstoke Road, the historic main road between Reading and Basingstoke, runs through the village, though it has been bypassed by the A33 to the east, which separates Spencers Wood from Grazeley.

History

Shield-of-Arms of the Barons le Despencer, from whom Spencers Wood possibly gets its name.
The A33, to the West of Spencers Wood
The Farriers Arms
St. Michael & All Angels, Spencers Wood

The earliest confirmed reference to the name 'Spencers Wood' dates from 1500, when a man named John Blunt left 3s 4d for the repair of a road through the wood called Spencers Wood.

John Roque published his map of Berkshire, there was no wood as such.[3]

There was instead a

William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury and his court in Amesbury.[4]) On 20 October 1844 in the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 the area became part of Berkshire
.

Around 1816 a non-conformist

tennis courts etc., provided a focus for social activity in the village.[5]

After the common was enclosed

By 1864 all of the

Lord Palmerston's private secretary from 1812 to 1828. The open area in front of Merry's house, Highlands, is still known as 'the Common'. The east side of Basingstoke Road was divided among many owners, who progressively sold off the land for development.[6]

By 1880, Spencers Wood had become a thriving village with a population of 600, of whom 200 were children. Most of the adults worked in the fields or were in domestic service.

Edwardian style houses were built along the Basingstoke Road using bricks baked at the local Swain family kiln. The Square became the heart of the village during this building period, and many of these houses still stand.[7] In 1890 Frederick Allfrey built an Infants' School opposite the end of Hyde End Road. It closed as a school in 1915, as both Lambs Lane and Ryeish Green schools were open by then. The building continued to be used for educational purposes, but since the 1970s has been used as a library.[8]

In spite of its growth, Spencers Wood was still split between the ecclesiastical

Village Hall was opened in 1911 and is run by a board of trustees on behalf of the village inhabitants.[11]

World War Two

Spencers Wood, being a rural community, was unaffected by

black-market
was able to supply all excess demand. The main impact of the war was the influx of people.

Two coaches of

prisoners of war
decided to settle in the village.

Recent history

The first

M4 Motorway was built and became a man-made barrier between the village and Reading. In the 1980s, the A33 Swallowfield Bypass severed roads to the village of Grazeley
lying to the East.

Village services

References

  1. ^ Spencers Wood Local History Group, More from Our Village of Spencers Wood (2016)
  2. ^ VCH Berkshire: Swallowfield
  3. ^ John Roque, A Topographical Survey of the County of Berks (1761).
  4. ^ VCH Berkshire: Swallowfield
  5. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood
  6. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood
  7. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood
  8. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood
  9. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood
  10. ^ Spencers Wood Local History Group, The History of Lambs Lane School, 1908-2008
  11. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood
  12. ^ More from Our Village of Spencers Wood

External links

Media related to Spencers Wood at Wikimedia Commons

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