Visit Burghfield Places

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The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Burghfield

  

Burghfield Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Burghfield

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Burghfield history

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Bronze Ages

There are a number of Bronze Age sites within the parish – mostly all destroyed by gravel pit workings in Pingewood. Possible Bronze Age barrows and ditches once sat where the Burghfield sailing club now sails, or now sit under the M4 motorway. There was also a barrow cemetery at Field Farm, at grid reference SU676702, comprising ten round barrows which were visible on aerial photographs.

Iron Ages

Of Iron Age history there is only a ditch and some pits in Burghfield near Amners Farm at grid reference SU679689. The Iron Age site is located at grid references SU679688 and SU679679.

Roman

There are many indications of Roman settlement in the parish. The first is a possible prehistoric or Roman settlement and field system near the River Kennet. Other possible Roman settlements are indicated by cropmarks in the same Pingeword area slightly further to the east and to the south west.

Early history

Burghfield was a pre-Roman Celtic settlement. The ‘ge’ is a contraction of ‘coed’, Celtic for wood. When the Saxons moved into the area in the 5th century, they added their own descriptive word ‘wood’ on the end.

Norman Era

There is evidence that early Burghfield was divided into two equal portions, or manors, and is referenced twice in the Domesday Book as follows: One of two entries for Burghfield in the Domesday Book Second entry for BurghfieldBerchefelde, or Borgefel. Lands of Ralph de Mortemar. The same Ralph holds Burghfield, and a certain (knight) holds of him. Abbot Elsi held it of the old monastery of the Church at Winchester, by witness of the shire in the time of King Edward, and afterwards until he was outlawed. Burghfield under Ralph of Mortimer Taxable value 1½ geld units. Taxed on 1½ Payments of 0.28 fisheries. Value to lord in 1066 £2. Value to lord in 1086 £2½. Households: 6 villagers. 8 smallholders. Ploughland: 6 ploughlands (land for). 1 lord’s plough teams 5 men’s plough teams. Other resources: Meadow 43 acres. Woodland 15 swine render. One-half of a mill, value 0.29. 1 fishery. 1 church. Lord in 1066: Abbey of Ramsey St Benedict. Overlord in 1066: Abbey off Winchester St Peter. Lord in 1086: One man-at-arms Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Ralph of Mortimer. Burghfield under Henry of Ferrers Taxable value 1½ geld units. Taxed on 1½ hides. Payments of 0.28 fisheries. Value to lord in 1066 £2. Value to lord in 1086 £2½. Households: 2 villagers. 2 smallholders. Ploughland: 6 ploughlands (land for). 2 lord’s plough teams and 1 men’s plough teams. Other resources: Meadow 40 acres. Woodland 15 swine render. 1 mill, value 0.29. 1 fishery. Lord in 1066: Two freeholders. Overlord in 1066: Bondi the constable. Lord in 1086: Two freeholders. Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Henry of Ferrers. These manors formerly belonging to Queen Emma of Normandy, until her death in 1052. One half of the lands appear to have been transferred to Ralph de Mortemar around 1070, and they remained in that family until the death of Edmund, the last Earl of March in 1425. The heir to the lands was his nephew, a minor, Richard Duke of York, but on his attainder in 1459 the land passed to the crown. The other half of Burghfield was awarded to Henry de Ferrers, a Norman soldier from a noble family who took part in the conquest of England. Additionally Sir Nicholas De La Beche (1291–1345) is known to have owned Burghfield at some time. The De La Beche family were powerful landowners and knights in the 14th century. Many of them were retainers to the king, warders to the Tower of London, and Sheriffs of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The family were influential during the reign of Edward II and Edward III, and were embroiled in the royal intrigue of the time. There were two manors in Burghfield; Burghfield Regis, and Burghfield Abbas, although the current Parish of Burghfield now includes for the former manor of Sheffield (or Soefeld). King Edward IV, gave the Burghfield manor its Royal title of ‘Regis’. Its manor house, alias Nether Court, stood on the site now occupied by the Rectory in Burghfield village. This manner was sub-tenanted to the family of Thomas de Burghfield, who proudly took his name from the village, sometime before 1175. The De Burghfields were also sub-tenants of Burghfield Abbas, which had been owned by Reading Abbey from about the same time. The original Burghfield Bridge was commissioned by Matthew De Burghfield, being the lord of the latter manor in the early 13th century, but later on the family had arguments with King Edward I over who should repair it. There was a minor skirmish there after the First Battle of Newbury in 1643. Sheffield Manor (originally Sewelle) was located at what is now Sheffield Bottom, at the junction of Jaques’s Lane and Station Road. The manor of Sheffield was granted by the Count of Évreux to St Martin-de-Noyon, Charleval, in circa 1086, as an alien Benedictine cell, and was leased privately after 1166–7. Reading Abbey gained possession in 1270. Although known locally as the Priory, it was only a manor and later a grange with a chapel and mill. It is a scheduled ancient monument number 1302719. There were originally two mills on the River Kennet attributed to the parish, although slight changes to parish boundaries in modern times means that one mill has been lost. Burghfield Mill is a dis-used water mill to the west of Burghfield Bridge, now converted to residential apartments. The original mill of Burghfield was split in two equal portions, each attached to one of the Burghfield Manors. Sheffield Manor was served by its own mill further upstream, and now falling within the neighbouring Theale parish. In 1811 the Sheffield mills were paper-mills, but burned down in 1877. The mill was afterwards bought by James Dewe of Burghfield Mill, who thus secured the water rights. Downstream of Burghfield lies Southecote Mill, within Southecote parish. Upstream from Sheffield lies Tyle Mill, within Sulhamstead parish.

Tudor and Elizabethan Era

Burghfield was the childhood home of John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame. The Williams family bought all three manors after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Old Manor at Whitehouse Green is a small manor house built in 1685.

18th and 19th centuries

Sir Gilbert Blane (1749–1834), a Scottish physician who instituted health reform in the Royal Navy, had a country house at Culverlands near Burghfield. The house was enlarged in 1879 and was later occupied by Sir Charles Wyndham Murray MP.

20th century

In the early part of World War II, several wartime installations and anti-invasion measures were installed across the parish, including: A Royal Ordnance Explosives Filling Factory (ROF, no.18). Construction began in 1940 and production in 1942, and it was one of the last six ROFs built during World War II. In 1953 the ‘factory was extensively reconstructed for production of missiles. It subsequently became known as “AWE Burghfield”, becoming responsible for the final assembly of Trident mounted nuclear warheads, their in-service maintenance and their eventual decommissioning. Many of the former ROF workers’ houses (both wooden and prefabricated single storey buildings) built along the road (“The Mearings” – which went past the ROF’s Main Gate) were removed and the road became a private one. ROF Burghfield had been linked by rail to the Reading to Basingstoke Line and the embankment for this link was still visible in the 1960s. Theale airfield, a military airfield opened in 1941 and closed in 1948. The airfield consisted of grass landing areas of about 900 by 800 yd (820 by 730 m), and was bounded to the north by the Kennet and Avon Canal. It was provided with Blister aircraft hangars and a Type T1 aircraft hangar. Accommodation for airforce personnel was still under construction when the airfield was already in use, and personnel were housed temporarily at the nearby requisitioned Sulhamstead House. Initially the unofficial role of the airfield had been as a relief landing ground for Woodley Airfield (under the name of Sheffield Farm), but when it was officially opened it was renamed as Theale. It was primarily used for training by the no.26 Elementary Flying Training School, and later in 1944 by the no.128 Gliding School. After the war flying ceased and the airfield was used by the Air Cadets until its closure in 1948. Subsequently, the site was bought for gravel extraction and now most of the site has been quarried away by gravel pits. Now only two small areas of the airfield remain, the north-west corner, on which stands a wooden house, and to the southwest where part of the main technical site still stands. This includes a Nissen hut, two other huts, and the ‘Tl’ hangar, which is used to accommodate vehicles used on the adjacent residual gravel workings. A heavy anti-aircraft battery at Amner’s Farm, Burghfield, documented as extant in 1942 when it was not armed, but today there are no remains. Ten pillboxes, including: One type 26 pillbox, with roofed annexe attached, in Whitley, South of Kirton’s Farm Road, South-West of Reading. Two type 28a anti-tank gun emplacements at Garston Lock, Kennet and Avon Canal, Theale. The first is adjacent to the lower lock gate and is also a Grade II listed building . The second is on the north bank of the Canal, almost touching the balance beam of the top gate paddle. It is in undergrowth but in good condition with the interior accessible and also in good condition. The west facing anti-tank embrasure is now obscured by bushes. Again a grade II listed building. One type 22 shellproof pillbox at the edge of large open field, about 50 metres north of the Kennet and Avon canal. There is some deterioration to the outer shell but the structure is basically intact. Two type 28a anti-tank gun emplacements, to the east and west of Burghfield Mill, near the river Kennet. One type 22 shellproof pillbox, next to a footbridge on the north bank of the Kennet and Avon canal east of Burghfield Lock. It is surrounded by trees and bushes, but not overgrown, and internally in good condition. One type 22 shellproof pillbox at Greengates in Pingewood and south of the Kennet and Avon canal. One rectangular anti-tank pillbox forming part of a stop line along the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Burghfield Bridge. One pillbox off Kirtons Farm Lane in Pingewood. One type 26 pillbox, with roofed annexe attached, in Whitley, South of Kirton’s Farm Road, South-West of Reading. Two type 28a anti-tank gun emplacements at Garston Lock, Kennet and Avon Canal, Theale. The first is adjacent to the lower lock gate and is also a Grade II listed building . The second is on the north bank of the Canal, almost touching the balance beam of the top gate paddle. It is in undergrowth but in good condition with the interior accessible and also in good condition. The west facing anti-tank embrasure is now obscured by bushes. Again a grade II listed building. One type 22 shellproof pillbox at the edge of large open field, about 50 metres north of the Kennet and Avon canal. There is some deterioration to the outer shell but the structure is basically intact. Two type 28a anti-tank gun emplacements, to the east and west of Burghfield Mill, near the river Kennet. One type 22 shellproof pillbox, next to a footbridge on the north bank of the Kennet and Avon canal east of Burghfield Lock. It is surrounded by trees and bushes, but not overgrown, and internally in good condition. One type 22 shellproof pillbox at Greengates in Pingewood and south of the Kennet and Avon canal. One rectangular anti-tank pillbox forming part of a stop line along the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Burghfield Bridge. One pillbox off Kirtons Farm Lane in Pingewood. An anti-tank ditch at Burghfield. A fortified house. Iverne House is about 100 metres south of Burghfield Bridge and was originally a stable. This was converted into a two-storey shell-proof infantry strongpoint around 1941/42. There are gun ports clearly visible from the main Burghfield Road. The building was converted to a private dwelling in 1994. One searchlight battery, no. 508 36, at Searls Farm. It was manned by the 342nd Searchlight Battery under the command of the 35th Anti-Aircraft Battalion. The battery was operational by 1 January 1939. Searchlight sites typically comprised a small ring-ditch to provide the crew with shelter during an air raid, a predictor emplacement for calculating the height and range of targets, a light anti-aircraft machine gun pit, a generator and hutted accommodation for the crew. Great Auclum at Burghfield Common was the site of a famous speed hill climb track. First used competitively in 1949, it closed in 1974 and is now a housing estate.

Burghfield etymology

A Burh is an Old English name for a fortified town or other defended site, (e.g., at Burgh Castle), sometimes centred upon a hill fort. The boundaries of ancient burhs can often still be traced to modern urban borough limits. Most of these were founded by Alfred the Great in a consciously planned policy that was continued under Edward the Elder and his daughter, Æthelflaed.

Burghfield geography / climate

In 1923 the parish of Burghfield had 4,309 acres of land, of which 1,660 acres were arable, 1,940 acres permanent pasture and 163 acres woods and plantations. The land lies low in the valley of the Kennet, at an average altitude of a little over 100 feet (30 m) above the ordnance datum, rising in the south-west to a height of 302 feet (92 m)

Geology

The parish lies in an area of clay, gravel and sand laid down in shallow, marine, coastal and fluvial river environments. The oldest sediments comprise sands deposited in a shallow sea overlain by reddish-brown Reading Formation clays. These later sediments were deposited on marshy mudflats crossed by river channels.

Flora and fauna

The parish is largely bounded by rivers, brooks and streams. The Clayhill Brook partially forms its Northwestern border with Sulhamstead. Burghfields Eastern boundary is just east of the railway line, near Smallmead, running south from Reading.

Farming

Many farms to the North of Burghfield are now part of the Englefield Estate. There are numerous farms in the parish, including Amners Farm and Woolwichgreen Farm.

You can visit Burghfield places with Walkfo Burghfield to hear history at Burghfield’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Burghfield has 41 places to visit in our interactive Burghfield map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Burghfield, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Burghfield places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Burghfield & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 41 audio facts unique to Burghfield places in an interactive Burghfield map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Burghfield Places Map
41 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Burghfield historic spots	Burghfield tourist destinations	Burghfield plaques	Burghfield geographic features
Walkfo Burghfield tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Burghfield

  

Best Burghfield places to visit

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Burghfield has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Burghfield’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Burghfield’s information audio spots:

RAF Theale Royal Air Force Theale or more simply RAF Theale is located south of Theale, Berkshire, England. The following units were here at some point: No. 8 Elementary Flying Training School RAF No. 26 Elementary flying Training School. No. 2818 Squadron RAF Regiment Air Crew Disposal Unit.

Hosehill Lake Hosehill Lake is a 23.6-hectare (58-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned by West Berkshire Council and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.

Burghfield Brook Burghfield Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises in Wokefield Common and joins Foudry Brook, which it joins near Hartley Court Farm, south of the M4 motorway.

Lockram Brook Lockram Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Berkshire village of Mortimer. It is a tributary of Burghfield Brook.

Folly Farm, Sulhamstead Folly Farm is an Arts and Crafts style country house in Sulhamstead, West Berkshire, England. Built around a small farmhouse dating to c. 1650, the house was substantially extended in William and Mary style by Edwin Lutyens. The gardens, designed by Lutyen and Gertrude Jekyll, are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Berkshire Berkshire is a county of historic origin, a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county without a county council. It was recognised by the Queen as the Royal County of Berkshire in 1957 because of the presence of Windsor Castle. No part of the county is more than 8.5 miles (13.7 km) from the M4 motorway.

Visit Burghfield plaques