Visit Lambourn Places

Welcome to Visit Lambourn Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Lambourn

  

Lambourn Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Lambourn

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Lambourn history

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Many spellings have been used over the centuries, such as Lamburnan (880 AD), Lamburna (1086 AD), Lamborne (1644 AD) and Lambourne. It was also called Chipping Lambourn because of its popular market. The most common explanation for the name is that the lambs were dipped in the local river.

Seven Barrows

Lambourn is famous for its ‘Seven Barrows’, just above Upper Lambourn. There are actually over thirty Bronze Age burial mounds forming a large prehistoric cemetery. On a line west of Seven Barrows is the Long Barrow, which dates from c. 4000 BC.

Lambourn Church (minster) and almshouses

Large, mainly Norman parish church (Church of England) is in the village centre facing the historic market place. The road pattern shows an original circular enclosure, suggesting pagan Celtic origins. Alfred the Great, born in Wantage, was also closely connected with this ancient landmark which has been a minster since Saxon times.

The Anarchy

The Empress Matilda bequeathed Lambourn and Chippenham to Hugh de Plucket out of the Royal demesne in 1142 for his aid in The Anarchy of the civil wars against Stephen of Blois. However, another Breton adventurer Josce de Dinan and his knights retreated to Lambourn after he lost Ludlow Castle to Gilbert de Lacey. Josce died in 1162 AD and either case the Plunket family were in possession of the Manor by the beginning of the 14th century.

Queen Elizabeth I

The Ditchley portrait of Queen Elizabeth I was painted for Sir Henry Lee to commemorate her visit in 1592. The Queen stands on a map of England with her feet on Oxfordshire and Lambourn is shown (but not named) on the map below her feet, in the downs of Berceria.

English Civil War

During the Civil War Prince Rupert and his Cavaliers rested at Lambourn on the night of 18 and 19 September 1643. Queen Henrietta Maria stayed at Kingswood House on 18 April 1644 en route to Exeter. King Charles and the Royalist Army relieved Donnington Castle in November 1644.

The Luddites and Captain Swing

There were anti-machinery riots in Lambourn in 1832–33. It was said that ‘there would be no good times at Lambourn until there was a good fire’ Several farm buildings were burned by Luddite agricultural labourers whose wages had been slashed.

World War II plane crash

2nd Lt Lawrence Berkoff DFC was killed in a B-24 Liberator crash-landed in Lambourn, missing the village by a few hundred yards. Berkoff was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross.

1953 Lorry Crash

An articulated lorry carrying 3,600 gallons of aviation fuel overturned on Oxford Street in 1953. The lorry exploded, destroying the tobacconist’s, confectioner’s, watchmaker’s, jeweller’s and antique dealer’s shops, but only the driver was killed. The burning fuel set fire to three houses, two thatched cottages and several flats, and 37 people were made homeless.

1971 lurcher show

The first dog show for lurchers was held at Lambourn in 1971. The show included dog racing and coursing, including coursing and dog racing.

1991 motorway crash

At 14:15 hours on 13 March 1991 there was a major crash on the M4 Motorway in the southernmost part of Lambourn between Membury Service Station and Junction 14 on the eastbound carriageway. A van driver fell asleep at the wheel and stopped alongside the central crash barrier on the right hand (overtaking) lane. The cars behind were travelling at high speed (an average of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) in patchy fog and many were only one or two car lengths behind the vehicle in front. As a result, they had no time to avoid the van, crashed and spun out of control into the other lanes. The crash included 51 vehicles and lasted 19 seconds.

Lambourn geography / climate

Lambourn covers most of the upper valley of the River Lambourn, a bourne in the chalk upland area of the Berkshire Downs. It is 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Newbury, 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Swindon and 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Wantage. Membury Service Station (previously RAF Membury), Membury transmitting station and northeastern quarter of Membury iron age fort are in the southwest corner of the parish.

You can visit Lambourn places with Walkfo Lambourn to hear history at Lambourn’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Lambourn has 11 places to visit in our interactive Lambourn 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 Lambourn, 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 Lambourn places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Lambourn & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 11 audio facts unique to Lambourn places in an interactive Lambourn map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Lambourn Places Map
11 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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

  

Best Lambourn places to visit

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

Watts Bank Watts Bank is a 1.9-hectare (4.7-acre) nature reserve south of Lambourn in Berkshire. It is designated a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest as White Shute.

Cleeve Hill SSSI, Berkshire Cleeve Hill is a 4-hectare (9.9-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Lambourn in Berkshire. It is in the North Wessex Downs, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Fognam Chalk Quarry Fognam Chalk Quarry is a 3-hectare (7.4-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Upper Lambourn in Berkshire. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

Visit Lambourn plaques