It is situated at what was a cross-roads but is now a roundabout on the A327 road, 3 miles south-east of Reading, 3 miles west of Wokingham, and half a mile to the east of the smaller village of Arborfield. Recently, both Arborfield and Arborfield Cross have become collectively known as Arborfield, there are no signs marking the boundary of Arborfield Cross.
Amenities
Arborfield Court
The village features a diverse range of residential architecture, ranging from beautiful 15th-century cottages through to modern housing.[1] It includes five listed properties, including the Grade II listed Arborfield Court.[2] The Swan Inn, formerly the local public house, closed its doors in 2019.[3] Another prominent establishment in the village is the Grade II listed Bull Inn,[4] located near a farm park. Additional amenities include a village store and a garage where drivers can get their cars washed. Historically, the village hosted an annual charitable music event, Rock in the Rec, held each summer on a Saturday until its discontinuation in 2010.[5] The park is home to the Arborfield Football Club. The southern section of the village houses a Royal British Legion Club, while the Henry Street Garden Centre is located to the west. Educational services are provided by the Coombes Primary School, which is situated adjacent to the Coombes Woods.
There is a war memorial cross that commemorates the 31 people from Arborfield, Newland and Barkham who died or went missing in both world wars.[6]
Transport
Reading Buses operates bus transport in Arborfield Cross. The village is connected to the local towns of Wokingham and Reading with the Leopard 3 service.[7] Horseman Coaches operates two infrequent bus services, the 145 and 244, connecting Arborfield to Winnersh.[8]
Royal Connection
In the winter of 1924, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor) suffered a heavy fall at the first fence of a race for Lord Cavan's Cup held at the Arborfield Cross Point-to-Point meeting. The Prince, who was known for his daredevil horsemanship, something that his father, George V, tried to stop, was concussed for approximately half an hour. This led to questions being raised in the House of Commons as to the safe well-being of the Prince, and the Prime Minister wrote to the Prince on 19 March 1924, appealing to the Prince to give up competitive riding. A subsequent letter to the Prince from his father, dated 30 March 1924, asked for similar but confirmed that the Prince could still enjoy hunting and playing polo. [9]
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