Billingbear

Billingbear
Billingbear Lane
Billingbear Location within Berkshire
OS grid reference	SU838724
Metropolitan borough	Bracknell Forest
Metropolitan county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	READING
Postcode district	RG40
Dialling code	01344
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Bracknell
List of places UK England Berkshire 51°26′15″N0°48′28″W / 51.437605°N 0.807905°W / 51.437605; -0.807905

Billingbear is a hamlet in the civil parish of Binfield and a former country estate in the civil parish of Waltham St Lawrence, near Bracknell, in the English county of Berkshire. ^[1]

Geography

The settlement lies between the M4 motorway and the village of Binfield, just north-west of Binfield Parish Church, along Carters Hill and Billingbear Lane. The country estate is immediately to the west.

Billingbear Park

Main article: Billingbear House

Billingbear Park is now the site of a large late 20th century country house and a golf course. It was previously a large area of parkland surrounding Billingbear House, a huge Elizabethan mansion erected in 1567 by Henry Neville (d. 1593). ^[1] It burnt down in 1924. ^[1]

Allanbay Park

Just north-east of the hamlet is Allanbay Park, a grade II listed country house set in parkland. ^[2] It was the home of John Lycett Wills (1910–1999) and his wife Jean Elphinstone. Wills served as High Sheriff of Berkshire in 1958. Jean was a niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and lady-in-waiting to her cousin, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. In 1955, Group Captain Peter Townsend stayed at Allanbay to avoid the press furore surrounding his relationship with the Princess. ^[1]

References

1. Ford, David Nash (2020). East Berkshire Town and Village Histories. Wokingham: Nash Ford Publishing. pp. 24–26. ISBN   9781905191017.
2. "Allanbay Park". British Listed Buildings.