Hermitage, Berkshire

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Hermitage
Village and civil parish
Large Garden Centre, Hermitage - geograph.org.uk - 11376.jpg
Garden Centre
Berkshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Hermitage
Location within Berkshire
Area6.36 km2 (2.46 sq mi)
Population1,943 (2011 census) [1]
•  Density 306/km2 (790/sq mi)
Civil parish
  • Hermitage
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town NEWBURY
Postcode district RG18
Dialling code 01635
Police Thames Valley
Fire Royal Berkshire
Ambulance South Central
List of places
UK
England
Berkshire
51°27′09″N1°16′34″W / 51.452536°N 1.276217°W / 51.452536; -1.276217

Hermitage is a village and civil parish, near Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. The civil parish is made up of a number of settlements: Hermitage village, Little Hungerford and Wellhouse.

Contents

Location

The village is focused residentially on the B4009, 5 miles (8 km) north east of Newbury in the heart of the North Wessex Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is thus surrounded by protected woodlands and undulating fields providing a few elevated viewpoints.

History

On Oare Common are two curvilinear ditched enclosures which are probably of prehistoric date, although it has also been suggested that they may represent a motte and bailey castle.[ citation needed ] The hill fort of Grimsbury Castle is in Grimsbury Wood. A folly stands at its centre. A 2nd and 3rd century Roman villa of some pretensions was discovered at Wellhouse in the Victorian era. Between 1917 and 1918 D. H. Lawrence lived in Hermitage, at Chapel Farm Cottage in Chapel Lane. [2] [ verification needed ] His novella The Fox is set in the area, with Bailey Farm based on Grimsby Farm. [3] Three early 21st century housing areas were completed in the north and south. These include Forest Edge and Hermitage Green.

Amenities

It has a general store and post office, a church (Holy Trinity) and two public houses, The Fox and The White Horse of Hermitage, and a garden centre. The village primary school feeds into the Downs School. The area is predominantly agricultural and the main local employers are the village school, village pre-school, the garden centre and a small light industrial unit housing several small businesses.

Holy Trinity church dates from 1839, and was funded by local donations, under the patronage of the Marquess of Downshire who had a residence at Easthampstead Park near Bracknell, 29 miles (47 km) from Hermitage. The Dowager Queen Adelaide, widow of the late King William IV, gave the communion plate. [4]

Transport

Access to the M4, which links London to Bristol and South Wales, is within 5 miles (8 km) and it passes through the edge of the parish. The A34, a major north–south road, also passes through the edge of the parish. From 1882 until the 1960s the village was served by Hermitage railway station, on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway. As of July 2022, Hermitage is served by buses 6 and 6A from Newbury. [5]

Demography

2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005 [1]
Output areaHomes owned outrightOwned with a loanSocially rentedPrivately rentedOtherUsual residentskm2
Civil parish192312661041619436.36

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References

  1. 1 2 "Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005". Archived from the original on 11 February 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Online exhibitions - The University of Nottingham. Nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  3. ↑ Poplawski, Paul and Worthen, John. D.H. Lawrence: A Reference Companion (1996), p 336
  4. ↑ "Herringfleet - Heston Pages 491-497 A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848". British History Online.
  5. ↑ "Reading Buses timetable" (PDF).
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