Aldermaston Wharf
Encyclopedia
Aldermaston Wharf is a small settlement situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-northwest of Aldermaston
in the West Berkshire
district, part of the English
county of Berkshire
. The Kennet and Avon Canal
and Great Western Railway
pass through it and Aldermaston railway station
and Aldermaston Lock
are located here. The A4 road runs just to the north of the village. The Kennet & Avon Visitor Centre owned by British Waterways
has a tea room and small shop offering, drinks, snacks, daily essentials and phone top ups.
Nearby are the towns of Newbury
, Thatcham
and Reading
. Neighbouring villages are Aldermaston
, Midgham
, Beenham
, Woolhampton
and Padworth
. Aldermaston Wharf falls within three parishes
: namely Padworth, Aldermaston and Beenham.
The River Kennet
was made navigable between Reading and Newbury and opened as the Kennet Navigation in 1723. A wharf was constructed here (to the immediate east of the current lift bridge) and a trading community developed around it. In addition carpenters were required to service the locks and bridges. On completion of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 local trade flourished even more with exports of timber products, malt and flour and imports of coal, groceries and manufactured goods. When the Great Western Railway bought the canal in the 1850s a canal spur was constructed to the railway sidings to allow transfer of goods between canal and rail. Some of this has now been infilled. The River Enborne
joins the River Kennet just to the west of the village.
Strange's Brewery
was sited just south of the lock. In the late 18th century the brewery was owned by Francis Strange. The brewery was sold in 1952 and demolished.
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
in the West Berkshire
West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...
district, part of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
and Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
pass through it and Aldermaston railway station
Aldermaston railway station
Aldermaston railway station is a railway station named after the village of Aldermaston in the county of Berkshire in England. The station is in the nearby settlement of Aldermaston Wharf and approximately north from Aldermaston village. It was opened on December 21, 1847.- Description...
and Aldermaston Lock
Aldermaston Lock
Aldermaston Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Aldermaston Wharf in the English county of Berkshire. It stands at the junction of the civil parishes of Padworth, Beenham and Aldermaston....
are located here. The A4 road runs just to the north of the village. The Kennet & Avon Visitor Centre owned by British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
has a tea room and small shop offering, drinks, snacks, daily essentials and phone top ups.
Nearby are the towns of Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, Thatcham
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
and Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. Neighbouring villages are Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
, Midgham
Midgham
Midgham is a village and civil parish in the Kennet Valley about east of Newbury, Berkshire. It has a population of 282.The village extends to the Berkshire Arms public house in the west, New Road Hill in the east, Midgham Marsh to the south of the A4 road and Midgham Green to the north...
, Beenham
Beenham
Beenham is a village and civil parish about east of Newbury in West Berkshire.-History:The history of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary begins in about the end of the 12th century. An old print of the original building shows that it had some 13th century lancet windows and a 16th...
, Woolhampton
Woolhampton
Woolhampton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the London to Bath road between the towns of Reading and Newbury...
and Padworth
Padworth
Padworth is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, between Burghfield Common and Tadley.Padworth is in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, not far from the Hampshire border...
. Aldermaston Wharf falls within three parishes
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
: namely Padworth, Aldermaston and Beenham.
The River Kennet
River Kennet
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary of the River Thames. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol...
was made navigable between Reading and Newbury and opened as the Kennet Navigation in 1723. A wharf was constructed here (to the immediate east of the current lift bridge) and a trading community developed around it. In addition carpenters were required to service the locks and bridges. On completion of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 local trade flourished even more with exports of timber products, malt and flour and imports of coal, groceries and manufactured goods. When the Great Western Railway bought the canal in the 1850s a canal spur was constructed to the railway sidings to allow transfer of goods between canal and rail. Some of this has now been infilled. The River Enborne
River Enborne
thumb|left|250px|River Enbournethumb|left|250px|River Enbourne at Headley Ford, near Crookham Commonthumb|left|250px|River Enborne at Shalford bridge, near [[Brimpton]]thumb|left|250px|Oxford Bridge over a small tributary of the River Enborne, near Inwood Copse...
joins the River Kennet just to the west of the village.
Strange's Brewery
Aldermaston Brewery
The Aldermaston Brewery was a brewery located near Aldermaston in Berkshire, UK.- History :The brewery was established at Aldermaston Wharf in 1770., adjacent to the Kennet and Avon Canal. The brewery was bought by Thomas Strange in 1833. William Jeffreys Strange operated the brewery until 1902,...
was sited just south of the lock. In the late 18th century the brewery was owned by Francis Strange. The brewery was sold in 1952 and demolished.