Hermitage, Berkshire
Encyclopedia
Hermitage is a village
and civil parish, near to Newbury
, in the English
county of Berkshire
.
. It is thus surrounded by beautiful woodlands and undulating countryside providing panoramic views. Hermitage is well placed for access by car to almost anywhere in the country. There is easy access to the M4
, which links Wales
to London
, and the A34 which is a main transport artery from the North to the South of the United Kingdom. Until the 1960s the village was served by Hermitage railway station
on the Western Region of British Railways
. The station was originally operated by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
.
, a butcher
, a church
(Holy Trinity) and two public house
s (The Fox and The White Horse of Hermitage). There is a large popular garden centre with a cafe, Bonsai shop, Pool & Spa concession and lawnmower centre. The village primary school enjoys an excellent reputation and feeds into the Downs School. The area is predominantly agricultural and the main local employers are the village school, village pre-school, a large garden centre
and a small light industrial unit housing several small businesses. In addition, there is the Royal School of Military Survey
at Denison Barracks housing a small garrison of troops and their families. However, though generally referred to as being in Hermitage, it is actually just across the border in the Curridge
area of Chieveley
parish.
date, although it has also been suggests that they may represent a motte and bailey castle
. 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 pretentions was discovered at Wellhouse in Victorian times
. Between 1917 and 1918 D. H. Lawrence
lived in Hermitage http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/mss/online/online-exhibitions/exhib_dhl/b7.phtml.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish, near to 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...
, in 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...
.
Location and communications
The civil parish is made up of a number of settlements: Hermitage village, Little Hungerford and Wellhouse, in 2003 these consisted of some 1,154 people in 444 houses, although the population is nearer 2,000 now (2010) in 770 houses. The village sits on the B4009, 5 miles (8 km) north east of Newbury in the heart of the North Wessex Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. It is thus surrounded by beautiful woodlands and undulating countryside providing panoramic views. Hermitage is well placed for access by car to almost anywhere in the country. There is easy access to the M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
, which links Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and the A34 which is a main transport artery from the North to the South of the United Kingdom. Until the 1960s the village was served by Hermitage railway station
Hermitage railway station
Hermitage railway station was a railway station on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway which served the villages of Hermitage and Oare in Berkshire.The station closed in 1962...
on the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
. The station was originally operated by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was a cross-country railway running north-south between Didcot, Newbury and Southampton although it actually reached the latter by running over the London and South Western Railway tracks from Shawford Junction, south of Winchester...
.
Amenities
It has a general store and post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
, a church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
(Holy Trinity) and two public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s (The Fox and The White Horse of Hermitage). There is a large popular garden centre with a cafe, Bonsai shop, Pool & Spa concession and lawnmower centre. The village primary school enjoys an excellent reputation and feeds into the Downs School. The area is predominantly agricultural and the main local employers are the village school, village pre-school, a large garden centre
Garden centre
A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business. It is open to the public, with facilities to care for and display plants.- UK :...
and a small light industrial unit housing several small businesses. In addition, there is the Royal School of Military Survey
Royal School of Military Survey
The Defence College of Intelligence Royal School of Military Survey is ajoint services survey training facility associated with the Corps of Royal Engineers but attached to the United Kingdom Defence Intelligence and Security Centre ....
at Denison Barracks housing a small garrison of troops and their families. However, though generally referred to as being in Hermitage, it is actually just across the border in the Curridge
Curridge
Curridge is a village in the civil parish of Chieveley in the English county of Berkshire.-Location and character:It is located in the south-east of Chieveley parish, adjoining Hermitage, and its chief population areas are Curridge village, Longlane and the Denison Barracks, home of the 42 Engineer...
area of Chieveley
Chieveley
Chieveley is a village and civil parish about north of Newbury in Berkshire, close to the M4 motorway and A34 road.-Character:Chieveley is a village of 1,481 people and 508 households. A map of 1877 stated the area at the time to be roughly . Chieveley Service Station serves Junction 13 of the M4...
parish.
History
On Oare Common are two curvilinear ditched enclosures which are probably of prehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
date, although it has also been suggests that they may represent a motte and bailey castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
. The hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
of Grimsbury Castle
Grimsbury Castle
Grimsbury Castle is an Iron Age "multiple enclosure" Hill Fort comprising a large circular encampment situated on a high hill. It is situated within Grimsbury Wood to the between Cold Ash and Hermitage, in the county of Berkshire- History :...
is in Grimsbury Wood. A folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
stands at its centre. A 2nd and 3rd century Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
of some pretentions was discovered at Wellhouse in Victorian times
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. Between 1917 and 1918 D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
lived in Hermitage http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/mss/online/online-exhibitions/exhib_dhl/b7.phtml.