Lambourn
Encyclopedia
Lambourn is a large village and civil parish in the northwestern part of the ceremonial county
of Berkshire
in England
. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt
racehorse training
.
Lambourn is situated in the valley of the River Lambourn
, a summer bourn
in the chalk upland area of the Berkshire Downs
. It is 13 miles (20.9 km) northwest of Newbury
, 13 miles (20.9 km) northeast of Marlborough, 11 miles (17.7 km) southeast of Swindon
, 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of Wantage
and 7 miles (11.3 km) north of Hungerford
.
When the Vale of White Horse
was transferred to Oxfordshire
in 1974 it became the westernmost parish in Berkshire
bordering Wiltshire
to the south and west and Oxfordshire
to the north and west, the only adjacent parishes in Berkshire
are East Garston
to the east and Hungerford
to the southeast. Lambourn lies on the crossroads of the B4000 from Newbury
to Highworth
and the B4001 from Chilton Foliat
to Childrey
. The B4000 used to follow the River Lambourn
up the Newbury Road until the construction of the M4 motorway
in the early-1970s. When the M4 Motorway
was built the B4000 was diverted along Ermin Street
as the old road could not be widened for HGVs
in the narrow streets of Great Shefford
, Eastbury
and Lambourn. The B4001 was also diverted onto Ermin Street
because of the M4 and the B4000 and B4001 merge until they arrive in Lambourn at the bottom of Hungerford Hill. The M4 Motorway
passes through the southern part of the parish between Junction 14 (7 miles (11.3 km) southeast of the village) and Junction 15 (8 miles (12.9 km) to the west). Membury Service Station (previously RAF Membury
), Membury transmitting station
and the northeastern quarter of Membury iron age fort are in the southwest corner of the parish.
In 1898 the Lambourn Valley Railway was built and a branch line
connected Lambourn to Newbury
. It was merged with the Great Western Railway
in 1904 and continued in operation until it was closed in 1960 after the Beeching Report
. The nearest station is now at Hungerford
on the Reading to Taunton line
. See photographs of http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/lambourn/lambourn_alsop_old6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/lambourn/index.shtml&usg=__947iGFkvavb1hRyRT4iZTJ3q4SQ=&h=410&w=598&sz=62&hl=en&start=6&zoom=1&tbnid=kHO8OPbkMivphM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlambourn%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1Lambourn Railway Station here]
The Lambourn Downs
- also known as the Berkshire Downs
- are part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and cover an area of 231 square miles (598.3 km²) from the Ridgeway
in the north to the River Kennet
in the south. Originally they were entirely in Berkshire
, but the Local Government Act 1972
transferred large parts of the downs
to Oxfordshire
and Wiltshire
. Due to the poor, chalky soil the downs could not be used for growing crops until the advent of modern fertilizer
s. Consequently the high ground was only used for breeding sheep - hence the name of Lambourn - and horses. The Oxford Don
and author J. R. R. Tolkien lived nearby and travelled to the Lambourn Downs with his family and friends. He was impressed by the downs with their sarsen
stones, barrows and hill forts and painted a picture of Lambourn in 1912. Within the parish itself are the following downs and chalk hills
; Bockhampton Down, Cleeve Hill, Coppington Down, Coppington Hill, Crow Down, Eastbury Down, Ewe Hill, Farncombe Down, Fognam Down, Haycroft Hill, Hungerford Hill, Kingsdown, Lodge Down, Mandown, Near Down, Parkfarm Down, Pit Down, Post Down, Row Down, Stancombe Down, Thorn Hill, Warren Down and Wellbottom Down.
, Eastbury
, Woodlands St Mary
and Lambourn Woodlands
, together with the hamlets of Mile End, Sheepdrove and Bockhampton and a considerable area of rural downland. The parish council is split into four wards for electoral purposes, with two councillors being elected by the wards of Upper Lambourn, Eastbury and Woodlands St Mary/Lambourn Woodlands; and nine councillors from Lambourn itself. The parish shares boundaries with the Berkshire parishes of East Garston
and Hungerford
, with the Wiltshire parishes of Chilton Foliat
, Ramsbury
and Baydon
, and with the Oxfordshire parishes of Ashbury
, Compton Beauchamp
, Woolstone
, Uffington
, Kingston Lisle
, Sparsholt
, Childrey
and Letcombe Bassett
. The parish is part of the unitary authority
of West Berkshire
, and lies within Newbury parliamentary constituency
.
is best known today as a major horse racing
centre, mainly National Hunt
. Many villagers' work is related to horse racing, but there are an increasing number of commuters who use the M4, including many airline pilots based at Heathrow. The United Kingdom
's last cravat
makers was based in Lambourn until they closed in 2006. Lambourn Racehorse Transport Ltd was founded in the village in 1930 and transports many of the local horses, especially since the closure of the Lambourn Valley Railway in 1964. It is owned by Merrick Francis (the son of Dick Francis
) and is the largest horse transport business in Europe.
held racing meetings on Weathercock Hill near Ashdown House
. There were regular race meetings on the Lambourn Downs and private race meetings can be held on Mandown between Upper Lambourn
and Seven Barrows
. In the 1840s some owners moved their racehorses to Lambourn as the ground at Newmarket was too firm and caused many horses to break down. The first trainers were Edwin Parr, Joseph Saxon, John Prince, Luke Snowden (one of the few trainers to be buried at St Michaels graveyard) and John Drinkald, who went insane when his horse was disqualified after winning a race in which he stood to win £28,000. The first stables were at the Red Lion Inn on the crossroads opposite the church, which has been converted into flats, and at Lambourn Stables, now called Kingswood House Stables. The well drained, spongy grass, open downs and long flats made Lambourn ideal for training racehorses and it became a fashionable training centre. Lord Rothschild
has his stables at Russley Park in Wiltshire and like Lord Craven
his horses practised on the gallops at Lambourn. However, it was not until the Lambourn Valley Railway was built in 1898 that Lambourn grew into its present size. Until then horses could only attend local meets, or had to walk the 10–15 miles to the railway at Newbury
. Horses could now be transported to Newbury and from there to meetings all over the country and many new stables were opened in the area. Over 1,500 horses are now stabled in and around Lambourn - second only to Newmarket
- there are many major stable
s, varied turf and all-weather gallops in and around the village. It even has the luxury of two fully licensed equine swimming pools and the Ridgeway Veterinary Group Valley Equine Hospital. As a result it has been dubbed the "Valley of the Racehorse", and this is displayed on the road signs leading into the village. In 2006 the Jockey Club
Estates Ltd bought 500 acres (2 km²) of land in the valley, its first investment outside Newmarket
, including Mandown and many other gallops and training grounds The 12 Hole Lambourn Light horseshoe
was developed for thoroughbred
racehorses.
Some Lambourn Derby
winners
Some Lambourn Grand National
winners
Horse Racing Stables in Lambourn and Upper Lambourn
', just above Upper Lambourn. There are actually over thirty Bronze Age
burial mounds
forming a large prehistoric
cemetery
. On a line to the west of Seven Barrows
is the Long Barrow, which dates from c. 4000 BC making it 2,000 years older than the other barrows. Unfortunately it has been half destroyed by deep ploughing and only the mound in the woods and a few sarsen
stones remain. A small hoard of Bronze Age gold, comprising three bracelets and two 'armlets', was found in the parish in 2004, and was declared as treasure at a subsequent inquest. In Roman times
, the area was extensively farmed, as shown by an archaeological research project based on Maddle Farm. Ermin Street
, the major Roman road
between Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester
) and Glevum
(Gloucester
), also known as the "Upper or Baydon Road" passes through Lambourn Woodlands as part of the B4000.
The mainly Norman
parish church (Church of England
) is in the village centre, with a surrounding wall built of sarsen
stones, and is dedicated to St Michael
and All Angels
. The road pattern shows an original circular enclosure, suggesting pagan Celt
ic origins. Alfred the Great
, born in Wantage
, was also closely connected with the church and mentioned it in his will
. It was probably King Canute
who granted Lambourn Church to the Dean of St Paul's
. Successors to that office held it until 1836. Inside are monuments
to the great and the good of the many manors in the parish, including an excellent brass
to John Estbury (1508), who founded the almshouses outside, and fine effigies
of Sir Thomas Essex and his wife (1558). The almshouses were established by an Act of Parliament
in the reign of King Henry VII
and confirmed by his son King Henry VIII
after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
made the original uncertain as it included a now forbidden chantry
. There is an arch with mediaeval carvings of hunting scenes. The church was much restored
in the 19th century and has a chancel
roof designed by G. E. Street. The church also boasts a fine three-manual Henry Willis
organ
.
bequeathed Lambourn and Chippenham
to Hugh de Plucket out of the Royal demesne
in 1142 for his aid in The Anarchy
of the civil wars against the usurper Stephen of Blois
. However, another Breton
adventurer Josce de Dinan and his knights retreated to Lambourn after he lost Ludlow Castle
to Roger de Lacey and Maltida's son King Henry II
gave him Chipping Lambourn in compensation in 1156. Josce died in 1162 AD and in either case the Plunket family were in possession of the Manor by the beginning of the 14th century.
_by_marcus_gheeraerts_the_younger.jpg)
The Ditchley
portrait of Queen Elizabeth I was painted for Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley
to commemorate her visit in 1592. The Queen stands on a map of England with her feet on Oxfordshire
and Lambourn is shown on the map below her feet. Although not named there is market-town in the downs
of Berceria
at the head of the River Lambourn
which joins the River Kennet
at Newbury
.
Prince Rupert
and his Cavaliers rested at Lambourn on the night of 18 and 19 September 1643, between fighting a skirmish with the Parliamentarian Army
at Aldbourne Chase
on the 18th and the First Battle of Newbury
on the 20th. Queen Henrietta Maria
stayed at Kingswood House on 18 April 1644 en route to Exeter
, having said her final farewell to her husband King Charles I
a few days before at Oxford
. Kingswood was an Elizabethan
manor house
which was demolished a long time ago and replaced by the current Kingswood House Stables. On 9 November 1644 King Charles
and the Royalist Army
relieved Donnington Castle
in the face of the Army of the Eastern Association
led by the Earl of Manchester
and Oliver Cromwell
. Thereafter he withdrew to Lambourn and stayed in "The King's Chamber" at Kingswood House, while the Royalist infantry
were quartered in Lambourn and the cavalry
at Wantage
. The Parliamentarian Scoutmaster Sir Samuel Luke
reported "Monday. 11 November 1644. The last night the King's head-quarters
were at Wantage
and Lamborne ... all the foot that which lay at Lamborne marcht
away this morning towards Auborne
".
anti-machinery riots in Lambourn in 1832-33. It was said that 'there would be no good times at Lambourn until there was a good fire' and several farm buildings were burned by Luddite
agricultural labourers whose wages had been slashed by the introduction of machinery. The Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawn wrote 'A threshing machine was broken at Lambourn; and from there the movement spread south to Eastbury
and East Garston
, where money was collected and several machines were destroyed'. The labourers demanded 40 shillings for their loss of earnings and an increase in wages from 8 shillings to 12 shillings a week. They threatened to burn down farm buildings if they were not paid and ten machines were destroyed in the Lambourn Valley from Fawley
to Boxford
and the movement spread northwards to the Vale of the White Horse and the Thames Valley
.
flown by 2nd Lt
Lawrence Berkoff DFC
of the 856th Bombardment Squadron
, 492d Bombardment Group
(the Carpetbaggers), Eighth Air Force
, USAAF
was returning from an aborted mission. Berkoff maintained control of the plane so that his crew could parachute to safety over Baydon
, but saw that if he bailed out the plane would crash into Lambourn. He therefore remained at the controls to divert the aircraft and was killed when it crash-landed
in a field on Folly Road at 10:45 pm
, missing the village by a few hundred yards. Berkoff was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross
and a plaque in his honour was unveiled by his great nephew Todd Berkoff at Lambourn Memorial Hall on the 26th June 2003.
and set fire to property up to 50 yards way until the Newbury
, Hungerford
, Wantage
, Swindon
and Faringdon
Fire Brigades came to help the local Lambourn Fire Brigade and brought the fires under control.
for lurcher
s was held at Lambourn in 1971, which included dog racing and coursing
.
on the M4 Motorway
in the southernmost part of Lambourn between the Membury Service Station and Junction 14 on the eastbound carriageway. A van driver fell asleep at the wheel and stopped alongside the central crash barrier on the right hand (overtaking) lane. This obstruction was seen by the car behind him, which managed to change lanes and avoid contact. However, the cars behind were travelling at high speed (an average of 70 miles (112.7 km) per hour) in patchy fog
and many were only one or two car lengths behind the vehicle in front. As a result they had no time to avoid the van, crashed and span out of control into the other lanes. Others took evasive action by driving onto the hard shoulder and up the sides of the cutting. These were followed by articulated lorries
, one of which jack-knifed
sideways across all three lanes of the motorway. One driver - Mr Alan Bateman - managed to free himself from his car and ran back down the central reservation to warn others, but was ignored and was even hooted
by some drivers as they continued towards the crash. The crash included 51 vehicles and lasted 19 seconds, car fuel was ignited along with the combustible material being carried in one of the vans and the eastbound motorway was closed for four days as the melted wreckage was cut away and the tarmac replaced. Ten people were killed and 25 were injured - more than the British casualties in the recent Gulf War
- and there were three minor crashes caused by distracted drivers on the other side of the motorway. In Parliament Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
MP asked why the Thames Valley
and Wiltshire Police Forces had not turned on the motorway warning lights to warn drivers of the fog, but the Secretary of State for Transport
Mr Christopher Chope
MP stated that these were only used for hazards not readily apparent to drivers and not adverse weather conditions. The crash led to warning lights being used to warn drivers of fog
on British motorways.
and G. K. Chesterton
, the Georgian
poet John Freeman
wrote "Lambourn Town" and Sir John Betjeman
"Upper Lambourne". In the 1960s and 1970s the crime writer Dick Francis
lived in a bungalow near Lambourn which he built himself using the money he earned as a jockey
. He set several of his novels in and around Lambourn, using both real and fictional names for the locations.
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
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...
in England
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...
. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
racehorse training
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Geography & Transport
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
, a summer bourn
Bourne (placename)
-General:*A winterbourne * Bourne , a surname*The Bourne shell, in Unix*Jason Bourne, a fictional character who is the protagonist of a trilogy of novels by Robert Ludlum and of a film series based on the books*Bourne Co...
in the chalk upland area of the Berkshire Downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. It is 13 miles (20.9 km) northwest 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...
, 13 miles (20.9 km) northeast of Marlborough, 11 miles (17.7 km) southeast of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
and 7 miles (11.3 km) north of Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
.
When the Vale of White Horse
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. The main town is Abingdon, other places include Faringdon and Wantage. There are 68 parishes within the district...
was transferred to Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
in 1974 it became the westernmost parish in 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...
bordering Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
to the south and west and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
to the north and west, the only adjacent parishes in 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...
are East Garston
East Garston
East Garston is a village and civil parish on the River Lambourn, about north of Hungerford in West Berkshire. The river flows through the village, dividing many houses from the main road, so that each has a bridge over the river to the front door....
to the east and Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
to the southeast. Lambourn lies on the crossroads of the B4000 from 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...
to Highworth
Highworth
Highworth is a market town in the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, located about north-east of Swindon town centre. At the 2001 census it had a population of 7,996...
and the B4001 from Chilton Foliat
Chilton Foliat
Chilton Foliat is a village and civil parish on the River Kennet in Wiltshire. The parish is in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is on the county boundary with West Berkshire and is about northwest of the Berkshire market town of Hungerford.-Parish church:The Church of...
to Childrey
Childrey
Childrey is a village and civil parish about west of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. The parish was part of the Wantage Rural District in Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the whole of the Vale of White Horse from Berkshire to Oxfordshire.Childrey was originally an island...
. The B4000 used to follow the River Lambourn
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
up the Newbury Road until the construction of the M4 motorway
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...
in the early-1970s. When the M4 Motorway
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...
was built the B4000 was diverted along Ermin Street
Ermin Street
Ermin Street or Ermin Way is one of the great Roman roads of Britain. It runs from Gloucester via Cirencester to Silchester . Much of it is now covered by the modern A417, A419 and B4000 roads....
as the old road could not be widened for HGVs
Large Goods Vehicle
A large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...
in the narrow streets of Great Shefford
Great Shefford
Great Shefford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.-Topography and history:The parish is in the district of West Berkshire, on the River Lambourn. The modern civil parish includes the historical parish of Little or East Shefford, a small hamlet and lost settlement...
, Eastbury
Eastbury, Berkshire
Eastbury is a small village in the valley of the River Lambourn in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the old river level road from Newbury to Lambourn, and is east of Lambourn and west of East Garston...
and Lambourn. The B4001 was also diverted onto Ermin Street
Ermin Street
Ermin Street or Ermin Way is one of the great Roman roads of Britain. It runs from Gloucester via Cirencester to Silchester . Much of it is now covered by the modern A417, A419 and B4000 roads....
because of the M4 and the B4000 and B4001 merge until they arrive in Lambourn at the bottom of Hungerford Hill. The M4 Motorway
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...
passes through the southern part of the parish between Junction 14 (7 miles (11.3 km) southeast of the village) and Junction 15 (8 miles (12.9 km) to the west). Membury Service Station (previously RAF Membury
RAF Membury
RAF Station Membury is a former World War II airfield built in the civil parish of Lambourn in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately mi north-northwest of Hungerford, at the Membury services stop of the M4 motorway; about miles west-southwest of London...
), Membury transmitting station
Membury transmitting station
The Membury transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated adjacent to the M4 motorway at the Membury services in the south-west corner of the parish of Lambourn close to the town of Hungerford, in Berkshire. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.It has a 152.4 m...
and the northeastern quarter of Membury iron age fort are in the southwest corner of the parish.
In 1898 the Lambourn Valley Railway was built and a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
connected Lambourn 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...
. It was merged with the 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...
in 1904 and continued in operation until it was closed in 1960 after the Beeching Report
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. The nearest station is now at Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
on the Reading to Taunton line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
. See photographs of http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/lambourn/lambourn_alsop_old6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/lambourn/index.shtml&usg=__947iGFkvavb1hRyRT4iZTJ3q4SQ=&h=410&w=598&sz=62&hl=en&start=6&zoom=1&tbnid=kHO8OPbkMivphM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlambourn%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1Lambourn Railway Station here]
Lambourn Downs
The Lambourn Downs
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
- also known as the Berkshire Downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
- are part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area 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...
and cover an area of 231 square miles (598.3 km²) from the Ridgeway
The Ridgeway
thumb|right|thumb|The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countrysideThe Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road...
in the north to 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...
in the south. Originally they were entirely in 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...
, but the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
transferred large parts of the downs
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
to Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. Due to the poor, chalky soil the downs could not be used for growing crops until the advent of modern fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s. Consequently the high ground was only used for breeding sheep - hence the name of Lambourn - and horses. The Oxford Don
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and author J. R. R. Tolkien lived nearby and travelled to the Lambourn Downs with his family and friends. He was impressed by the downs with their sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones, barrows and hill forts and painted a picture of Lambourn in 1912. Within the parish itself are the following downs and chalk hills
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
; Bockhampton Down, Cleeve Hill, Coppington Down, Coppington Hill, Crow Down, Eastbury Down, Ewe Hill, Farncombe Down, Fognam Down, Haycroft Hill, Hungerford Hill, Kingsdown, Lodge Down, Mandown, Near Down, Parkfarm Down, Pit Down, Post Down, Row Down, Stancombe Down, Thorn Hill, Warren Down and Wellbottom Down.
Government
The civil parish of Lambourn has a population of about 4,200. Besides Lambourn itself, it comprises the villages of Upper LambournUpper Lambourn
Upper Lambourn is a small village in the English county of Berkshire.The village is situated in the civil parish of Lambourn, and is 1.2 miles to the north of the village of Lambourn, just off the Lambourn to Shrivenham road...
, Eastbury
Eastbury, Berkshire
Eastbury is a small village in the valley of the River Lambourn in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the old river level road from Newbury to Lambourn, and is east of Lambourn and west of East Garston...
, Woodlands St Mary
Woodlands St Mary
Woodlands St Mary is a small village in the English county of Berkshire.The village is situated in the civil parish of Lambourn, and is to the south of the village of Lambourn, and from Lambourn Woodlands...
and Lambourn Woodlands
Lambourn Woodlands
Lambourn Woodlands is a small village in the English county of Berkshire.The village is situated in the civil parish of Lambourn, and is to the south of the village of Lambourn...
, together with the hamlets of Mile End, Sheepdrove and Bockhampton and a considerable area of rural downland. The parish council is split into four wards for electoral purposes, with two councillors being elected by the wards of Upper Lambourn, Eastbury and Woodlands St Mary/Lambourn Woodlands; and nine councillors from Lambourn itself. The parish shares boundaries with the Berkshire parishes of East Garston
East Garston
East Garston is a village and civil parish on the River Lambourn, about north of Hungerford in West Berkshire. The river flows through the village, dividing many houses from the main road, so that each has a bridge over the river to the front door....
and Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
, with the Wiltshire parishes of Chilton Foliat
Chilton Foliat
Chilton Foliat is a village and civil parish on the River Kennet in Wiltshire. The parish is in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is on the county boundary with West Berkshire and is about northwest of the Berkshire market town of Hungerford.-Parish church:The Church of...
, Ramsbury
Ramsbury
Ramsbury is a village in Ramsbury and Axford civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. The village is in the Kennet Valley near the Berkshire boundary. The nearest towns are Hungerford about east and Marlborough about west. The much larger town of Swindon is about to the north.The civil...
and Baydon
Baydon
Baydon is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England about south-east of Swindon. The eastern boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary with Berkshire and the village is about north-west of the West Berkshire market town of Hungerford....
, and with the Oxfordshire parishes of Ashbury
Ashbury, Oxfordshire
Ashbury is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is about east of Swindon in neighbouring Wiltshire...
, Compton Beauchamp
Compton Beauchamp
Compton Beauchamp is a hamlet and civil parish southeast of Shrivenham in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Location:...
, Woolstone
Woolstone, Oxfordshire
Woolstone is a village and civil parish about south of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse. Woolstone was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
, Uffington
Uffington, Oxfordshire
Uffington is a village and civil parish about south of Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. Uffington is most commonly known as the location of the Uffington White Horse hill figure....
, Kingston Lisle
Kingston Lisle
Kingston Lisle is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, England. Kingston Lisle was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire.-Location:...
, Sparsholt
Sparsholt, Oxfordshire
Sparsholt is a village and civil parish about west of the market town of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. The village is a spring line settlement at the foot of the Berkshire Downs escarpment. The parish includes the hamlet of Westcot about west of the village...
, Childrey
Childrey
Childrey is a village and civil parish about west of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. The parish was part of the Wantage Rural District in Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the whole of the Vale of White Horse from Berkshire to Oxfordshire.Childrey was originally an island...
and Letcombe Bassett
Letcombe Bassett
Letcombe Bassett is a village and civil parish about southwest of the market town of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire....
. The parish is part of the unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of 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:...
, and lies within Newbury parliamentary constituency
Newbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Newbury is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament , elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
.
Economy
Lambourn and the surrounding downlandDownland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
is best known today as a major horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
centre, mainly National Hunt
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
. Many villagers' work is related to horse racing, but there are an increasing number of commuters who use the M4, including many airline pilots based at Heathrow. The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's last cravat
Cravat
The cravat is a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17th-century Croatia.From the end of the 16th century, the term band applied to any long-strip neckcloth that was not a ruff...
makers was based in Lambourn until they closed in 2006. Lambourn Racehorse Transport Ltd was founded in the village in 1930 and transports many of the local horses, especially since the closure of the Lambourn Valley Railway in 1964. It is owned by Merrick Francis (the son of Dick Francis
Dick Francis
Richard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
) and is the largest horse transport business in Europe.
Horse racing
The racing connection began in the 18th century, when the Earl of CravenEarl of Craven
Earl of Craven, in the County of York, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1664 in favour of the soldier William Craven, the eldest son of Sir William Craven, Lord...
held racing meetings on Weathercock Hill near Ashdown House
Ashdown House, Oxfordshire
Ashdown House is a 17th century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county....
. There were regular race meetings on the Lambourn Downs and private race meetings can be held on Mandown between Upper Lambourn
Upper Lambourn
Upper Lambourn is a small village in the English county of Berkshire.The village is situated in the civil parish of Lambourn, and is 1.2 miles to the north of the village of Lambourn, just off the Lambourn to Shrivenham road...
and Seven Barrows
Seven Barrows
thumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
. In the 1840s some owners moved their racehorses to Lambourn as the ground at Newmarket was too firm and caused many horses to break down. The first trainers were Edwin Parr, Joseph Saxon, John Prince, Luke Snowden (one of the few trainers to be buried at St Michaels graveyard) and John Drinkald, who went insane when his horse was disqualified after winning a race in which he stood to win £28,000. The first stables were at the Red Lion Inn on the crossroads opposite the church, which has been converted into flats, and at Lambourn Stables, now called Kingswood House Stables. The well drained, spongy grass, open downs and long flats made Lambourn ideal for training racehorses and it became a fashionable training centre. Lord Rothschild
Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
Nathan Mayer Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild was a British banker and politician from the international Rothschild financial dynasty.-Life and family:...
has his stables at Russley Park in Wiltshire and like Lord Craven
William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven
William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven , styled Viscount Uffington until 1825, was a British peer.He inherited the earldom in 1825 from his father, William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven...
his horses practised on the gallops at Lambourn. However, it was not until the Lambourn Valley Railway was built in 1898 that Lambourn grew into its present size. Until then horses could only attend local meets, or had to walk the 10–15 miles to the railway at 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...
. Horses could now be transported to Newbury and from there to meetings all over the country and many new stables were opened in the area. Over 1,500 horses are now stabled in and around Lambourn - second only to Newmarket
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
- there are many major stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s, varied turf and all-weather gallops in and around the village. It even has the luxury of two fully licensed equine swimming pools and the Ridgeway Veterinary Group Valley Equine Hospital. As a result it has been dubbed the "Valley of the Racehorse", and this is displayed on the road signs leading into the village. In 2006 the Jockey Club
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and...
Estates Ltd bought 500 acres (2 km²) of land in the valley, its first investment outside Newmarket
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
, including Mandown and many other gallops and training grounds The 12 Hole Lambourn Light horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
was developed for thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses.
Some Lambourn Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winners
- Steve DonoghueSteve DonoghueSteve Donoghue was a leading English flat-race jockey in the 1910s and 1920s. He was Champion Jockey 10 times between 1914 and 1923 and was one of the most celebrated horse racing sportsmen after Fred Archer, arguably only Sir Gordon Richards eclipsing him.-Background:Born in Warrington, Cheshire,...
on PommernPommern (horse)Pommern was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1915 English Triple Crown and was best racehorse of his generation.-Pedigree:...
in 1914, trained by Charles Peck at Sefton Lodge - Harry Wragg on FelsteadFelstead (horse)Felstead was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After failing to show any worthwhile form as a two-year-old he made exceptional improvement as a three-year-old to win the 1928 Epsom Derby at odds of 33/1 in record time. Soon after his win at Epsom, Felstead was injured in training and...
in 1928, trained by "Ossie" Bell at Delamere Stables - Pat EdderyPat EdderyPatrick James John "Pat" Eddery is a former flat racing jockey. Pat's father Jimmy Eddery was a jockey, as is his brother Paul Eddery.-Career:...
on GrundyGrundy (horse)Grundy was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. He was a leading two-year-old in 1974 and went on to win the Epsom Derby in 1975...
in 1975, trained by Peter WalwynPeter WalwynPeter Tyndall Walwyn is a retired British racehorse trainer. He was based at stables at in the Lambourn, Berkshire, area and enjoyed his period of greatest success in the mid 1970s when he was British flat racing Champion Trainer twice....
at Seven BarrowsSeven Barrowsthumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
House - Martin DwyerMartin DwyerMartin Dwyer is an English Derby winning flat racing jockey having won the 2006 Vodafone Derby upon Sir Percy. This was his second classic success after winning the Epsom Oaks aboard Casual Look in 2003...
on Sir PercySir PercySir Percy is a race horse foaled on January 27, 2003, winner of the 2006 Epsom Derby.-Breeding and pedigree:Sir Percy was bred by Harry Ormesher at the Old Suffolk Stud in Hundon, Suffolk. His sire Mark of Esteem won the 1996 2,000 Guineas, his dam Percy's Lass won the Group 3 September Stakes in...
in 2006, trained by Marcus Tregoning at Kingwood House Stables
Some Lambourn Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winners
- Pat Buckley on Ayala in 1963, trained by Keith Piggott at South Bank
- Willie Robinson on Team Spirit in 1964, trained by Fulke WalwynFulke WalwynFulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn was a British jockey and racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing. He was born in Wrexham and died in Newbury.He was educated at Malvern College....
at Saxon House - Tommy Smith on Jay Trump in 1965, trained by Fred WinterFred Winter (horse racing)Frederick Thomas Winter was a British National Hunt racing racehorse jockey and trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Jockey four times and British jump racing Champion Trainer eight times. He is the only person to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Grand National as both...
at Uplands Stables - Tim Norman on Anglo in 1966, trained by Fred WinterFred Winter (horse racing)Frederick Thomas Winter was a British National Hunt racing racehorse jockey and trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Jockey four times and British jump racing Champion Trainer eight times. He is the only person to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Grand National as both...
at Uplands Stables - Ben de Haan on CorbiereCorbiereCorbiere was a racehorse who won the Grand National in 1983...
in 1983, trained by Jenny PitmanJenny PitmanJenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...
at Weathercock House - Marcus Armytage on Mr Frisk, in 1990, trained by Kim Bailey at Old Manor Stables
- Carl Llewellyn on Party Politics in 1992, trained by Nick Gaselee at Saxon Cottage Stables
- John White on Esha Ness, in the void 1993 Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
, trained by Jenny PitmanJenny PitmanJenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...
at Weathercock House - Jason Titley on Royal Athlete in 1995, trained by Jenny PitmanJenny PitmanJenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...
at Weathercock House
Horse Racing Stables in Lambourn and Upper Lambourn
- Beechdown Farm
- Berkeley House Stables
- Cedar Lodge Stables
- Coppington Stables
- Delamere Cottage Stables
- East Wind Riding Ltd
- Fair View
- Faringdon Place Stables
- Felstead Court Stables
- Flemington Stables
- Frenchman's Lodge
- Kingsdown Stables
- Kingwood House Stables
- Lethornes Stables
- Limes Farm
- Linkslade
- Neardown Stables
- Newlands Stables
- Old Manor Stables
- Oneway
- Rhonehurst Stables
- Rosehill Stables
- Rowdown Stables
- Saxon Cottage Stables
- Saxon Gate
- Saxon House Stables
- Seven BarrowsSeven Barrowsthumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
House - South Bank (demolished for housing)
- Templeton House Stables
- The Croft
- Uplands Stables
- Upshire House Racing Stables
- Weatherdown House
- Weathercock House
- Whitcoombe House Stables
- Windsor House Stables
- Windy Hollow Stables
History
The most common explanation for the name of Lambourn refers to the lambs which were once dipped in the local river. Many spellings have been used over the centuries, such as Lamburnan (880 AD), Lamburna (1086 AD), Lamborne (1644 AD) and Lambourne. It was also called Chipping Lambourn because of its popular market. The spelling was fixed as 'Lambourn' in the early 20th century, but even today, towards Soley, three successive signposts at nearby junctions alternate the spelling of Lambourn and Lambourne. Lower Lambourn was known as Bockhampton, but it was destroyed in the 16th century as the land was absorbed into the Bockhampton Manor House estate. Strangely, there is a modern road sign for Bockhampton on the Newbury Road pointing down Bockhampton Road to the site of the village.Seven Barrows
Lambourn is famous for its 'Seven BarrowsSeven Barrows
thumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
', just above Upper Lambourn. There are actually over thirty Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
burial mounds
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
forming a large prehistoric
Prehistory
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...
cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. On a line to the west of Seven Barrows
Seven Barrows
thumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
is the Long Barrow, which dates from c. 4000 BC making it 2,000 years older than the other barrows. Unfortunately it has been half destroyed by deep ploughing and only the mound in the woods and a few sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones remain. A small hoard of Bronze Age gold, comprising three bracelets and two 'armlets', was found in the parish in 2004, and was declared as treasure at a subsequent inquest. In Roman times
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, the area was extensively farmed, as shown by an archaeological research project based on Maddle Farm. Ermin Street
Ermin Street
Ermin Street or Ermin Way is one of the great Roman roads of Britain. It runs from Gloucester via Cirencester to Silchester . Much of it is now covered by the modern A417, A419 and B4000 roads....
, the major Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
between Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester
Silchester
Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading....
) and Glevum
Glevum
Glevum was a Roman fort in Roman Britain that become "colonia" of retired legionaries in AD 97. Today it is known as Gloucester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire...
(Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
), also known as the "Upper or Baydon Road" passes through Lambourn Woodlands as part of the B4000.
Church and almshouses
...the Downs themselves shelter Lambourn's massive Norman nave.
The mainly Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
parish church (Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) is in the village centre, with a surrounding wall built of sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones, and is dedicated to St Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
and All Angels
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
. The road pattern shows an original circular enclosure, suggesting pagan Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic origins. Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
, born in Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
, was also closely connected with the church and mentioned it in his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
. It was probably King Canute
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
who granted Lambourn Church to the Dean of St Paul's
Dean of St Paul's
The Dean of St Paul's is the head of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London, England in the Church of England. The most recent Dean, Graeme Knowles, formerly Bishop of Sodor and Man, was installed on 1 October 2007 and resigned on 31 October 2011...
. Successors to that office held it until 1836. Inside are monuments
Church monument
A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or...
to the great and the good of the many manors in the parish, including an excellent brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
to John Estbury (1508), who founded the almshouses outside, and fine effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Sir Thomas Essex and his wife (1558). The almshouses were established by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in the reign of King Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and confirmed by his son King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
made the original uncertain as it included a now forbidden chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
. There is an arch with mediaeval carvings of hunting scenes. The church was much restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century and has a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
roof designed by G. E. Street. The church also boasts a fine three-manual Henry Willis
Henry Willis
Henry Willis was a British organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era.-Early Life and work:...
organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
.
The Anarchy
The Empress MatildaEmpress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
bequeathed Lambourn and Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
to Hugh de Plucket out of the Royal demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
in 1142 for his aid in The Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
of the civil wars against the usurper Stephen of Blois
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
. However, another Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
adventurer Josce de Dinan and his knights retreated to Lambourn after he lost Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a large, partly ruined, non-inhabited castle which dominates the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England. It stands on a high point overlooking the River Teme...
to Roger de Lacey and Maltida's son King Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
gave him Chipping Lambourn in compensation in 1156. Josce died in 1162 AD and in either case the Plunket family were in possession of the Manor by the beginning of the 14th century.
Queen Elizabeth I
Ditchley
Ditchley is a country house and estate about northeast of Charlbury in Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:There are remains of a Roman villa on the Ditchley Park estate at Watts Wells, less than southeast of the house...
portrait of Queen Elizabeth I was painted for Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley
Henry Lee of Ditchley
Sir Henry Lee KG , of Ditchley, was Master of the Ordnance under Queen Elizabeth I of England.-Life:Lee became Queen Elizabeth I’s champion in 1570 and was appointed Master of the Royal Armouries in 1580, an office which he held until his death...
to commemorate her visit in 1592. The Queen stands on a map of England with her feet on Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and Lambourn is shown on the map below her feet. Although not named there is market-town in the downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
of Berceria
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...
at the head of the River Lambourn
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
which joins 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...
at 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...
.
English Civil War
During the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
and his Cavaliers rested at Lambourn on the night of 18 and 19 September 1643, between fighting a skirmish with the Parliamentarian Army
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
at Aldbourne Chase
Battle of Aldbourne Chase
The Battle of Aldbourne Chase, in 1643, was a battle of the First English Civil War, in which a flying column of Royalist troops, led by Prince Rupert, attacked the dangerously extended Parliamentarian troops of Essex's army at Aldbourne Chase in Wiltshire...
on the 18th and the First Battle of Newbury
First Battle of Newbury
The First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex...
on the 20th. Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
stayed at Kingswood House on 18 April 1644 en route to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, having said her final farewell to her husband King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
a few days before at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Kingswood was an Elizabethan
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
which was demolished a long time ago and replaced by the current Kingswood House Stables. On 9 November 1644 King Charles
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and the Royalist Army
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
relieved Donnington Castle
Donnington Castle
Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire.- History :...
in the face of the Army of the Eastern Association
Eastern Association
The Eastern Association of counties was a Parliamentarian or 'Roundhead' army during the English Civil War. It was formed from a number of pro-Parliamentary militias in the east of England in 1642, including a troop of cavalry led by Oliver Cromwell...
led by the Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
and Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. Thereafter he withdrew to Lambourn and stayed in "The King's Chamber" at Kingswood House, while the Royalist infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
were quartered in Lambourn and the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
at Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
. The Parliamentarian Scoutmaster Sir Samuel Luke
Samuel Luke
Sir Samuel Luke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1640 to 1653 and in 1660.Luke was born in Southill, Bedfordshire, England to Sir Oliver Luke Member of Parliament and his wife Elizabeth Knightley...
reported "Monday. 11 November 1644. The last night the King's head-quarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
were at Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
and Lamborne ... all the foot that which lay at Lamborne marcht
Marching
See also: Loaded marchMarching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady and rhythmic walking forward, usually associated with military troops.Marching is often performed to march music, and often associated with military parades....
away this morning towards Auborne
Aldbourne
Aldbourne is a village and civil parish about northeast of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England. It is in a valley in the south slope of the Lambourn Downs, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
".
The Luddites and Captain Swing
There were Captain SwingCaptain Swing
Captain Swing was the name appended to some of the threatening letters during the rural English Swing Riots of 1830, when labourers rioted over the introduction of new threshing machines and the loss of their livelihoods...
anti-machinery riots in Lambourn in 1832-33. It was said that 'there would be no good times at Lambourn until there was a good fire' and several farm buildings were burned by Luddite
Luddite
The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life...
agricultural labourers whose wages had been slashed by the introduction of machinery. The Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawn wrote 'A threshing machine was broken at Lambourn; and from there the movement spread south to Eastbury
Eastbury, Berkshire
Eastbury is a small village in the valley of the River Lambourn in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the old river level road from Newbury to Lambourn, and is east of Lambourn and west of East Garston...
and East Garston
East Garston
East Garston is a village and civil parish on the River Lambourn, about north of Hungerford in West Berkshire. The river flows through the village, dividing many houses from the main road, so that each has a bridge over the river to the front door....
, where money was collected and several machines were destroyed'. The labourers demanded 40 shillings for their loss of earnings and an increase in wages from 8 shillings to 12 shillings a week. They threatened to burn down farm buildings if they were not paid and ten machines were destroyed in the Lambourn Valley from Fawley
Fawley, Berkshire
Fawley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It is more properly called North or Great Fawley to distinguish it from South or Little Fawley, lower down the parish....
to Boxford
Boxford, Berkshire
Boxford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, part of Berkshire in England.The village is on the east bank of the River Lambourn, about northwest of Newbury but south of the M4 motorway...
and the movement spread northwards to the Vale of the White Horse and the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
.
Second World War plane crash
On 8 September 1944 a stricken B-24 LiberatorB-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
flown by 2nd Lt
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
Lawrence Berkoff DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
of the 856th Bombardment Squadron
856th Bombardment Squadron
.The 856th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 492d Bombardment Group, based at Kirtland Field, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945.-History:...
, 492d Bombardment Group
492d Bombardment Group
The 492d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Second Air Force, stationed at Kirtland Field, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945....
(the Carpetbaggers), Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
was returning from an aborted mission. Berkoff maintained control of the plane so that his crew could parachute to safety over Baydon
Baydon
Baydon is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England about south-east of Swindon. The eastern boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary with Berkshire and the village is about north-west of the West Berkshire market town of Hungerford....
, but saw that if he bailed out the plane would crash into Lambourn. He therefore remained at the controls to divert the aircraft and was killed when it crash-landed
Emergency landing
An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...
in a field on Folly Road at 10:45 pm
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
, missing the village by a few hundred yards. Berkoff was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
and a plaque in his honour was unveiled by his great nephew Todd Berkoff at Lambourn Memorial Hall on the 26th June 2003.
1953 Lorry Crash
On Tuesday the 13th April 1953 an articulated lorry carrying 3,600 gallons of aviation fuel suffered brake failure as it came down Hungerford Hill (now the B4000). Despite the best efforts of the driver, it hit several building before overturning on Oxford Street. The lorry exploded, destroying the tobacconist's, confectioner's, watchmaker's, jeweller's and antique dealer's shops, but only the driver was killed. The burning fuel set fire to three houses, two thatched cottages, several flats and 37 people were made homeless. It also flowed down the street and into the River LambournRiver Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
and set fire to property up to 50 yards way until the 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...
, Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
, Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
, Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and Faringdon
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
Fire Brigades came to help the local Lambourn Fire Brigade and brought the fires under control.
1971 Lurcher Show
The first dog showConformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
for lurcher
Lurcher
The lurcher is a type of dog originating in Ireland and parts of Great Britain. While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, usually a pastoral dog or terrier, dependent on the attributes desired by the breeder; originally stealth and cunning...
s was held at Lambourn in 1971, which included dog racing and coursing
Coursing
Coursing is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight and not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, and commoners with sighthounds and lurchers...
.
1991 Motorway Crash
At 14:15 hours on Wednesday 13 March 1991 there was a major crash1991 M4 Motorway crash
At 14:15 hours on Wednesday 13 March 1991 there was a major crash on the M4 Motorway in the southernmost part of Lambourn near Hungerford between the Membury Service Station and Junction 14 on the eastbound carriageway. A van driver fell asleep at the wheel and skidded into the central crash...
on the M4 Motorway
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...
in the southernmost part of Lambourn between the Membury Service Station and Junction 14 on the eastbound carriageway. A van driver fell asleep at the wheel and stopped alongside the central crash barrier on the right hand (overtaking) lane. This obstruction was seen by the car behind him, which managed to change lanes and avoid contact. However, the cars behind were travelling at high speed (an average of 70 miles (112.7 km) per hour) in patchy fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
and many were only one or two car lengths behind the vehicle in front. As a result they had no time to avoid the van, crashed and span out of control into the other lanes. Others took evasive action by driving onto the hard shoulder and up the sides of the cutting. These were followed by articulated lorries
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
, one of which jack-knifed
Jackknifing
Jackknifing means the folding of an articulated vehicle such that it resembles the acute angle of a folding pocket knife. If a vehicle towing a trailer skids, the trailer can push it from behind until it spins round and faces backwards. This may be caused by equipment failure, improper braking, or...
sideways across all three lanes of the motorway. One driver - Mr Alan Bateman - managed to free himself from his car and ran back down the central reservation to warn others, but was ignored and was even hooted
Vehicle horn
A vehicle horn is a sound-making device used to warn others of the approach of the vehicle or of its presence. Automobiles, trucks, ships, and trains are all required by law to have horns...
by some drivers as they continued towards the crash. The crash included 51 vehicles and lasted 19 seconds, car fuel was ignited along with the combustible material being carried in one of the vans and the eastbound motorway was closed for four days as the melted wreckage was cut away and the tarmac replaced. Ten people were killed and 25 were injured - more than the British casualties in the recent Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
- and there were three minor crashes caused by distracted drivers on the other side of the motorway. In Parliament Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
Michael McNair-Wilson
Sir Robert Michael Conal McNair-Wilson was a Conservative politician and a Member of Parliament .In 1969 he stood as the Conservative candidate in the Walthamstow East by-election, defeating the Labour Party...
MP asked why the Thames Valley
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
and Wiltshire Police Forces had not turned on the motorway warning lights to warn drivers of the fog, but the Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
Mr Christopher Chope
Christopher Chope
Christopher Robert Chope OBE is a British barrister and Conservative politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Christchurch.-Early life:...
MP stated that these were only used for hazards not readily apparent to drivers and not adverse weather conditions. The crash led to warning lights being used to warn drivers of fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
on British motorways.
Literature
Lambourn is mentioned in the poetry of Hilaire BellocHilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters and political activist...
and G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
, the Georgian
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
poet John Freeman
John Freeman (Georgian poet)
John Frederick Freeman, , was an English poet and essayist, who gave up a successful career in insurance to write full time.He was born in London, and started as an office boy aged 13...
wrote "Lambourn Town" and Sir John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
"Upper Lambourne". In the 1960s and 1970s the crime writer Dick Francis
Dick Francis
Richard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
lived in a bungalow near Lambourn which he built himself using the money he earned as a jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
. He set several of his novels in and around Lambourn, using both real and fictional names for the locations.
Fiction
- Colin DexterColin DexterNorman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
, The Daughters of CainThe Daughters of CainThe Daughters of Cain is a crime novel by Colin Dexter, the eleventh novel in the Inspector Morse series.-Synopsis:The body of Dr. Felix McClure, Ancient History don of Wolsey College, Oxford, is found in his flat. A brutal murder - a single stab to the stomach with a broad knife. The police have...
(1994), one of the suspects is Ashley Davies, a racehorse owner who has his horses at Seven BarrowsSeven Barrowsthumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
in Upper LambournUpper LambournUpper Lambourn is a small village in the English county of Berkshire.The village is situated in the civil parish of Lambourn, and is 1.2 miles to the north of the village of Lambourn, just off the Lambourn to Shrivenham road...
. - Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, Break In (1985) and Bolt (1986); SteeplechaseSteeplechaseSteeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
jockey Christmas "Kit" Fielding is based at Lambourn. - Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, To the Hilt (1996); the painter Alexander Kinloch marries Emily at St Michaels Church. - Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
and Felix Francis, Silks (2008); the lawyer and amateur jockey Geoffrey Mason investigates a murder in Lambourn. - Ben Osborne, The Hyperion Legacy (2008) and The Rule of Lazari (2009); the jockey Danny Rawlings is based at Millhouse Stables in Lambourn.
- Patrick Robinson, To The Death (2008); the terrorist General Ravi Rashood drives to Lambourn for target practice in preparation for assassinating the President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Non-fiction
- Vic Cox, Vic: Lambeth to Lambourn (2001) - the memoirs of LambethLambethLambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
boy whose family came from Lambourn and returned there once the London bombing began, Vic served overseas during the WW11 and returned to Lambourn at the end of the war and remained there until his death in 2003. - Jennifer Davies, Tales of the Old Horsemen (2006)
- John Footman, History of the Parish Church of Saint Michael and All Angels, Chipping Lambourn (2009)
- Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
. A Jockey's Life: The Biography of Lester Piggott (1986) - Bryony Fuller, Fulke WalwynFulke WalwynFulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn was a British jockey and racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing. He was born in Wrexham and died in Newbury.He was educated at Malvern College....
: A Pictorial Tribute (1990) - Alan Lee, Lambourn - A Village of Racing (1982)
- Vic Mitchell, Kevin Smith and Kevin Robertson, Branch Lines to Lambourn (2001)
- Robin OakleyRobin OakleyRobert Francis Leigh Oakley OBE is a British journalist who is the European Political Editor at CNN International. He was formerly Political Editor at the BBC....
, Valley of the Racehorse: A Year in the Life of Lambourn (2000) - Lester PiggottLester PiggottLester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow". With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time....
, Lester: The Autobiography of Lester Piggott (1995) - Jenny PitmanJenny PitmanJenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...
, Jenny Pitman, The Autobiography (1999) - Martin Randall Connop Price, Lambourn Valley Railway (1964)
- Martin Randall Connop Price, The Lambourn Valley railway. With plates (Locomotion papers. no. 32.) (1966)
- Bridget Rennison, A Short Guide to the Parish Church of Saint Michael and All Angels Lambourn (1971)
- Kevin Robertson and Roger Simmonds, Illustrated History of the Lambourn Branch (1984)
- T. K. Robertson, A. S. Robertson and D. A. Gray, Water Supply Papers of the Institute of Geological Sciences: Research Report No. 5: Borehole Logging Investigations in the Chalk of the Lambourn and Winterbourne Valleys' of Berkshire (1971)
- Julie Shuttleworth, Social and economic change in Lambourn Hundred, 1522-1663 (1998)
- R. Smith, The Seven Barrows at Lambourn (1921)
- Stephen Sugden, A Dick Francis Companion: Characters, Horses, Plots, Settings and Themes (2008)
- Peter WalwynPeter WalwynPeter Tyndall Walwyn is a retired British racehorse trainer. He was based at stables at in the Lambourn, Berkshire, area and enjoyed his period of greatest success in the mid 1970s when he was British flat racing Champion Trainer twice....
, Handy All the Way: A Trainer's Life (2000)
DVD
- Inspector MorseInspector MorseInspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
(1996), In The Daughters of CainThe Daughters of Cain (TV)"The Daughters of Cain" is an episode of the British television detective mystery show Inspector Morse dramatized on ITV. It was first broadcast in November 1996.-Set-up:...
LewisInspector LewisRobert "Robbie" Lewis is a fictional character in the Inspector Morse crime novels by Colin Dexter. The "sidekick" to Morse, Lewis is a Detective Sergeant in the Thames Valley Police, and appears in all 13 Morse novels. In the television adaptation, Inspector Morse, he is played by Kevin Whately...
is sent to interview the suspect Ashley Davies at Seven BarrowsSeven Barrowsthumb|300px|right|A view of four of the barrowsSeven Barrows, situated just North of Lambourn, Berkshire, England, is a site of a Bronze Age cemetery. Excavators have found that one grave alone contained the cremated remains of 100 individuals dating from 2200 BC. The site lies along the Lambourn...
, which was filmed on Mandown. - Race Country by Clare BaldingClare BaldingClare Balding is a BBC sports presenter, journalist and jockey.-Early life:In 1989 and 1990, Balding was a leading amateur flat jockey and Champion Lady Rider in 1990....
, which reveals the everyday life of 'The Valley of the Racehorse' and the day to day running of some of the country's top stables.
Notable residents
- Kim Bailey, trainer of the 1990 Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winner Mr Frisk - Frederick BatesFrederick Bates (cricketer)Frederick Stanley Bates was an English cricketer. Bates was a right-handed batsman.Bates made his first-class debut for Hampshire in the 1920 County Championship against Essex...
, batsman for Hampshire County Cricket ClubHampshire County Cricket ClubHampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in the 1920s - Captain Oswald Marmeduke Dalby "Ossie" Bell, trainer of 1928 DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner Felstead - Charlie Brooks, jockey, racehorse trainer, commentator and author
- Noel ChanceNoel ChanceNoel Chance is an Irish racehorse trainer based at Upper Lambourn, Berkshire.He has trained two winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Mr Mulligan in 1997 and Looks Like Trouble in 2000.-References:*...
, racehorse trainer - Charles John "Charley" CheneryCharles CheneryCharles John Chenery was a footballer who played for England in the first international match against Scotland. He also played cricket for Surrey and Northants.-Football career:...
, 19th century footballer and cricketer - Thomas Geoffrey Dascombe, jockey and racehorse trainer
- Richard Stanley "Dick" FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
CBECBECBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, jockey and bestselling author - Felix Francis, son of Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, co-author of several novels with his father - Merrick Francis, son of Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, jockey, racehorse trainer and managing director of Lambourn Racehorse Transport Ltd - John FrancomeJohn FrancomeJohn Francome MBE is a former National Hunt Champion Jockey.Born in Swindon the son of a railway fireman, his family had no connection with the horse racing world. At sixteen years old he became apprentice to Lambourn trainer Fred Winter and so began his career as a jockey. He rode a total of...
MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, jockey, horseracing presenter and bestselling author - Sir Christopher Charles "Chris" GentChris GentSir Christopher Charles Gent is a British businessman, He is the former chief executive officer of Vodafone, a British mobile phone company. He is currently the chairman of GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second largest pharmaceutical, biological, and healthcare company.-Early life:Born in 1948 in...
, former CEO and chairman of Vodafone plc - Nicky HendersonNicky HendersonNicky Henderson is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer twice.Henderson, educated at Eton College, has been a trainer since 1978, based at Seven Barrows near Lambourn, Berkshire...
, jockey and racehorse trainer - William Richard "Dick" HernDick HernWilliam Richard "Dick" Hern, CVO, was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions....
CVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, jockey and trainer of the Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winners TroyTroy (horse)Troy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by industrialist Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Lord Weinstock, under trainer Dick Hern the colt notably won the 1979 Epsom and Irish Derbys en route to earning 3-Year-Old Champion honors as well as the British flat racing Champion Owner...
(1979), Henbit (1980) and NashwanNashwanNashwan was a thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.The chestnut colt was sired by the 1977 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Blushing Groom out of Height of Fashion, a daughter of Bustino previously owned by Queen Elizabeth II. He was a thus half-brother to the Group...
(1989) - Barry HillsBarry HillsBarry Hills is a British thoroughbred horse trainer. He lives in Lambourn, England.-Biography:Barry Hills had three sons in his first marriage: John, Michael, and Richard. John is a horse trainer, and both Michael and Richard are jockeys. After his divorce, he married Penny Hills, and had two more...
, ex-jockey and racehorse trainer - Sir George Clement MartinGeorge Clement MartinSir George Clement Martin MVO was an English organist, who served at St Paul's Cathedral.-Background:He was born in Lambourn, Berkshire on 11 September 1844. Footman's "History of Lambourn Church" describes him as "the only famous man to come from Lambourne"...
Mus. Doc.Doctor of MusicThe Doctor of Music degree , like other doctorates, is an academic degree of the highest level. The D.Mus. is intended for musicians and composers who wish to combine the highest attainments in their area of specialization with doctoral-level academic study in music...
, MVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, composer and organist at St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother... - Anthony Peter "Tony" McCoyTony McCoyAnthony Peter McCoy OBE , commonly known as A. P. McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish horse racing jockey....
OBE, jockey and winner of the 2010 Grand National2010 Grand NationalThe 2010 Grand National was the 163rd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 10 April 2010....
on Don't Push ItDon't Push ItDon't Push It is a Grand National-winning thoroughbred racehorse.- Debut :Don't Push It began his career on the 5th December 2004 at Warwick Racecourse in a National Hunt Flat race . He finished 3rd.- 2005-2006 Season :... - Patrick MacneePatrick MacneePatrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
, actor, who lived in College House with his father Major Daniel "Shrimp" Macnee, a jockey and racehorse trainer - Jamie Osborne, jockey and racehorse trainer
- Keith Piggott, jockey and trainer of the 1963 Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winner Ayala - Lester PiggottLester PiggottLester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow". With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time....
, jockey and racehorse trainer who rode the first of his record nine DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winners Never Say DieNever Say Die (horse)Never Say Die was a Thoroughbred racehorse foaled at Jonabell Farm in the United States and trained in Great Britain who won the Epsom Derby in 1954....
(1954) while living with his father Keith Piggott in Lambourn - Cozy PowellCozy PowellColin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...
, rock drummer who died in car crash when driving home to Lambourn. - Jenny PitmanJenny PitmanJenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...
OBE, author and trainer of the Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winners CorbiereCorbiereCorbiere was a racehorse who won the Grand National in 1983...
(1983) and Royal Athlete (1995) - Thomas Richard Quinn, jockey
- Joshua SylvesterJoshua SylvesterJoshua Sylvester was an English poet.-Biography:Sylvester was the son of a Kentish clothier. In his tenth year he was sent to school at King Edward VI School, Southampton, where he gained a knowledge of French...
, poet who influenced John MiltonJohn MiltonJohn Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell... - Marcus Tregoing, trainer of 2006 DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner Sir PercySir PercySir Percy is a race horse foaled on January 27, 2003, winner of the 2006 Epsom Derby.-Breeding and pedigree:Sir Percy was bred by Harry Ormesher at the Old Suffolk Stud in Hundon, Suffolk. His sire Mark of Esteem won the 1996 2,000 Guineas, his dam Percy's Lass won the Group 3 September Stakes in... - Fulke Thomas Tyndall WalwynFulke WalwynFulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn was a British jockey and racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing. He was born in Wrexham and died in Newbury.He was educated at Malvern College....
CVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, racehorse trainer and winning jockey of the 1936 Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
on Reynoldstown - Peter Tyndall WalwynPeter WalwynPeter Tyndall Walwyn is a retired British racehorse trainer. He was based at stables at in the Lambourn, Berkshire, area and enjoyed his period of greatest success in the mid 1970s when he was British flat racing Champion Trainer twice....
, cousin of Fulke WalwynFulke WalwynFulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn was a British jockey and racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing. He was born in Wrexham and died in Newbury.He was educated at Malvern College....
and trainer of the 1975 DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner GrundyGrundy (horse)Grundy was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. He was a leading two-year-old in 1974 and went on to win the Epsom Derby in 1975... - Frederick Thomas WinterFred Winter (horse racing)Frederick Thomas Winter was a British National Hunt racing racehorse jockey and trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Jockey four times and British jump racing Champion Trainer eight times. He is the only person to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Grand National as both...
, winner of the Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
on Sundew (1957) and Kilmore (1962) as a jockey and with Jay Trump (1965) and Anglo (1966) as a trainer
Local institutions
- Parish Church of St. Michael and All Angels (Church of England)
- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church
- Lambourn Methodist Chapel
- Eastbury's Almshouses (1501)
- Hardrett's Almshouses (1625)
- Lambourn Valley Housing Trust is a registered charity, which raises money to provide homes for both retired and working stable staff.
Sport and leisure
- Lambourn Sports Club (Est 1946): A first class members sports and social facility, with a large function hall.
- Lambourn Centre with air-conditioned Gym equipped with the latest fitness machines, Sports Hall and Sauna
- Sports Field with Skatepark
- Bowls club with bowling green
- Library
- Three Pubs
- Lambourn Allotment Society
- Lambourn Chimers
- Lambourn Theatre Group
- Lambourn Vintage Machinery Society
- Lambourn WI
- Lambourn Air Rifle Club
- Lambourn Carnival with lots of events and a great procession of floats through the village and Horse Show
- Shefford Young Farmers Club