Lower Basildon
Encyclopedia
Lower Basildon is a small village in the civil parish
of Basildon
, near to Pangbourne
, in the English
county of Berkshire
. It is the location of the parish church
of St Bartholomew
. The National Trust
property, Basildon Park
, is just above it.
Basildon Grotto, or The Grotto House, is located 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the west on the road to Streatley
. It is currently the headquarters of ISPAL (The Institute for Sport, Parks and Leisure).
The remains of a modest Roman villa
were discovered here in 1839 during the construction of the Great Western Railway
. The major finds were two superb mosaic
floors which unfortunately were destroyed almost immediately, although one was drawn in some detail beforehand by the antiquarian Charles Roach Smith
. Nothing of the villa remains today.
The agriculturist Jethro Tull
was born in the parish of Basildon and is buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's Church in Lower Basildon. He developed his ideas at the Prosperous farm, just south of Hungerford.
To the south-east of the village is wildlife gardens Beale Park
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Basildon
Basildon, Berkshire
Basildon is a civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It comprises the small villages of Upper Basildon and Lower Basildon, named for their respective heights above the River Thames...
, near to Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
, in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It is the location of the parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of St Bartholomew
St Bartholomew's Church, Lower Basildon
St Bartholomew's Church is the redundant Church of England parish church of Basildon in the English county of Berkshire. It is located in the hamlet of Lower Basildon and is now owned by the Churches Conservation Trust...
. The National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
property, Basildon Park
Basildon Park
Basildon Park is a country house situated 3 kilometres south of Goring-on-Thames and Streatley in Berkshire, between the villages of Upper Basildon and Lower Basildon. It is owned by the National Trust and is a Grade I listed building...
, is just above it.
Basildon Grotto, or The Grotto House, is located 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the west on the road to Streatley
Streatley, Berkshire
Streatley is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England.-Location:Streatley is about from Reading and from Oxford. It is in the Goring Gap on the River Thames and is directly across the river from the Oxfordshire village of Goring-on-Thames...
. It is currently the headquarters of ISPAL (The Institute for Sport, Parks and Leisure).
The remains of a modest Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
were discovered here in 1839 during the construction of 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...
. The major finds were two superb mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floors which unfortunately were destroyed almost immediately, although one was drawn in some detail beforehand by the antiquarian Charles Roach Smith
Charles Roach Smith
Charles Roach Smith , FSA, was an English antiquarian and amateur archaeologist who was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the London Numismatic Society. He was a founding member of the British Archaeological Association...
. Nothing of the villa remains today.
The agriculturist Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (agriculturist)
Jethro Tull was an English agricultural pioneer who helped bring about the British Agricultural Revolution. He perfected a horse-drawn seed drill in 1701 that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, and later a horse-drawn hoe...
was born in the parish of Basildon and is buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's Church in Lower Basildon. He developed his ideas at the Prosperous farm, just south of Hungerford.
To the south-east of the village is wildlife gardens Beale Park
Beale Park
Beale Wildlife Park and Gardens is situated by the River Thames, between the villages of Pangbourne and Lower Basildon in Berkshire, England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections of small exotic animals, farm animals and birds; landscaped gardens and woodlands; and children's play...
.