Pingewood
Encyclopedia
Pingewood is a hamlet
in the civil parish of Burghfield
, to the south of Reading
, in the English
county of Berkshire
. It lies to the Southwest of Burghfield Bridge
The name Pingewood derives from the old Celtic word 'pen' meaning head, peak, tip or end. The 'ge' is a contraction of the Celtic word for wood, 'coed'. When the Saxons moved into the area in the 5th century, they did not understand the meaning and added their own descriptive word 'wood' on the end.
Until 1938, Pingewood was a peaceful little hamlet with country lanes and high hedges. In the centre of the hamlet was Kirton's Farm, 13 cottages, a Church school, a large village green with a Coronation seat, and Moore's Farm - a smallholding. There was also a large pond, dug out when the railway bridge was built. Around the copse were more cottages, all being pulled down under a system known as 'quit-rent
'. In one of these lived a woman reputed to be a witch. A little further out was Cottage Lane, farm buildings, and cottages.
On the 5 November 2011 a local resident of one of the remaining Cottages took photographic evidence of a witch whilst driving along Berrys lane towards Searles Farm.
By 1938 excavation had begun in the gravel pit
s. Because of the high water table, these pits then filled naturally with water to form Pingewood Lake which covers about 50 acres (200,000 m²). The footpaths vanished, with trees and cowslips, as more land was taken. The school closed in 1958, the farms disappeared - replaced by sailing, water skiing and other water-sports.
In the 1960s, the M4 motorway
cut the hamlet in half. Kirtons Farm is now a country club, Knights Farm a restaurant and the old 'Cunning Man' public house is now a cafe. The land south of Pingewood is a huge landfill
.
Streams and brooks criss cross the hamlet. To the South, and running West to East, flows The Teg
, which joins the Foudry Brook
to the East of the Hamlet, which itself continues North towards the River Kennet
South of Reading
building now in the middle of the gravel pits. Legend has it that, sometime in the 19th century, an unmarried serving girl found that she was pregnant and committed suicide by throwing herself from one of the windows. It is said that a soft white light is seen coming from under the door to that room. Several visitors claim to have the same dream while sleeping in the room. A young girl in a flowing white dress is seen at the window, staring out over the surrounding countryside. She is illuminated in a soft white light.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the civil parish of Burghfield
Burghfield
Burghfield is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, close to the boundary with Reading.-Location:Burghfield is about southwest of Reading...
, to the south of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, 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 lies to the Southwest of Burghfield Bridge
Burghfield Bridge
Burghfield Bridge is a bridge and a hamlet in the Parish of Burghfield, which stands to the south of it in the English county of Berkshire.The settlement is situated between the village of Burghfield and the Reading suburb of Southcote.-History:...
The name Pingewood derives from the old Celtic word 'pen' meaning head, peak, tip or end. The 'ge' is a contraction of the Celtic word for wood, 'coed'. When the Saxons moved into the area in the 5th century, they did not understand the meaning and added their own descriptive word 'wood' on the end.
Until 1938, Pingewood was a peaceful little hamlet with country lanes and high hedges. In the centre of the hamlet was Kirton's Farm, 13 cottages, a Church school, a large village green with a Coronation seat, and Moore's Farm - a smallholding. There was also a large pond, dug out when the railway bridge was built. Around the copse were more cottages, all being pulled down under a system known as 'quit-rent
Quit-rent
Quit rent , Quit-rent, or quitrent, in practically all cases, is now effectively but not formally a tax or land tax imposed on freehold or leased land by a higher landowning authority, usually a government or its assigns....
'. In one of these lived a woman reputed to be a witch. A little further out was Cottage Lane, farm buildings, and cottages.
On the 5 November 2011 a local resident of one of the remaining Cottages took photographic evidence of a witch whilst driving along Berrys lane towards Searles Farm.
By 1938 excavation had begun in the gravel pit
Gravel pit
Gravel pit is the term for an open cast working for extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may fill naturally with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas...
s. Because of the high water table, these pits then filled naturally with water to form Pingewood Lake which covers about 50 acres (200,000 m²). The footpaths vanished, with trees and cowslips, as more land was taken. The school closed in 1958, the farms disappeared - replaced by sailing, water skiing and other water-sports.
In the 1960s, 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...
cut the hamlet in half. Kirtons Farm is now a country club, Knights Farm a restaurant and the old 'Cunning Man' public house is now a cafe. The land south of Pingewood is a huge landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
.
Streams and brooks criss cross the hamlet. To the South, and running West to East, flows The Teg
The Teg
The Teg is a small stream in southern England, in the county of Berkshire. It rises in the West of Burghfield Common, in the county of Berkshire. The stream gently winds its way through the heart of Burghfield Common. Its source is close to the Willink School and much interesting wildlife can be...
, which joins the Foudry Brook
Foudry Brook
Foudry Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Hampshire village of Baughurst named as Beaumonts Stream or Beaumonts Brook.-Geography:...
to the East of the Hamlet, which itself continues North towards 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...
South of Reading
Haunted house
Searle's Farm is an ancient TudorTudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
building now in the middle of the gravel pits. Legend has it that, sometime in the 19th century, an unmarried serving girl found that she was pregnant and committed suicide by throwing herself from one of the windows. It is said that a soft white light is seen coming from under the door to that room. Several visitors claim to have the same dream while sleeping in the room. A young girl in a flowing white dress is seen at the window, staring out over the surrounding countryside. She is illuminated in a soft white light.