Prospect Park, Reading
Encyclopedia
Prospect Park is both a public park and a historic house at Tilehurst
in the western suburbs of the town of Reading
in the English
county of Berkshire
. It is at .
Prospect Park was originally the site of Dirle's Farm and part of the estate of Calcot Park
. The farm was turned into a mansion
in the 1760s, by Benjamin Child, widower of the famous Berkshire Lady, Frances Kendrick, whom he had first met there some years before. He named it after its views over Reading.
The present regency style house, known as the Mansion House, was built by John Liebenrood in the following century. It is a Grade II listed building, currently used as a restaurant. The park was bought by the Reading Corporation in 1901.
The park hit national headlines in May 2005, when 16-year-old Mary Ann Leneghan was stabbed to death and her 18 year old friend survived being shot, by a gang of six men from London (four of whom were on probation
at the time).
Tilehurst
Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is also, with different boundaries as described below, a civil parish in West Berkshire district.-History:...
in the western suburbs of the town 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 is at .
Prospect Park was originally the site of Dirle's Farm and part of the estate of Calcot Park
Calcot Park
Calcot Park is a country house, estate, and golf club in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated between Calcot and Tilehurst, suburbs of the town of Reading, and within the civil parish of Tilehurst...
. The farm was turned into a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in the 1760s, by Benjamin Child, widower of the famous Berkshire Lady, Frances Kendrick, whom he had first met there some years before. He named it after its views over Reading.
The park hit national headlines in May 2005, when 16-year-old Mary Ann Leneghan was stabbed to death and her 18 year old friend survived being shot, by a gang of six men from London (four of whom were on probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
at the time).