Speen, Berkshire
Encyclopedia
Speen is a village and civil parish in the unitary district of West Berkshire
and county of Berkshire
, England. The parish is about 2 miles (3.2 km) north west of Newbury
.
It sits on the Ermin Street/Ermin Way, the main Corinium Dobunnorum/Cirencester to Calleva Atrebatum/Silchester Roman road. The English Civil War Second Battle of Newbury took place at Speen on 27 October 1644. Speenhamland in the parish, now part of Newbury, was the eponymous home of the Speenhamland System of outdoor relief.
The village contains the oldest church in Berkshire, the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin which is originally a Saxon church, and nearby is the Ladywell which is rumoured to be a pagan well with healing powers.
Next to the church and Ladywell are the impressive ramparts surrounding Speen House, the village manor house which is mostly of late 18th century date, but which is thought to date from the seventeenth century. There is evidence that the ramparts are associated with the Roman village of Spinae, but it is more likely that they are associated with a later medieval manor house.
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 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...
, England. The parish is about 2 miles (3.2 km) north west 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...
.
It sits on the Ermin Street/Ermin Way, the main Corinium Dobunnorum/Cirencester to Calleva Atrebatum/Silchester Roman road. The English Civil War Second Battle of Newbury took place at Speen on 27 October 1644. Speenhamland in the parish, now part of Newbury, was the eponymous home of the Speenhamland System of outdoor relief.
The village contains the oldest church in Berkshire, the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin which is originally a Saxon church, and nearby is the Ladywell which is rumoured to be a pagan well with healing powers.
Next to the church and Ladywell are the impressive ramparts surrounding Speen House, the village manor house which is mostly of late 18th century date, but which is thought to date from the seventeenth century. There is evidence that the ramparts are associated with the Roman village of Spinae, but it is more likely that they are associated with a later medieval manor house.