Ufton Nervet
Encyclopedia
Ufton Nervet is a village and civil parish about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Reading, Berkshire
, England
.
, and its parish stretches down into the valley to the north as far as the A4 road. Two narrow lanes connect the village to the A4, crossing the Kennet and Avon Canal
and the Great Western Railway
line in the valley bottom. Both lanes cross the canal by swing bridge
s. The smaller lane passes through Ufton Green, crossing the railway by the level crossing involved in the rail crash, and the other by an overbridge. Other lanes connect the village with other villages on the higher ground above the valley. To the north lies the village and parish of Sulhamstead
; Padworth
is to the south west and Burghfield Common to the east. On the Kennett and Avon canal is Ufton Lock
, now de-gated.
unitary authority
.
The toponym
Ufton is derived from the Old English Uffa-tūn = "Uffa's farmstead" and the Domesday Book
of 1086 records it as Offetune.
Three manors
have existed in this area: Ufton Robert, Ufton Nervet and Ufton Pole. The Domesday Book records the first two.
The original Ufton Nervet, also known as Ufton Richard, was about 1 miles (1.6 km) north west of the current village, in the current location of Ufton Green. It had its own parish church
of St John the Baptist
, the ruined west wall of which still survives. The place was named after Richard Neyrvut, later corrupted to Nervet, who held the manor in the 13th century.
Ufton Robert manor house
was just west of the current village and had a moat
, which still survives. Excavations in the 19th century found bridge piles, a gateway and other foundations. The moat is also part of a set of linked medieval fishponds fed from an artificial stream which flowed into the south pond. The water was controlled to the ponds and moat by a series of sluices. The manor came into the hands of the Perkyns family around 1411. When they bought the manor of Ufton Pole in 1560 the two manors were combined and the main residence moved to Ufton Pole, which is now Ufton Court
, a large Elizabethan
manor house south-west of the village.
In 1434–35 the parishes of Ufton Nervet and Ufton Robert were merged and Ufton Robert's parish church of St Peter became the church of the merged parish. Although the original parish of Ufton Nervet had ceased to exist, this eventually became the name of the current village and parish.
The Church of England parish church
of Saint Peter
was built in 1862, on the site of an earlier church, in a 14th century Gothic Revival
style. The walls are predominantly a dark grey rag-stone
with ashlar
dressings. It has a chancel
, north chapel (used as an organ chamber), nave
of three bays
, west tower with tall octagonal shingled spire, and south porch. In front of the porch is a fine old yew tree
. The church is now redundant
and no longer used for worship.
took place in the parish on the 6 November 2004. Seven people were killed when a First Great Western
train from to was derailed by colliding with a stationary car on an unmanned level crossing.
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....
, 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...
.
Location
Ufton Nervet village is in hills south of the River KennetRiver 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...
, and its parish stretches down into the valley to the north as far as the A4 road. Two narrow lanes connect the village to the A4, crossing the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
and 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...
line in the valley bottom. Both lanes cross the canal by swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
s. The smaller lane passes through Ufton Green, crossing the railway by the level crossing involved in the rail crash, and the other by an overbridge. Other lanes connect the village with other villages on the higher ground above the valley. To the north lies the village and parish of Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead is a village, electoral district and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies off the A4 national route between Reading and Thatcham, some west of central London.-Location:thumb|left|250px|1888 Ordnance Survey Parish Boundary Map...
; Padworth
Padworth
Padworth is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, between Burghfield Common and Tadley.Padworth is in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, not far from the Hampshire border...
is to the south west and Burghfield Common to the east. On the Kennett and Avon canal is Ufton Lock
Ufton Lock
Ufton Lock was a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal, between Aldermaston Wharf and Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England.Ufton Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury. The canal is now administered by British Waterways.The rise and fall was a mere...
, now de-gated.
Local government
Ufton Nervet is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of West BerkshireWest 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:...
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...
.
History
An excavation at Ufton Green revealed a site which showed evidence of stone-working for the manufacture of tools or weapons and a number of scattered stone artefacts dating from the Mesolithic era.The toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
Ufton is derived from the Old English Uffa-tūn = "Uffa's farmstead" and the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 records it as Offetune.
Three manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
have existed in this area: Ufton Robert, Ufton Nervet and Ufton Pole. The Domesday Book records the first two.
The original Ufton Nervet, also known as Ufton Richard, was about 1 miles (1.6 km) north west of the current village, in the current location of Ufton Green. It had its own parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, the ruined west wall of which still survives. The place was named after Richard Neyrvut, later corrupted to Nervet, who held the manor in the 13th century.
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...
was just west of the current village and had a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, which still survives. Excavations in the 19th century found bridge piles, a gateway and other foundations. The moat is also part of a set of linked medieval fishponds fed from an artificial stream which flowed into the south pond. The water was controlled to the ponds and moat by a series of sluices. The manor came into the hands of the Perkyns family around 1411. When they bought the manor of Ufton Pole in 1560 the two manors were combined and the main residence moved to Ufton Pole, which is now Ufton Court
Ufton Court
Ufton Court is an Elizabethan manor house at Ufton Nervet in the English county of Berkshire. Today is it used by an educational charity, The Ufton Court Educational Trust. Other than historical education, the site hosts creative projects too including theatre and music courses.Parts of the house...
, a large Elizabethan
Elizabethan architecture
Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain...
manor house south-west of the village.
In 1434–35 the parishes of Ufton Nervet and Ufton Robert were merged and Ufton Robert's parish church of St Peter became the church of the merged parish. Although the original parish of Ufton Nervet had ceased to exist, this eventually became the name of the current village and parish.
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 Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
was built in 1862, on the site of an earlier church, in a 14th century Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. The walls are predominantly a dark grey rag-stone
Rag-stone
Rag-stone is a name given by some architectural writers to work done with stones which are quarried in thin pieces, such as the Horsham sandstone, Yorkshire stone, the slate stones, but this is more properly flag or slab work. By rag-stone, near London, is meant an excellent material from the...
with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings. It 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...
, north chapel (used as an organ chamber), nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
of three bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, west tower with tall octagonal shingled spire, and south porch. In front of the porch is a fine old yew tree
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
. The church is now redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
and no longer used for worship.
Rail crash
The Ufton Nervet rail crashUfton Nervet rail crash
The Ufton Nervet rail crash was a railway accident between a train and car near Ufton Nervet, Berkshire, England that caused seven deaths.-Collision:...
took place in the parish on the 6 November 2004. Seven people were killed when a First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
train from to was derailed by colliding with a stationary car on an unmanned level crossing.