Finchampstead is a small village and civil parish near Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire. A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... A civil parish (usually just parish) in England is a subnational entity forming the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ... Statistics Population: 30,403 (Parish, 2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU804685 Administration Parish: Wokingham Unitary authority: Wokingham Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Berkshire Historic county: Berkshire Services Police force: Thames Valley Police Ambulance service: South Central Post office and telephone... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Berkshire (IPA: or  ; sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a county in England and forms part of the South East England region. ...

Geography

Finchampstead parish extends from 'The Throat' on the southern edge of Wokingham, just past the Inchcape Garage, down to the Tally Ho pub on the River Blackwater which forms the southern border with Eversley and Hampshire, over Eversley Bridge. Finchampstead Bridge is further east, just above Eversley Cross. To the east of the parish is Sandhurst and, to the west, Swallowfield, Arborfield and Barkham. For notes on some individual UK pubs, see Notable United Kingdom public houses. ... The River Blackwater is a tributary of the River Loddon and, indirectly, of the River Thames. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... ʘ For other uses, see Sandhurst (disambiguation). ... Swallowfield - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Arborfield is a village in the English county of Berkshire, near to both Wokingham and Reading. ... Barkham is a village in Berkshire, near to Wokingham. ...

The Nine Mile Ride (or B3430) runs the entire width of Finchampstead, through California and then on, between King's Mere and Queen's Mere, to the border with Crowthorne, and eventually Pinewood and its termination in Bracknell. California is the name of this Northern part of the parish. It is a large residential village with its own Country Park surrounding the fine Longmoor Lake, on the edge of Barkham Common. California is a hamlet in Berkshire in England. ... Location within the British Isles Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa Crowthorne is a town in southern Berkshire. ... Bracknell is a town in the Bracknell Forest borough of the English county of Berkshire. ... Barkham is a village in Berkshire, near to Wokingham. ...

The southern portion of the parish contains St James' parish church; Finchampstead Village itself, at the top of Fleet Hill on the B3348; Finchampstead Lea, to the west along the A327; and the woodlands of the Ridges, spreading north to the Nine Mile Ride. This is a dense, mostly pine tree, wood much of which – including Simon's Wood (of sweet chestnuts) – is owned by the National Trust. It has dramatic hills that give very picturesque views of the surrounding area. In the winter if there has been a good snowfall it can provide very good sledging opportunities and in the summer the long evenings make for beautiful quiet walks. Saint James can refer to the following: Several men mentioned in the New Testament, whose various epithets and euphemisms cause some uncertainties: James, son of Zebedee, an apostle, brother of John the Apostle; also called Saint James the Great. ... A parish church is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 3 in Great Britain starting west of the A3 and south of the A4. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ...

Local government

Finchampstead lies within the unitary authority of Wokingham. It also has its own parish council with seventeen councillors representing North & South wards. A unitary authority is a type of local authority, which has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. ... Wokingham is a local government district in Berkshire, England. ... A parish council is a council of members of a particular parish or religious community who have a responsibility to administrate the affairs of that community. ... A councillor is a member of a council (such as a city council), particularly in the U.K. and its former colonies. ... A ward is an electoral district used in local politics, most notably in England, Scotland, and Wales, as well as Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and many cities in the United States and the federal district of Washington, DC. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods...

History

St. James' Church stands on the top of a prominent hill and has an old Roman earthwork surrounding it. It was probably the site of a pagan temple. The Roman road from London to Silchester, called the 'Devil’s Highway', ran through the middle of the parish and a Roman milestone survives at Banisters. Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between 43 and 410. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... A Roman road in Pompeii Road Construction on Trajans Column The Roman roads were essential for the growth of their empire, by enabling them to move armies. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Silchester is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, UK. At the 2001 census it had a population of 918. ...

Finchampstead's Anglo-Saxon name is said to have derived from the large variety of finches that still populate the area. It is referred to by the younger generation as 'Finch'. St. Oswald apparently visited the village in the 7th century and named the local holy well, which is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to have flowed with blood in times of National crisis! Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... Oswald (c. ... The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... A natural spring on Mackinac Island in Michigan. ... The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons and their settlement in Great Britain. ...

Finchampstead is a richly-wooded area on the western edge of old Windsor Forest and once the centre of one of its divisional 'walkes' and 'bailiwicks'. It was the hunting place of Royalty and an old tale tells how King Henry VII brought his son, Prince Arthur, out onto the Ridges to see his bride, Catherine of Aragon, for the first time. His other son, Henry VIII, is said to have wooed two sisters at East Court Manor until one committed suicide in a fit of jealousy. Windsor (IPA: usually , but also ) is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, South East England. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... Arthur Tudor (20 September 1486 St Swithins Priory, Winchester– 2 April 1502 Ludlow Castle) was the eldest son of Henry VII of England. ... The recently-widowed young Catherine of Aragon, by Henry VIIs court painter, Michael Sittow, c. ... For the play, see Henry VIII (play). ... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism is the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ...

The Wellingtonia Avenue was planted in Finchampstead as a monument to the 1st Duke of Wellington in 1869. He lived in nearby Stratfield Saye. Binomial name Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Stratfield Saye House, at Stratfield Saye on the border of Hampshire and Berkshire in England, has been the home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817. ...

Buildings

The present St. James' Church is almost entirely Norman with a few alterations dating from the late 16th century. It has a contemporary Norman eastern apse and a sturdy brick tower added in 1720. The font inside is late Saxon. The Nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the nave anticipates the Gothic style. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ... // Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

There are three manor houses. East Court stood next to the church, but has been replaced by a Victorian building. The name has been taken up by another house in the village. West Court is a good 17th and 19th century house at Finchampstead Lea. Banisters, on the lower slopes of Fleet Hill, is a fine brick Restoration house of 1683. Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ...

Most of the parish's housing is located at California, most notably the 1970s Fernlea estate, built upon private farmland, and the Gorse Ride estate, where the southern half was built as a temporary measure. Gorse Ride has the only Swedish-style dwellings in the UK – prefabricated wooden structures, now deemed permanent. California is a hamlet in Berkshire in England. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

The village has a number of charming old cottages. In 1960, Finchampstead Memorial Hall was built alongside Finchampstead Cricket Club there. A location offering magnificent out views onto the cricket fields and the tree lined perimeter of the park itself. Furthermore there are tennis courts and a children's playground area available for use within the park. Finchampstead Church of England Primary School is found opposite the park and is a popular school for children from reception (age 5) up to year 6 (age 11). 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... A tennis net Tennis is a game played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponents court. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

Next to the school is the old village chapel built in 1840. It is a Baptist church with a working baptistry and has been in use by its members ever since. However in recent years its congregation has exceeded the capacity of the church, so it now meets regularly at Waverley School. 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church or any follower of Jesus Christ who believes that baptism is administered by the full immersion of a confessing Christian. ...

The only pub in the country with the name of the 'Queen's Oak' sits opposite the parish church. The Tally Ho, down by the Blackwater (and often incorrectly stated to be in Eversley), is now a Blubeckers Eating House. The Greyhound is a Brewers Fayre pub and restaurant situated at the top of the village main road. For notes on some individual UK pubs, see Notable United Kingdom public houses. ...

Sport & Leisure

• Finchampstead Cricket Club
• Finchampstead Football Club [1]
• Finchampstead Netball Team
• 1st Finchampstead Scout Group

Finchampstead F.C. is a football club based in Berkshire, England. ...

External links

• Finchampstead Parish Council
• Welcome to Finchampstead Village
• Royal Berkshire History: Finchampstead
• The Devil's Highway
• Joe Dorward's website with a panoramic view of the Finchampstead Ridges
• Finchampstead Memorial Hall (Martin's Midsummer Birthday Bash - Venue)