Caversham, Berkshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 51°29′N 0°58′W / 51.48°N 0.97°W
| Reading | |
  Reading shown within Berkshire |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | Reading |
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | READING |
| Postcode district | RG4 |
| Dialling code | 0118 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Berkshire | |
Caversham is a suburb in the unitary authority of Reading, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, within the ceremonial county of Berkshire, on the opposite bank from the rest of Reading. Caversham Bridge, Reading Bridge and Caversham Lock (pedestrian only) provide crossing points, with Sonning Bridge a few miles east of Caversham.
Historically, Caversham was an urban district of the administrative county of Oxfordshire until 1911, when it became part of the county borough of Reading, within the county of Berkshire.[1][2]
Caversham spreads across from the River Thames floodplain (to the east) and up the foothills of the Chilterns. There are distinct areas known as Caversham Heights (residential) on the hill, Central Caversham (the shopping area and immediate residential surrounds), Lower Caversham (residential and light industrial) to the south east and Caversham Park Village (residential) to the north east (an area that was developed in the 1960s on what was parkland of Caversham Park).
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[edit] History
The first written description of Caversham appeared in the Domesday Book. This entry indicates that a sizable community had developed with a considerable amount of land under cultivation.[3]
Some time before 1106 a Shrine of Our Lady was established in Caversham. Its precise location is unknown, but it may have been near the present St. Peter's church[4]. It became a popular place of pilgrimage, along with the chapel of St. Anne on the bridge and her well, whose waters were believed to have healing properties. By the fifteenth century the statue was plated in silver; Catherine of Aragon is recorded as visiting on 17 July 1532. The shrine was destroyed on 14 September 1538 under the orders of Henry VIII. Only the well now survives. It is now dry and surrounded by a protective wall, topped with a domed iron grill. A modern shrine to Our Lady has been re-established at the RC Church of Our Lady and St. Anne.[5]
In the Middle Ages, Caversham Manor was one of the demesnes of William Marshal (1146 or 47 – 1219), Earl of Pembroke and Regent of England. It was the place of his death.
The medieval community was clustered on the north side of Caversham Bridge to the east of St. Peter's Church, which was built in the 12th century. The third Earl of Buckingham donated the land for the church and neighbouring rectory, together with a considerable amount of land around it, to the Augustinian Abbey of Notley near Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the these lands were given to Christchurch College, Oxford[3]. The rectory stood in the public park now known as Caversham Court.
During the Civil War there was fierce fighting around Caversham Bridge for a short period in April 1643[4]. Reading had been held by the Royalists, but was under siege by Parliamentary forces under the Earl of Essex. Royalist forces marched south from Oxford in an attempt to relieve the town's defenders, but were heavily defeated, and the town fell to Parliament a few days later.
The fortified manor house was replaced by Caversham Park in the 16th century. Several houses have stood on the site, notably the home of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan. BBC Monitoring, is housed in the present Caversham Park House, built in 1850. It is the section of the BBC World Service that supplies news, information and comment gathered from the mass media around the world. It is also home to the BBC Written Archives Centre and BBC Radio Berkshire.
[edit] Schools and Colleges
There is one state secondary school in Caversham, Highdown School[6]. Many children from the area also attend Chiltern Edge School[7] in South Oxfordshire. In the private sector, Queen Anne's School[8] caters for girls from 11-18.
There are a number of primary schools in the area, including Caversham Primary School, Caversham Park Primary School, Emmer Green Primary School, St. Anne's RC Primary School, and Thameside Primary School.
Chiltern College, once a training school for nannies, now provides training in all aspects of child care, and claims to be "the only childcare training college in the UK with our own Nurseries, School, Training College and residential accommodation on campus."[9]
[edit] Amateur Football
Caversham has one of the biggest youth football clubs in the South Chiltern minor league with many of these youth teams competing in the top divisions of South Chiltern minor league. The under 17s consist of Caversham AFC Colts and Caversham AFC Cobras. The main rivals are Rotherfield of Sonning Common as they are Caversham's closest opponents. Caversham AFC's main ground is Clayfield Copse, commonly referred to as "swans lair" because the mascot for the team is a swan. In previous seasons, Highdown School has been used as Caversham AFC's training ground. The club colours are red and black.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Berkshire Record Office. Charter 750 — A County Borough. Retrieved October 6, 2005.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time (2004). Caversham UD Oxfordshire through time. Retrieved October 6, 2005.
- ^ a b Caversham Court HLF Application. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
- ^ a b Royal Berkshire History: Caversham in Oxfordshire
- ^ RC Parish of Our Lady & St. Anne, Caversham: The Shrine of Our Lady of Caversham
- ^ http://www.highdown.reading.sch.uk/
- ^ http://www.chilternedge.oxon.sch.uk/
- ^ http://www.qas.org.uk/
- ^ http://www.chilterncollege.com/college_training.htm
[edit] External links
- Caversham website
- BBC Monitoring website
- BBC Written Archives Centre
- Carving the Caversham Village Sign
- Royal Berkshire History: Caversham
- RC Parish of Our Lady & St. Anne
- 9 Platoon Caversham ACF
- The Red Cow PH, Star Road in Caversham
- Caversham Life, Living and Community
- Caversham Sports Clubs
- Lecture on "Old Caversham", W. Wing, 1894. Full-text transcription.
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