Sonning Common is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in a relatively flat, former
common land part of the
Chiltern Hills in
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The a ...
, centred
west south-west of
Henley-on-Thames and north of
Reading.
History
During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
the village itself did not exist: being an area of open land east of the route between
Reading – occupied alternately by the
Parliamentarians and
Royalists
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
– and
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, which was the
King's headquarters.
In 1647 after the end of the first civil war, the King was imprisoned at nearby Caversham House (now the location of
BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring (BBCM) is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation which monitors, and reports on, mass media worldwide using open-source intelligence. Based at New Broadcasting House, the BBC's headquarters in central London, it has ...
in Caversham); however he was allowed out under escort to play
bowls at an
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
(latterly called "The King Charles Head") near Cane End, approximately one mile west of Sonning Common. His route between these places would have brought him close to the present-day village.
The site of the village has been called "Sonning Common" since at least the 1640s, long before any fixed settlement existed. The name is literal, at the time gradually losing its earlier status of
common grazing land belonging to
Sonning Parish. Both places have intermittently been spelt 'Sunning' as seen on maps such as that of the
A4 road This is a list of roads designated A4.
A4 is the name of several roads:
* A004 road (Argentina), a road connecting Buenos Aires-La Plata highway with the Juan María Gutiérrez circle
* A4 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Vienna and Nickels ...
from 1786, indicating contemporary pronunciation was as in the other three ancient parishes named after
Sunna (Saxon chief) — the letter combination 'un' was avoided in
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
as a result of Norman handwriting.
Amenities
Serving as a meeting place to explore by footpaths the
Chiltern Hills nearest to the large town of
Reading, Sonning Common has a community of volunteers who guide regular
Sonning Common Health Walks. Sonning Common has a Herb Farm (with a Saxon layout
maze), Thames Valley Gymnastics Club and a health centre. Two neighbouring parishes,
Kidmore End and
Rotherfield Peppard, have their war memorial halls on the parish boundaries. The civil parish help maintain a pond with a duck-house in the middle called "Duckingham Palace", three children's playgrounds and a
Millennium Green, public land, at the southern end of the village between Kennylands Road and Peppard Road. Wood Lane has a health centre, village hall, and most shops including: an Indian restaurant, a Chinese take-away,
fish and chip
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of liv ...
shop, sandwich shop,
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
, florist, supermarkets, petrol station, dental practice and general/charity stores.
Public houses:
*The ''Bird In Hand''
*''The Butchers Arms''
*The ''Hare and Hounds''.
Churches
Churches are
Christ the King
Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God.
Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one of ...
(
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
),
Saint Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
's (
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
), and Sonning Common
Free Church.
Education
Sonning Common has a primary school, and
Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is the secondary school in the village. Sixth form students usually travel to
The Henley College (Henley-on-Thames)
The Henley College is a sixth form college in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. It was founded as a tertiary college in 1987 and changed its status to a sixth form college in 2010.
History and origins
The college's roots date back to 1 ...
. There is also
Bishopswood School which is a
special school serving the wider area.
Performing arts
The village has an amateur dramatic group, The Chiltern Players.
Demography
The greenspace is mainly beech woodland with clearings and fields straddled by many paths. The Sonning Common Magazine is a not-for-profit community digital and delivered magazine to 1,850 addresses in the village every other month.
Nearest places
Notes and references
;Notes
;References
{{authority control
Villages in Oxfordshire
Civil parishes in Oxfordshire