Burghfield Bridge is a bridge and a hamlet in the

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 ...

Burghfield Burghfield is a village and large civil parish in West Berkshire, England, with a boundary with Reading. Burghfield can trace its history back to before the Domesday book, and was once home to three manors: Burghfield Regis, Burghfield Abbas a ...

, which stands to the south of it in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of Berkshire. The settlement is situated between the village of Burghfield and the

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

suburb of Southcote. In 2006, the Reading Chronicle named the hamlet as one of the most desirable (and thus most expensive) places to live in the Reading area.

History

The bridge

The hamlet is so-called due to the bridge crossing the

River Kennet The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which � ...

(now part of the Kennet and Avon Canal). The river was first crossed in the area in the thirteenth century by the

Lord of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

, Matthew. The original Burghfield Bridge was built by the De Burghfield family, but they had arguments with King Edward I over who should repair it. There was a minor skirmish there after the First Battle of Newbury in 1643. The current bridge was built c.1812 and is a Grade II listed building.

The Cunning Man

Burghfield Bridge is involved in the local legend of the ''Cunning Man''. Various stories exist regarding the legend, citing the Cunning Man as a wizard from nearby

Tadley Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE), now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and many houses were built during this p ...

, who was able to heal both ailments and broken relationships. Another explanation is that a local building (now the ''Peter Pan Café'') was built by a cunning man using bricks placed on their sides - so to use less building materials. The story lends its name to the local

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

/ restaurant, part of the

Mitchells and Butlers Mitchells & Butlers plc (also referred to as "M&B") runs circa 1,784 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The company's headquarters are in Birmingham, England. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange an ...

"Vintage Inns" brand.

World War II

In the early Part of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, several anti-invasion measures were installed across the borough, including a fortified house at Burghfield Bridge. Iverne House is situated 100m to the south of the Bridge and was originally a stables. This was converted into a two-storey shell-proof infantry strongpoint around 1941/42. There are gun ports clearly visible from the main Burghfield/Reading Road. The building was converted to a private dwelling in 1994

Places of interest

Burghfield Bridge is the location of Keynote Studios, a

recording facility A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

that recorded the follow-up to The Race's 2006 album, '' Be Your Alibi''. There is a disused water mill, Burghfield Mill, located alongside the River Kennet and to the West of Burghfield Bridge, now converted to residential apartments. Burghfield Lock lies nearby on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Transport

Burghfield Bridge is served by

Reading Buses Reading Buses is a bus operator serving the towns of Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Wokingham and the surrounding areas in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Hampshire, England, as well as parts of Greater L ...

routes 2, 2a and 2b. The hamlet is located near to

Reading services Reading services comprises a pair of adjacent motorway service areas on the M4 motorway to the south of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The two areas are on opposite sides of the motorway, with Reading West services serv ...

on the M4 motorway, although the nearest access point to the road (junction 11) is located to the south-east. The nearest railway stations to the hamlet are Theale railway station and

Reading West railway station Reading West railway station serves West Reading, Berkshire, about west from the town's main retail and commercial areas. The station is served by local services operated by Great Western Railway. It is down the line the zero point at . His ...

. Both stations are located a little more than away.

References

External links

Royal Berkshire History: Burghfield
{{Kennet and Avon Canal Hamlets in Berkshire Bridges in Berkshire Burghfield