Wokefield

Wokefield
Wokefield Park, Manor House
Wokefield  Wokefield shown within Berkshire
OS grid reference	SU677660
Unitary authority	West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	READING
Postcode district	RG7
Dialling code	0118
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Berkshire
List of places UK England Berkshire

Wokefield is a civil parish in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England, south of the borough of Reading. The parish includes the hamlets of Grazeley Green, Goddard's Green and Bloomfield Hatch, and the 18th-century mansion of Wokefield Park. Wokefield Civil Parish includes part of the former Parish of Sulhamstead Bannister Upper End and Grazeley.

To the North lies the Parish and villages of Burghfield, and Burghfield Common. To the East lies the Parish and village of Grazeley, and the Parish of Shinfield. To the South lies the Parish and villages of Stratfield Mortimer, and Mortimer Common.

Wokefield park

Wokefield Park is an 18th-century country house, now a training centre surrounded by a golf course. The main house of Wokefield Park, as it now stands, was probably built for the Brocas family when they re-acquired the property sometime before 1777.^[1] For a time it was used as a borstal but was eventually left empty and fell into disrepair in the 1980s, before being purchased and refurbished as a hotel, conference facility and leisure complex, including for an 18 hole golf course set in the former grounds. A young girl is known to haunt the grounds of Wokefield Park, particularly rooms 600-610. She died in curious circumstances, which police could not investigate further.

Wokefield Common

Wokefield Common is an area of mixed Woodland on the Parishes Northern Border with Burghfield Common. It has been declared a Wildlife Heritage Site by West Berkshire Councils Countryside Service, and is described as a quiet site with a network of paths leading through tall pine and broadleaf woodland, ponds, small areas of heather and rich wet gullies. Of particular significance are the heathland areas which support rare species including Slow Worms, Grass Snakes and Adders.^[2] The 60 Ha site is managed by the Countryside Service alongside the landowner and the Wokefield Common Advisory Committee. The main entrance is located off of Goring Lane on the outskirts of Burghfield,^[3] although there are several public bridleways and public footpaths that criss-cross the common.

Geography

Wokefield Parish varies between 40m and 95m above sea level as measured against ordnance datum. Aside from Wokefield Common there are a number of smaller woods and coppices within the parish, including Pitchkettle Wood, Rookery Wood, Bell Copse and Pond Wood (part of Wokefield Park.)

The Burghfield Brook lies at the northern border of Wokefield Common, a notable feature of this watercourse is Pullens Pond, formed where this brook is damned by a forest access road within the common. To the east of this area the brook continues into a small valley, referred to as Burghfield Slade, which contains a larger reservoir of water. Burghfield Brook then continues to the northeast, leaving the parish, and in turn feeds into Foudry Brook.

There is a second watercourse, Lockram Brook, which runs northeast through the parish. There is a large water reservoir, Millbarn Pond, along its length. The brook joins into Burghfield Brook near Grazeley Green.

There are a number of farms in the parish, including Wokefield Farm, Burnthouse Farm, James's farm, Chandlers farm, Pitchkettle Farm, Woodside Farm, Grazeley Manor Farm and Pierce's farm.

Grazeley Green

The Hamlet of Grazeley Green lies some distance to the west of Grazeley Village proper, and is in a different parish. It lies east of Burghfield Common, and is only a few hundred metres south of AWE Burghfield. To the east lies the Reading to Basingstoke railway line and Wokefield parish boundary. Notable buildings in the hamlet include Grazeley Manor Farm and the Old Bell Pub and Inn.

References

External links

Media related to Wokefield at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Settlements in West Berkshire Towns Hungerford Newbury Thatcham Civil parishes Aldermaston Aldworth Ashampstead Basildon Beech Hill Beedon Beenham Boxford Bradfield Brightwalton Brimpton Bucklebury Burghfield Catmore Chaddleworth Chieveley Cold Ash Combe Compton East Garston East Ilsley Enborne Englefield Farnborough Fawley Frilsham Great Shefford Greenham Hampstead Norreys Hamstead Marshall Hermitage Holybrook Inkpen Kintbury Lambourn Leckhampstead Midgham Mortimer Common Padworth Pangbourne Peasemore Purley-on-Thames Shaw-cum-Donnington Speen Stanford Dingley Stratfield Mortimer Streatley Sulham Sulhamstead Theale Tidmarsh Tilehurst Ufton Nervet Wasing Welford West Woodhay West Ilsley Winterbourne Wokefield Woolhampton Yattendon Other villages and hamlets Aldermaston Wharf Ashmore Green Avington Bagnor Beansheaf Farm Beedon Common Benham Hill Bloomfield Hatch Brightwalton Green Brimpton Common Burghfield Bridge Burnt Hill Calcot Chapel Row Colthrop Crockham Heath Crookham Downend Donnington Eastbury Eddington Elcot Eling Enborne Row Fords Farm Goddard's Green Halfway Heads Hill Hell Corner Hoe Benham Honey Bottom Hungerford Newtown Hunts Green Hyde End Inkpen Common Lambourn Woodlands Little Heath Lower Basildon Lower Denford Lower Padworth Marlston Marsh Benham Midgham Green Ownham Padworth Common Shaw Shefford Woodlands Snelsmore South Fawley Stockcross Upper Basildon Upper Denford Upper Eddington Upper Lambourn Upper Woolhampton Wash Common Wash Water Weston Wickham Wickham Heath Woodlands St Mary Woodspeen World's End