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Speenhamland, Berkshire

Berkshire geography stubsNewbury, Berkshire

Speenhamland is an area within modern Newbury, Berkshire.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Speenhamland, Berkshire (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Speenhamland, Berkshire
Pelican Lane,

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Wikipedia: Speenhamland, BerkshireContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.407 ° E -1.325 °
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Pelican Lane

Pelican Lane
RG14 1AQ
England, United Kingdom
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Newbury Lock
Newbury Lock

Newbury Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in the town centre of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. It has a rise/fall of 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m), and is situated just upstream of Newbury Bridge.The lock is a grade II listed structure. It has brick walls that are capped with Bath Stone and which are wider at the top than at the base in an attempt to counteract frost damage. It was built in 1796, as part of the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal linking Newbury and Bath. The canal was built under the supervision of John Rennie.Newbury Lock was the easternmost lock on the original Kennet and Avon Canal, and downstream it connected to what was the much older Kennet Navigation, opened in 1727 between Reading and Newbury. The canal opened throughout in 1810 and provided, along with the River Thames, the Kennet Navigation and the River Avon, a through route between London and Bristol. The Kennet Navigation was purchased by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company in 1812, and is now generally regarded as part of the Kennet and Avon canal.Adjacent to the lock is a sculpture called Ebb And Flow, created by the sculptor Peter Randall-Page. The work comprises a large granite bowl set at the centre of a spiral granite path leading down from the lock. The bowl is connected to the lock by underground piping so that when the lock fills, water flows into the bowl and then empties away as the level of the water in the lock goes down.

Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury, Berkshire

Newbury is a market town in the West Berkshire unitary area in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is also where West Berkshire Council is located. Newbury is in the valley of the River Kennet, 26 mi (42 km) south of Oxford, 25 mi (40 km) north of Winchester, 27 mi (43 km) southeast of Swindon and 20 mi (32 km) west of Reading. Newbury lies on the edge of the Berkshire Downs; part of the North Wessex Downs Area of outstanding natural beauty, 3 mi (5 km) north of the Hampshire–Berkshire county boundary. In the suburban village of Donnington lies the part-ruined Donnington Castle and the surrounding hills are home to some of the country's most famous racehorse training grounds (centred on nearby Lambourn). To the south is a narrower range of hills including Walbury Hill and a few private landscape gardens and mansions, such as Highclere Castle. The local economy is inter-related to that of the eastern M4 corridor, which has most of its industrial, logistical and research businesses close to Newbury, mostly around Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead and Slough. Together with the adjoining town of Thatcham, 3 mi (5 km) distant, Newbury forms the principal part of an urban area of approximately 70,000 people.Newbury is also home to Newbury Racecourse, as well as being the location of the headquarters of Vodafone and the software company Micro Focus International. The town centres around a large market square and retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbered granary, and the 15th-century St Nicolas Church, along with 17th- and 18th-century listed buildings.

West Berkshire Museum
West Berkshire Museum

The West Berkshire Museum, in Newbury, Berkshire, holds various artworks and collections related to Newbury and West Berkshire. Established in 1904, the museum is housed in two of Newbury's most historic buildings. The Cloth Hall was built in 1627 by Richard Emmes, a master carpenter of Speenhamland for the Newbury Corporation as a cloth factory. Originally part of a larger range of buildings with a courtyard in the centre, the building was subsequently used as a workhouse, hospital and school before being used for storing corn from 1829 until its conversion to a museum.The museum itself has exhibition galleries, café and a local history library, along with a Conference room which can be hired. A permanent exhibition tells the story of West Berkshire. From the geology to the stories of people who have lived in West Berkshire; early ancestors, to well known characters like Jack O'Newbury: the people who have created the towns and villages, roads and canals, fields and farms, industries, pastimes and organisations that forms West Berkshire today. The second floor galleries feature a series of special exhibitions, along with Gallery 5 which can be hired to display original artwork, sculpture and craft. Entry is free but donations are most welcome and go towards adding to and conserving the collections and maintaining the historic buildings. The museum underwent a £2.2m renovation in 2014 to update its exhibition areas and visitor facilities. The funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£1.2m), and West Berkshire Council, Greenham Common Trust and the Headley Trust (£1m total).