Farley Hall, Swallowfield

Farley Hill is a village in the county of Berkshire, England. For local government purposes, the village is within the civil parish of Swallowfield, which in turn is within the unitary authority of Wokingham.

Farley Castle is an early 19th-century modern house situated at Farley Hill, Swallowfield, Berkshire.The Gothic-styled, two-storey house in red brick with battlements and round turrets, was built for Edward Stephenson Esq in c. 1810 for his youngest son Henry Stephenson who farmed the estate. For the first 30 years the Castle was known as Ragg Castle. Edward Stephenson's eldest son Rowland Stephenson inherited Farley Castle in 1833 - Rowland changed his name to Rowland Standish in 1834 to inherit estates on his mother's side of the family. In 1843 Rowland died and his eldest son Edward Ferris Standish inherited Farley Castle. Edward died in 1845 and his younger brother Rowland Edmund Walter Pery Standish inherited Farley Castle. Farley Castle was rented out to the Martin-Atkins family from 1854 but in 1867 it was bought by William Hastings Martin-Atkins. On his death in 1902 it passed to his step-son Captain Henry Meredith Richards OBE, who didn't live there, but rented it out to a rich brewing family, Walter Mortimer & Louise Allfrey. I 1922 Louise Allfrey bought Farley Castle. On Louise's death in 1944, Farley Castle was bought by Owen Wilfred Beardmore who converted the Castle into a Hotel & Country Club. In 1952, it was the residence of adventurer, author & amateur archaeologist, Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, discoverer of the controversial rock crystal "Skull of Doom", who wrote his autobiographical "Danger My Ally" there in 1953/54.In 1958, Farley Castle was purchased by Dorothy Woolley who founded Hephaistos School for very bright but disabled boys. Initially a day school based in the castle, Hephaistos became a Special School with the addition of amenities including a teaching block, dormitories, dining hall, and a swimming pool. Berkshire County Council purchased the school and ran it from 1966 to 1988 when it closed. Despite being a Grade II listed building, between 1988 and 1992 Farley Castle was totally neglected and abandoned. It was purchased by developers but was allowed to be occupied and stripped by a Peace Convoy from Greenham Common and the Castle lay roofless and neglected for a couple of years. Eventually, in 1992, it was purchased by new developers and the Castle was renovated and converted to three houses. Other house was built in the grounds.

The River Whitewater rises at springs near Bidden Grange Farm between Upton Grey and Greywell in Hampshire, England. It flows northeast and is a tributary of the River Blackwater near Swallowfield. Its headwaters flow over chalk and there is little pollution making the River Whitewater rich in wildlife. It was noted on Jansson's map of Hampshire of 1646.The settlements of Greywell, North Warnborough, Hook, Hartley Wintney, Rotherwick, West Green, Mattingley, Bramshill and Heckfield lie on the River Whitewater.The river contains a variety of species of fish. Fishing on part of the river is controlled by Farnborough and District Angling Society which has separate coarse and fly fishing sections. Like many rivers in the south of England, non-indigenous mink and signal crayfish are present.

Charlton was a hundred in the English county of Berkshire. Like all hundreds, although never abolished, it effectively ceased to function after 1886. Charlton was one of the seven hundreds of Windsor Forest. It consists of the parishes of Barkham, Finchampstead, Hurst (including Twyford), Shinfield and Swallowfield. Before the early 13th century, it also included what became the parishes of Arborfield, Crowthorne, Earley, Ruscombe, Sandhurst, Sonning, Wokingham and Woodley.

The Marshes is a 2.2-hectare (5.4-acre) Local Nature Reserve south of Swallowfield in Berkshire. It is owned and managed by Swallowfield Parish Council.The main part of this site is a former horse paddock which was planted with 1400 native shrubs and trees between 2004 and 2008. A pond and boardwalk were constructed in a small area of wet woodland.There is access from School Road.

Swallowfield Park is a Grade II* listed stately home and estate in the English county of Berkshire. The house is near the village of Swallowfield, some 4 miles south of the town of Reading.

Arborfield is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Arborfield and Newland, in the Borough of Wokingham, on the A327 road in Berkshire, England. It is about 4.5 miles (7 km) south-east of Reading, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Wokingham. It lies about 0.6 miles (1 km) west of its sister village of Arborfield Cross and the two villages have become collectively known as Arborfield, with no signs marking their boundary. Arborfield is a dormitory village in the Reading built-up area. In 1931 the parish had a population of 348. On 1 April 1948 the parish was abolished and merged with Newland to form "Arborfield and Newland".

Arborfield Green is a new village approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south east of the village of Arborfield Cross in the English county of Berkshire, previously a British Army garrison called Arborfield Garrison. The army vacated the site in 2015 and it is now being redeveloped for housing, with a total of 3,500 homes planned. The Garrison and its associated housing estates are split between the civil parishes of Arborfield and Newland, Barkham, Finchampstead, and Swallowfield. Both parishes are within the unitary authority of Wokingham. According to the Post Office, the majority of the 2011 Census population was included in the civil parish of Barkham. As of 2023, the new village centre is still under construction.

Arborfield Cross is a village in the civil parish of Arborfield and Newland in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire.

Arborfield Hall was a large country house on the banks of the River Loddon near the village of Arborfield in Berkshire.

Bramshill is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Its name has become synonymous with the Police Staff College, Bramshill located in Bramshill House. Bramshill forms part of the district of Hart. It is bordered by the Rivers Whitewater, Blackwater and Hart and by the villages of Farley Hill, Eversley, Hazeley, Heckfield, Riseley and Swallowfield. The population of Bramshill is around 100. Bramshill SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Arborfield and Newland is a civil parish in the Wokingham district of Berkshire, England. It had a population of 2,228 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 3,115 at the 2011 Census. It includes Arborfield, Arborfield Cross, part of Arborfield Garrison, Newland and Carter's Hill.