Hampstead Norreys

Hampstead Norreys (alternatively spelt Hampstead Norris as it is pronounced) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is centred on the small tributary the River Pang, north of Newbury.

Hampstead Norreys

Church Road (part of the B4009) in the east
Hampstead Norreys
Location within Berkshire
Area17.03 km2 (6.58 sq mi)
Population832 (2011 census)[1]
• Density49/km2 (130/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSU528763
Civil parish
  • Hampstead Norreys
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWBURY
Postcode districtRG18
Dialling code01635
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
St Mary the Virgin's Church

Amenities

Hampstead Norreys was awarded Berkshire's best-kept village in 1979.

As well as the nucleus of Hampstead Norreys, the parish includes the hamlets or localities of Bothampstead, Eling and Wyld Court. Hampstead Norreys has a large recreational field, Dean Meadow, that is used for fetes and parties and by the village football and cricket teams. The school also uses the field for activities.

In March 2011, a community shop was opened in the village, run by local volunteers. Shares in the shop were sold to village residents. It was the first community shop to be opened in a West Berkshire village since the 1990s.[2]

The Living Rainforest

Wyld Court is home to The Living Rainforest, an indoor glass house tropical rainforest with plants, animals and butterflies. It is an ecological centre, an educational centre and a visitor attraction.

Historic buildings

The village was recorded in the Domesday Book as Hanstede.[3] The village is noted for its Norman parish church and the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle in the nearby woods.

Aviation

World War II

The village was close to the wartime airfield of RAF Hampstead Norris, an RAF Bomber Command Operational Training Unit (OTU) station. The airfield was host to a small number of squadrons of Wellington bombers. The site was bombed on 16 September 1940 by the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. In 1945, the station was used by squadrons of Mosquito fighter bombers and became an ammunition storage depot as part of the Bramley Central Ammunition Depot near Basingstoke after its closure in 1946. Little of the wartime station now remains. There are four remaining pillboxes around where the airfield was and a few air raid shelters in the woods. Part of the bomb storage site remains also.

Today

The site still maintains a modern link with aviation with a farm strip used by a Tiger Moth biplane. It is now known as Haw Farm, part of the Yattendon Estate. An impression of the old runway layout of RAF Hampstead Norris can still be seen from the air. On the edge of the airfield perimeter track is a light beacon and an important VOR beacon known as Compton (CPT), named after the nearby village, which is used as a primary navigational aid for airway routes between European airports such as (Heathrow) and North America.

Education

Hampstead Norreys has a small rural primary school which has served the community for over 150 years.

Transport

From 18 February 2013, Buses 6 and 6A from Newbury serve the village. Newbury railway station has regular and fast services to east and west.[4]

Hampstead Norris railway station was a minor halt on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway for about half a century until 1962.

Sport and leisure

The Dean Field is the local park in Hampstead Norreys. It contains a football and cricket pitch and a children's play area. On the north side of the field is Hampstead Norreys Village Hall. It is considerably larger than the village halls in surrounding villages. On the south side is Eling estate, a large wooded area (consisting of Park Wood, Westbrook Copse, Down Wood and Elingpark Copse) backed by a path which is what remains of the old Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway running between Hermitage and Compton, the two nearest villages.

Demography
2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005[1]
Output areaHomes owned outrightOwned with a loanSocially rentedPrivately rentedOtherkm² roadskm² waterkm² domestic gardensUsual residentskm²
Civil parish72927265130.1400.0180.20683217.03

References
  1. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.
  2. "People power behind village shop". 30 March 2011 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  3. "The Domesday Book Online: Berkshire D-M". Retrieved 21 January 2008.
  4. "Newbury & District - our bus routes" (PDF). www.newburyanddistrict.co.uk.
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