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The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our online HER enquiry form.



HER Number MWB20529
Record Type Monument
Name Burghfield Common

Grid Reference SU 651 671
Map Sheet SU66NE
Parish Burghfield, West Berkshire
Map:Show location on Streetmap

Summary

Settlement developed largely in the 20th century, although containing earlier buildings

Monument Type(s):

  • SETTLEMENT (19th century to Late 20th century - 1801 AD to 2000 AD)

Full Description

Burghfield Common is the name given to an area of largely mid to later 20th century settlement, on higher ground above the historic village of Burghfield <1><2>. The common is marked on Rocque's map <3>, crossed by a stream with two ponds and a pond-house. Much of the common land was enclosed through Act of Parliament in the mid 19th century <4>; there were smallholdings and farms around the common-edge.

By the 19th century several large country houses had been constructed with their own designed landscapes, along with schools and non-conformist chapels <2><5>. In the 1940s a naval shore establishment HMS Dauntless was constructed in Burghfield Common <6>.

The GIS point is approximately at the centre of the built up area, but also where common land existed in the 19th century.

Sources and further reading

<01>Gelling, M. 1973. The Place Names of Berkshire - Part One. English Place-Name Society Vol XLIX. P204. [Monograph / SWB10003]
<02>Page and Ditchfield (eds). 1923. Victoria County History (VCH) Berks III 1923. Vol 3. P399. [Monograph / SWB10005]
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3 (Accessed 08/03/2022)
<03>Rocque, J. 1761. Rocque's Map of Berkshire. 1:35,000 (approx). Marked 'Burfield Common'. [Map / SWB7242]
https://www.rct.uk/collection/700042/rocques-map-of-berkshire (Accessed 09/02/2021)
<04>Various. 1738-1858. Berkshire Enclosure Maps - online as New Landscapes. http://www.berkshirenclosure.org.uk. Burghfield 1853. [Map / SWB14663]
http://www.berkshirenclosure.org.uk (Accessed 08/02/2022)
<05>Landmark. 1872-85. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 1, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14341]
<06>Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14665]
<07>Timmins, G. 2008. Burghfield - A Village History. [Unpublished document / SWB147446]

Related Monuments

MWB20041Chapel House, Reading Road, Burghfield Common (Building)
MWB21841Hermit's Hill, Reading Road, Burghfield (formerly the site of Hermitshill Cottage) (Building)
MWB16811Highwoods, Burghfield (Building)
MWB16810Hillfields, Reading Road, Burghfield (Building)
MWB17948HMS Dauntless (Monument)
MWB17459Pondhouse Farm, Burghfield (Monument)
MWB20534Site of brick making site, Beenham's Farm, Burghfield Common (Monument)
MWB21840Site of brick making site, Clare's Farm, Burghfield Common (Monument)
MWB19625Site of Horatio Bland's museum, later a Mission Room, Burghfield Common (Monument)
MWB19624Site of original Mrs Bland's Infant School, Reading Road, Burghfield Common (Monument)
MWB19704St Oswald's Roman Catholic Church, Burghfield Common (Building)
MWB16688Well head structure, Wells Recreation Ground, Bunces Lane, Burghfield (Building)
MWB19702Willink School, Burghfield (Building)
MWB3589Burghfield Village (Monument)

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

  • None recorded