Hermitage, Berkshire

Hermitage
Garden Centre
Hermitage Hermitage shown within Berkshire
Area	6.36 km² (2.46 sq mi)
Population	1,943 (2011 census)^[1]
– density	306/km² (790/sq mi)
Civil parish	Hermitage
Unitary authority	West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWBURY
Postcode district	RG18
Dialling code	01635
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
List of places UK England Berkshire

Coordinates: 51°27′09″N 1°16′34″W / 51.452536°N 1.276217°W / 51.452536; -1.276217

Hermitage is a village and civil parish, near to Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. The civil parish is made up of a number of settlements: Hermitage village, Little Hungerford and Wellhouse.

Location

The village is focussed residentially on the B4009, 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Newbury in the heart of the North Wessex Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is thus surrounded by protected woodlands and undulating fields providing a few elevated viewpoints.

Transport

Roads

Access to the M4 is within 5 miles, which links Wales to London, and the A34 passes through the edge of the parish, a main transport artery from the north to the south of the United Kingdom.

Public transport

From 1882 until the 1960s the village had a minor halt station. The station was erected by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway, also the name of its line. As of 18 February 2013, Hermitage is served by buses 6 and 6A from Newbury.^[2]

Amenities

It has a general store and post office, a butcher, a church (Holy Trinity) and two public houses (The Fox and The White Horse of Hermitage). There is a large garden centre with a cafe, bonsai shop, pool & spa concession and lawnmower centre. The village primary school enjoys an excellent reputation and feeds into the Downs School. The area is predominantly agricultural and the main local employers are the village school, village pre-school, the garden centre and a small light industrial unit housing several small businesses. In addition, there is the Royal School of Military Survey at Denison Barracks housing a small garrison of troops and their families. However, though generally referred to as being in Hermitage, it is actually just across the border in the Curridge area of Chieveley parish.

History

On Oare Common are two curvilinear ditched enclosures which are probably of prehistoric date, although it has also been suggests that they may represent a motte and bailey castle. The hill fort of Grimsbury Castle is in Grimsbury Wood. A folly stands at its centre. A 2nd and 3rd century Roman villa of some pretentions was discovered at Wellhouse in Victorian times. Between 1917 and 1918 D. H. Lawrence lived in Hermitage.^[3]

Housing expansion

Three early 21st century housing areas were completed in the north and south. These include Forest Edge and Hermitage Green.^[4]

Demography

**2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005^[1]**
Output area	Homes owned outright	Owned with a loan	Socially rented	Privately rented	Other	Usual residents	km²
Civil parish	192	312	66	104	16	1943	6.36

References

1 2 Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005
↑ http://www.newburyanddistrict.co.uk/pdf/jan13/connect-service-6-and-6A-%28effective-from-18-Feb-2013%29.pdf
↑ Online exhibitions - The University of Nottingham. Nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
↑ Hermitage Green

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hermitage, Berkshire.

Settlements in West Berkshire

Towns	Hungerford Newbury Thatcham (All are civil parishes and have Town Councils)

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 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 Mortimer/Mortimer Common 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

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, January 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.