Ownham
Coordinates: 51°25′48″N 1°23′43″W / 51.429992°N 1.395145°W
Ownham is a hamlet in Berkshire, England, and part of the civil parish of Boxford.
The settlement lies south of the M4 motorway, and is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Newbury.
Located at the top of a hill above Boxford, the hamlet has views over the Lambourn Valley.
Archaeology
A 140 yards (130 m) section of Ermin Street Roman road that linked Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester) and Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) exists just to the east of Ownham. It is visible from aerial archaeology near William's Copse.[1]
Early man was drawn to settle here because of the clear water supply and river ford in Boxford. Neolithic flints have been found in Ownham.[2]
Social and economic history
There are 10 dwellings in Ownham including 3 dwellings in nearby Coombesbury Lane which is classified as part of Ownham. All dwellings are now residential although in the past they included farms, a chapel of rest, a merchant house and a farm tenant's cottage. The road through Ownham does not have a name and most dwelling addresses are three digit numbers corresponding to historic farm plot numbers ("xxx Ownham").
Much of the surrounding farmland is part of Sir Richard Sutton's Settled Estates. The 6,500-acre property is given over to a variety of arable crops including wheat, barley, peas and beans, as well as a beef herd and sheep.[3]
A community count in December 2013 showed 16 adults, 6 children, 8 dogs, 5 cats and 3 horses lived in the hamlet.
Transport
Ownham lies on an unnamed road between Coombesbury Lane and Lambourne Road with a short no through road spur. The unnamed road was resurfaced in August 2013 by West Berkshire council.[4]
Before the resurfacing the unnamed road was one continuous road with the spur giving right of way. At the end of the works road markings were applied that made the spur and the lower part of the unnamed road one continuous road. The upper part of the unnamed road which runs from Coombesbury Lane now gives right of way at the spur. The change in road layout is likely to be a mistake as no record of a planned change exists.
References
- ↑ "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 1307472)".
- ↑ "Boxford Parish Plan".
- ↑ Jinman, Richard (24 March 2005). "A cup of tea but tight lips in historic landowner's fiefdom". The Guardian (London).
- ↑ "Highway Improvements West Berkshire 2013/14".
