Wokefield
Coordinates: 51°23′39″N 1°01′33″W / 51.394138°N 1.025798°W
Wokefield is a civil parish in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England, south of the borough of Reading. The parish includes the hamlets of Grazeley Green, Goddard's Green and Bloomfield Hatch, and the 18th-century mansion of Wokefield Park. Wokefield Civil Parish includes part of the former Parish of Sulhamstead Bannister Upper End and Grazeley.
To the North lies the Parish and villages of Burghfield, and Burghfield Common. To the East lies the Parish and village of Grazeley, and the Parish of Shinfield. To the South lies the Parish and villages of Stratfield Mortimer, and Mortimer Common.
Wokefield Park
Wokefield Park is an 18th-century country house, now a training centre surrounded by a golf course. The main house of Wokefield Park, as it now stands, was probably built for the Brocas family when they re-acquired the property some time before 1777.[1] For a time it was used as a borstal but was eventually left empty and fell into disrepair in the 1980s, before being purchased and refurbished as a hotel, conference facility and leisure complex, including for an 18-hole golf course set in the former grounds. A young girl is known to haunt the grounds of Wokefield Park, particularly rooms 600–610. She died in curious circumstances, which police could not investigate further.
Wokefield Common
Wokefield Common is an area of mixed Woodland on the Parishes Northern Border with Burghfield Common. It has been declared a Wildlife Heritage Site by West Berkshire Councils Countryside Service, and is described as a quiet site with a network of paths leading through tall pine and broadleaf woodland, ponds, small areas of heather and rich wet gullies. Of particular significance are the heathland areas which support rare species including Slow Worms, Grass Snakes and Adders.[2] The 60 Ha site is managed by the Countryside Service alongside the landowner and the Wokefield Common Advisory Committee. The main entrance is located off of Goring Lane on the outskirts of Burghfield,[3] although there are several public bridleways and public footpaths that criss-cross the common.
Geography
Wokefield Parish varies between 40m and 95m above sea level as measured against ordnance datum. Aside from Wokefield Common there are a number of smaller woods and coppices within the parish, including Pitchkettle Wood, Rookery Wood, Bell Copse and Pond Wood (part of Wokefield Park.)
The Burghfield Brook lies at the northern border of Wokefield Common, a notable feature of this watercourse is Pullens Pond, formed where this brook is damned by a forest access road within the common. To the east of this area the brook continues into a small valley, referred to as Burghfield Slade, which contains a larger reservoir of water. Burghfield Brook then continues to the northeast, leaving the parish, and in turn feeds into Foudry Brook.
There is a second watercourse, Lockram Brook, which runs northeast through the parish. There is a large water reservoir, Millbarn Pond, along its length. The brook joins into Burghfield Brook near Grazeley Green.
There are a number of farms in the parish, including Wokefield Farm, Burnthouse Farm, James's farm, Chandlers farm, Pitchkettle Farm, Woodside Farm, Grazeley Manor Farm and Pierce's farm.
Grazeley Green
The Hamlet of Grazeley Green lies some distance to the west of Grazeley Village proper, and is in a different parish. It lies east of Burghfield Common, and is only a few hundred metres south of AWE Burghfield. To the east lies the Reading to Basingstoke railway line and Wokefield parish boundary. Notable buildings in the hamlet include Grazeley Manor Farm and the Old Bell Pub and Inn.
References
External links
Media related to Wokefield at Wikimedia Commons
