Caversham

Caversham
Oxfordshire
Church Street, Caversham
Location
Grid reference:	SU7174
Location:	51°28’1"N, -0°58’23"W
Data
Post town:	Reading
Postcode:	RG4
Dialling code:	0118
Local Government
Council:	Reading
Parliamentary constituency:	Reading East

Caversham is a village in Oxfordshire. It stands on the north bank of the River Thames, clustered around the bridge to Reading, over the river in Berkshire. Caversham Bridge and Reading Bridge provide crossing points, and Caversham Lock for pedestrians, with Sonning Bridge a few miles east of Caversham.

Caversham is Oxfordshire's southernmost village; the southernmost point in the county lies on the riverbank just to the east.

The village spreads across from the Thames floodplain (to the east) and up the foothills of the Chiltern Hills. Besides central Caversham (the shopping area and immediate residential surrounds), there are distinct areas known as "Caversham Heights" on the higher ground to the west, "Lower Caversham" to the southeast, and "Caversham Park Village" to the north east on what was the parkland of Caversham Park.

History

The first written description of Caversham appeared in the Domesday Book. This entry indicates that a sizable community had developed with a considerable amount of land under cultivation.

In the English Civil War there was fierce fighting around Caversham Bridge for a short time in April 1643. Reading had been held by Royalists and was besieged by a Parliamentary force under the Earl of Essex. Royalists marched south from Oxford to try to relieve the Reading's defenders but were heavily defeated, and the town fell to the Parliamentarians a few days later.

Caversham Park

Caversham Park

Caversham Park was laid out in the 16th century. Several houses have stood on the site, notably the home of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan. The present Caversham Park House, built in 1850, is occupied by BBC Monitoring, which is a section of the BBC World Service that analyzes news, information and comment gathered from mass media around the world. It is also the premises of the BBC Written Archives Centre.

Outside links

• Caversham (website)
• Caversham Life (website)
• Caversham.info (website)
• Caversham and District Residents' Association
• BBC Written Archives Centre
• Carving the Caversham Village Sign
• Royal Berkshire History: Caversham
• Lecture on "Old Caversham", W. Wing, 1894. Full text transcription