Woodley, Berkshire
| Woodley | |
| Berkshire | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU7673 |
| Location: | 51°27’11"N, -0°54’7"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 26,439 (2001) |
| Post town: | Reading |
| Postcode: | RG5 |
| Dialling code: | 0118 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wokingham |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Reading East / Maidenhead |
Woodley is a town in Berkshire, effectively forming part of the swelling conurbation of Reading. Aniother such attached town of village neighbouring Woodley is Earley. Further out are Sonning, Twyford, Winnersh, Hurst and Charvil.
The name Woodley is from Old English, meaning simply "wood meadow", or clearing. Anciently, Woodley was a part of the ecclesiastical parish of Sonning.
History
The ecclesiastical parish of Woodley came into existence in 1881, following the earlier erection of the church of St John the Evangelist by Robert Palmer in 1873.
Until the 1930s, Woodley was a very small village of no great significance. In that decade, an airfield and flying school was opened in the 100-acre field belonging to Sandford Farm. In 1932, FG Miles came to Woodley and joined forces with Philips and Powis in the production of the Miles Hawk aeroplane, leading to the formation of Miles Aircraft Ltd which continued producing aircraft in Woodley until after Second World War. During the pre-war years many famous aviators visited at Woodley, including Charles Lindbergh and Amy Johnson; Douglas Bader lost his legs in a flying accident on the airfield in 1931.
Over 7,000 civil and military aircraft were built and first flown here from 1933-62 and notably, in 1939, the Phillips & Powis factory installed Britain's first moving track assembly line for aircraft production - to build the Miles Master advanced training aeroplane. Today, much of Woodley's aviation heritage is commemorated by the Museum of Berkshire Aviation on the southern edge of the former airfield.
After Second World War Woodley continued to grow, with industry relocating from Reading and new housing growing up. In the 1960s the airfield finally closed together with its last aircraft factory and a new town centre was created replacing old village shops. In the 1980s the airfield site was redeveloped as a major housing area, and Woodley is now largely indistinguishable from Reading to the casual visitor.
In the west of Woodley, Old Bulmershe Manor was the home of the Blagrave family and probable birthplace of the famous 17th century mathematician, John Blagrave. The adjoining large house of Bulmershe Court alias Woodley Lodge was built in 1777 by James Wheble. The house was subsequently bought by Henry Addington, at that time Speaker of the House of Commons and later Prime Minister. (He succeeded William Pitt the Younger on the latter's retirement and it was cruelly said that "Pitt is to Addington as London is to Paddington", Paddington being then a small village beyond the edge of London.) Addington lived at Bulmershe Court lived there when not in London and was frequently visited by other prominent figures of the age, including William Pitt the Younger and, it is said, King George III. During Second World War, the house was used by the United States Army. In the 1960s, it was demolished and replaced by a teacher training college that has subsequently become part of the University of Reading.
Sport
Woodley has also been the home of Woodley Town FC. The club can trace its roots back to 1904, and it is thought a team existed in Woodley in the nineteenth century. Today, 2009, Woodley Town run 3 teams in the Reading Football League. The 1st team won the Senior Division in 2008 - 09 (Step 7 of the FA National League System)and the BTC Senior Cup to complete the League and Cup double and is a FA Charter Standard Development Club. It has ambitious plans for a stadium and club house in the heart of Woodley so that the club can progress and it will be playing Step 6 football in 2009 - 10 in the Hellenic League thus bringing a better standard of non-league football to a thriving community. The club also runs a thriving youth section, Woodley Town Kestrels with boys and girls teams from u7 to u17 age groups. A link to the clubs website can be found further down this page.
Woodley is also home to Southlake Angling Society [1] who run the popular Southlake fishery close to Woodley Town Centre. Established in the early 1960s on the former estate lake it shares its name with. This club has gone on to become very popular with the local residents of not only Woodley but also the surrounding towns and villages. As the sport of angling has increased, Southlake Angling Society have thrived adding another local lake in Hurst called Redlands and a stretch of the River Loddon that flows close to the east of Woodley and Earley.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Woodley, Berkshire) |