Leckhampstead | West Berkshire Villages
Leckhampstead is North West of Newbury and lies in the North Wessex Downs, an Area of Outstanding Beauty.
It includes Leckhampstead Thicket, where there are a number of thatched cottages, and Hill Green.
St James Church, Leckhampstead church is a beautiful Victorian building designed by S.S. Teulon in brick and flint.
A road and boundary stone in Leckhampstead, the Hangman's Stone and Hangman's Stone Lane, are named after a story of a man who roped and carried a sheep from a farm in Leckhampstead around his neck (to steal it) but the rope strangled him after he stopped and slept.
AMENITIES AND FACILITIES
There is a village hall.
A quiz is held once a month, pastel classes, art group and WI. Coffee mornings are held 10.00-12.00am very Wednesday.
The hall can be hired.
There are disabled toilets and a ramp for disabled access.
Email: info@leckhampsteadvillagehall.co.uk.
There is a mobile library every three weeks on a Monday, route H.
TRANSPORT
There is a bus service in Leckhampstead.
The Downland Volunteer Group provide transport. Tel No: 01635578394 on Monday-Friday 9.30-11.30.
COMMUNICATION
There is a Church PCC website.
CHURCHES
Part of the West Downland Benefice.
HEALTH
The local GP surgery is the Downland practice.
LECKHAMPSTEAD| WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGES |HISTORY
Leckhampstead is a village and civil parish on the downs between Wantage and Newbury.
It was formerly a chapelry of Chieveley.
West of the main settlement is the smaller settlement of Leckhampstead Thicket.
The hamlet of Hill Green which lies to the east of the B4494, was the original Leckhampstead until the time of the Black Death, when the few survivors moved to higher ground on the other side of the valley.
Egypt is an old place name in Hill Green.
Farm names in 1851 included: Leckhampstead, Eastley, Rookery and Town Pond.
The church is the work of the High-Victorian Gothic revivalist architect Samuel Saunders Teulon and was designed midway through his career.
The foundation stone was laid on 3rd May 1859 but it took another 18 months before the church was completed.
All accounts suggest that it was a difficult contract; not only did Teulon have to work with a surprisingly small budget, but his original builder Mr Taylor of Sunbury went bankrupt during the contract and was succeeded by Messrs Child, Son & Martin of London.
The work was finally completed at a cost of £1,745.0s.0d, met largely by the Rev John Robinson who was the Vicar of Chieveley at the time.
The church was consecrated on 30th October 1860.
The church has now undergone a restoration.
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