Compton is a village and civil parish in the River Pang valley in the Berkshire Downs about 6 miles south of Didcot which is buffered from neighbouring settlements by cultivated fields to all sides.
Compton is a village and civil parish in the River Pang valley in the Berkshire Downs about 6 miles south of Didcot which is buffered from neighbouring settlements by cultivated fields to all sides.
It is a quiet, rural village of Compton is set in the folds of the rolling Berkshire Downlands, in an “A.O.N.B.” and has a long history, being mentioned in the Domesday Book and with local evidence of earlier Roman occupation.
The beautiful flint walled Parish Church of St Mary and St Nicholas retains some Norman features and there are numerous examples of attractive, period cottages and houses, including the Grade II Listed 17th Century Compton Manor, reflecting the growth of the village over the centuries from its earliest origins as a small hamlet and in particular the expansion of the village over the last 150 years.
The village is now a thriving community with a village Post Office Stores, Hotel with restaurant and excellent primary and secondary schools, notably the Downs Secondary School which has built up an enviable reputation for academic standards in recent years and now boasts its own VI form and excellent Ofsted ratings.
In addition to having well revered local state primary and secondary schooling, the area is also extremely well served by an excellent range of private schooling, of particular note; Cranford House School, The Oratory Preparatory School, Moulsford Preparatory School, St Andrews Preparatory School, The Oratory School, Pangbourne College, Brockhurst & Marlston House, Downe House, Rupert House School, Shiplake College, The Abbey School, Bradfield College, The Manor Preparatory School, Abingdon School, Abingdon Preparatory School, Radley College, and St Helen & St Katharine.
Farming has always been important to the village and is still a major way of life today.
The village also has a long-standing connection with the breeding and training of racehorses with a prominent racing yard still existing in the village and with many other well-known training establishments in the area.
Compton has good road communications, notably via the fast A34 dual carriageway at East Ilsley some 2 miles to the West linking Newbury and Oxford (and M40) and with the M4 easily accessible at Junction 13 (Chieveley).
The nearby expanding town of Didcot has an established shopping centre and a mainline station providing fast commuter services up to London (Paddington via Reading) in well under the hour.
Reading and the M4 at Theale (Junction 12) can both be reached via a quiet cross-country route as can Goring-on-Thames which also has a mainline station and is easily accessible.
To the North of the village lies the ancient Ridgeway Path which winds its way over the Downs eventually crossing the Thames at Streatley and on up into the Chilterns.
Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) services have commenced from Reading, with the full service scheduled to commence shortly, which together with the completed electrification of the line has significantly improved travelling times to East and West destinations.
AMENITIES & FACILITIES
It appears that Compton is well blessed with a wide range of facilities and amenities. The Village Hall is a focus for village life and hosts a huge variety of activities.
FOOD & DRINK
The Foinavon Pub Bar areas include a comfortable library area. The pub’s name was changed to The Foinavon in 2019 as the 1967 Grand National winner was trained near the village of Compton.
Sports
The Downlands Sports and Recreation Centre is open to the public when not in education use.
SCHOOLS
Compton is privileged in having communication in Compton west berks
Primary School and the Downs Secondary School located within the village, as well as being well served by pre-school provision. Both schools are comprehensive and non-selective.
COMMUNICATION
There is a Compton Parish Council Facebook page.
CHURCH
Compton Church is part of the Hermitage Team of Churches.
TRANSPORT
The bus route is the 6 and 6A. There is also the Handybus. This takes people to Hospitals, Doctors’ Surgeries, Dentists, Opticians, monthly Lunch Club or anywhere else that may be appropriate.
PARISH COUNCIL
There is a parish council.
ENVIRONMENT
The Conservation Area is to the North of the High Street which includes Cheap Street, Hockham Road and Horn Street. There are village allotments.
COMPTON | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS |A BRIEF HISTORY
There was a sizeable community settled in Compton as far back as the bronze age.
In Roman times, a village, or perhaps a villa and associated farming community, was established in The Slad. It may be remembered in a field called ‘Elbury’ or ‘Old Borough’. Many Roman finds have been discovered over the years: bricks, tiles, bones, pottery, a quern, a writing stylus and mosaic tesserae, as well as a phenomenal number of Roman coins. The 4th century inhabitants of this settlement may have been those found buried within a rectangular banked enclosure on Roden Down, north of the village. It was first a place of cremation, but ten became a family burial plot, the head of the household even having an expensive lead coffin.In the 6th century, Saxons settled where the present village stands and named it ‘Compton’ which means ‘Comb-Town’ or ‘Valley Settlement’. Three centuries later, the area was at the centre of the fighting with the invading Danish Vikings. King Alfred’s great victory over them at the Battle of Ashdown is said to have taken place around a solitary thorn tree; and ‘Nachededorne’ or ‘Naked Thorn’ was the old name for the Compton Hundred and possibly Compton itself. It is still remembered by Thorn Down and there is still an Ashdown Bottom in the parish. While Dennisford (Danes’ Ford) alias Denispear (Dane’s Spear) Road is supposed to have been that along which the Vikings fled after the battle.In Medieval times, Compton was divided into three manors: West Compton (the present village), East Compton (around the church) and Ashden. East Compton, owned by the Abbey of Wherwell in Hampshire, was originally a large village and was known as Compton Magna (or Great Compton). Few houses remain there today, however, as its population gradually deserted the place; possibly due to the Black Death (1349), the emparking of land or an increase in sheep farming which was more profitable and less labour intensive than growing crops. Signs of the ‘Deserted Medieval Village’ can be made out west of the parish church. West Compton was known as Compton Parva (or Little Compton) and was owned by the Norreys family from Yattendon.During the Civil War, the High Constable of Reading called a meeting together on Compton Downs at which he protested against the burdens placed upon the local people, but was gaoled for his trouble! After the Siege of Reading, in May 1644, the King’s Army quit the town and regrouped on the Downs near Compton. The troops spent the night there while Charles I dined in the village. The following October, Prince Maurice and his troops retreated to Wallingford, via the village, after the Second Battle of Newbury. The next month, the parliamentary army camped here before moving on to Blewbury.Roden House (alias Stokes Manor) dates back to 1664, but now has a fine Queen Anne frontage. The associated tithe barn is said to have been built of ships’ timbers. It was in the snowy Winter of 1779 that King George III apparently caught up with a magnificent deer in the hall of this house, where it was found admiring itself in a mirror! The Royal staghounds had chased the beast all the way from Windsor Forest, but how it managed to gain entry is unclear. The owner was allowed to retain the hounds until the King returned on another day, amongst great pomp and ceremony, to collect them. The deer was released once more and only finally captured at Hurley. King George gave the creature its liberty in his park and called it ‘Compton’!In the early 19th century, a witch lived in Compton who was apparently able to stop horses in their tracks until she decided to release them. It was at this time that the village had its own windmill. It was a post mill, dated 1742, which had been transported there from Little Hungerford.
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