Hurst, Berkshire

Hurst is a village in the civil parish of St Nicholas Hurst in the English county of Berkshire.

Hurst
Village

St Nicholas' parish church
Hurst
Location within Berkshire
Population2,008 (2001 Census)
2,059 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSU7973
Civil parish
  • St Nicholas Hurst
Unitary authority
  • Wokingham
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townReading
Postcode districtRG10
Post townWokingham
Postcode districtRG40
Dialling code0118
01344
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteHurst Parish Council

Geography

The parish of St Nicholas Hurst is situated at grid reference SU798738, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Wokingham and 2 miles (3 km) south of Twyford in the county of Berkshire. It covers about 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) and as such is the largest civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham.

The village is on the A321 Twyford – Wokingham road. There are a number of other smaller areas of sporadic development, the main ones being along Davis Street on the B3030 Twyford – Winnersh road, along the B3034 Forest Road, from Bill Hill to Binfield and on Broadcommon Road.

The River Loddon flows north along the western side of the parish and a substantial proportion of the parish lies within the alluvial flood plain of this river and its tributaries. The most important exceptions to this are Church Hill just to the west of the village centre, and Ashridge to the south-east.

The M4 motorway crosses the southern half of the parish but does not have any direct access within the Parish. The A329(M) forms the south-west boundary, separating Hurst from Wokingham and Winnersh.

The main London to Bristol railway line runs along the northern boundary, and Twyford railway station in the neighbouring parish of Twyford serves Hurst.

Dinton Pastures Country Park is a country park located within Hurst.[2]

Parish church

The Church of England parish church is dedicated to St Nicholas. The church is partly Norman and partly later medieval; the tower is of brick and was built in 1612. The church was restored in the 19th century by W. Fellows Prynne. [3] There are many monuments of the 17th and 18th centuries and much 17th-century woodwork. [4] Burial monuments include those of Lady Margaret Savile (d. 1631), widow of Sir Henry Savile, Provost of Eton College. [3]

Notable buildings

Bill Hill on the Twyford Road is an 18th century listed country house, formerly the home of the Leveson-Gower family. [3]

Haineshill House is a Grade II* listed 17th century country house built originally by the Windebank family. [3] It was extended by James Edward Colleton in 1760. [5]

Hinton House on Hinton Road is a Grade II* listed Tudor house, later used as a school. [3]

Hurst Lodge on Broadcommon Road is a Grade II* listed 17th century house [3] built for the Barker family and later the property of the Countess of Buchan. [5] Barkers almshouses on Church Hill were erected and founded in 1664 by William Barker of Hurst Lodge. [5]

Local government

St Nicholas Hurst is a civil parish with an elected parish council.[6] It falls within the area of the unitary authority of Wokingham Borough. Both the parish council and the unitary authority are responsible for different aspects of local government.

Education

St Nicholas' Church of England Primary School[7] is a voluntary controlled primary school in the village which educates children ages 5–11.

The current school building, built in 1843

The school was first built in 1843.

As of 2012, the head teacher of the school is Christine Hyatt. The 2007 OFSTED report identified that over 98% of the students were white, the remaining being of Indian descent.

The primary school shares a breakfast club with St. Nicholas Pre-School Playgroup,[8] a registered charity and member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, which is open to all students and children of the playgroup.

Dolphin School[9] is a coeducational, independent, preparatory day school and Nursery for children between the ages of 3 and 13.

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References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  2. "West Berkshire Council - Dinton Pastures Country Park - Wokingham Local Offer". Fis.westberks.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  3. "Listed Buildings in St. Nicholas, Hurst, Wokingham". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  4. Betjeman, J. (ed.) (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches: the South. London: Collins; p. 113
  5. "Parishes: Hurst Pages 247-260 A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1923". British History Online. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  6. "The Parish Council - St Nicholas Hurst Parish Council". Hurstpc.org.uk. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  7. "St Nicholas CE Primary School, Hurst". St-nicholas.wokingham.sch.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  8. Archived 11 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. MLSMedia. "An Independent IAPS Co-Educational Preparatory Day School and Nursery". Dolphinschool.com. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
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