Village Voices Children S Trail

VILLAGE VOICES – CHILDREN’S TRAIL

This trail will take you around parts of Sonning and Sonning Eye to see and find out more about some of the places you have heard about in the exhibition. Please take extra care when crossing a road and watch out for cars and other people.

Your starting place is Pearson Hall. As you leave the hall you will see a big house opposite.

1. What is this house called and what ‘dramatic’ village event took place there?

Sonningdene - performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream by Sonning Village

Players

2. With your back to Pearson Hall walk a short distance left to the mini roundabout and

then turn right into Pound Lane where this building is on the other side of the road.

3. When the call came in some men would rush here. What is it?

The Fire Station

Carry on walking up Pound Lane to the playground by King George’s Field.

4. Who opened this playground and when?

Malcolm Stansfield MBE on 26 September 2006

5. What 2 buildings can be found at the end of Liguge Way?

Beech Lodge and Sonning CE Primary School

Now go back down Pound Lane. At the bottom is a big house – Shelvingstone.

6. How many chimneys does it have? 12

You are now in Pearson Road.

7. Who is this road named after? Canon Hugh Pearson, the vicar of Sonning

8. What was built in 1850? The Old Forge

9. Who re-built this and when? Sidney Paddick 1953

10. A very important building used to be on this site. Children (especially girls)

would come here – they enjoyed playing but didn’t like the toilets! What was it?

The Girls’ School

Now walk on to The Grove.

10. It is an unusual colour. Several important people stayed here. There is a little

insect carved in the canopy over the door – what is it? A spider

11. Which house is named after a famous highwayman? Turpins

Before turning back towards The Grove look at North Lodge. Within the grounds behind there was once a Bishop’s Palace. Now walk back towards The

Grove and turn left down the High Street.

12. This used to be a very busy place with several shops. Now there is only one.

What is the shop called and what does it sell? The Ivy Indian restaurant

13 What do you think this house used to be? Telephone exchange

14. What year was the village pump installed? 1846 (MDCCCXLVI)

15. This is where the village garage used to be. What is it called now?

The Mews

Now walk past The Bull into the church and walk to this area of the churchyard.

16. Can you find the grave of one of the people who were awarded the Victoria Cross?

Llewelyn Price-Davies or Edmund John Phipps Hornby

17. What is special about this arch of bricks?

It is a memorial to those who died in the Blitz during WW2. The bricks were collected from bombed out houses in the East End of London.

Now follow leave the churchyard and walk over the river. Be careful the path is very narrow.

Keep walking ahead

18. What does ‘B/O’ on the bridge mark? Berkshire / Oxfordshire

19. What type of electricity does The Mill Theatre use? Green electricity / hyro electricity

20. What musical instrument is enjoyed here? French Horn

21. Opposite this restaurant is The Furleigh. This is where children from Sonning Eye would meet to walk together to Sonning School. The Furleigh Cottages is where the mill workers lived. Complete this sequence:

25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33

Now return back over the river and keep going up Thames Street. As you walk down

Thames Street see how many homes are named after trees or plants. There are 8 – Rose Garden, Elm House, Jasmine Cottage, 1, Elm Cottages, 2 Elm

Cottages, Myrtle Cottage, Yew Tree Cottage, Appletree

22. Look up at The Deanery. How many empty chairs are there? 3

23. A painter called William Holman Hunt lived at The Acre for a time. He painted a famous painting called ‘Jesus Light of the World’. What animal is on his gate? A squirrel

24. This building was a very busy place in the past. What do you think it was? What clues helped you?

The Boys’ School / names of the houses ‘Masters’ ‘School Cottage’ clock tower

Thank you for taking the time to do this trail and we hope that you have enjoyed finding out a little more about Sonning and Sonning Eye.