PEASEMORE PARISH PLAN C O N T E N T S 1920 - Church Cottages 1920 - Village Pond with ‘Reading 1920 - Main Street with Old Room’ behind the water cart National School (Drake’s Cottage on right). CONTENTS 04 Introduction Location map 05 The community project and appraisal 06 The ‘Place’ called Peasemore Peasemore’s interesting past 08 Peasemore present Population structure Settlement and residency Housing Employment 10 The Natural Environment What our natural environment means to us The landscape Trees, flowers, hedges and ponds Birds, butterflies, bats and mammals Footpaths and Bridleways 14 Parish map 15 Community Character of the village community Youth activities 18 Action Plan 24 Appendices Survey results Peasemore wildflowers Peasemore birds Peasemore butterflies Advisory agencies 27 Village Map 02 CONTENTS Peasemore School 1931 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The work of producing this Parish Council: Living and Ancient History Parish Plan was initiated by the Alexander Cameron, Pamela Group - Don Lindsay,Walter Parish Council and pursued by Muirhead, Adrian Foster, Gill Brown, Jack Nickson, Jenny the Steering Group and its Palmer, Katherine Wallace Maskell, Geoff Jacobs, Nancy component Working Groups. Palmer, Gwen Bolton, Joe Beginning with the Community Parish Plan Steering Group: Curry, Gill Arnold, Gill Golding Vision Day in 2002 it has Pamela Muirhead, Katherine always been the intention that Wallace, John Sturt, Wendy Individual Assistance - the Plan reflects as fully as Green, Neil Sanderson, Jack Alan Jones – photography, possible the views of the Nickson, Don Lindsay John Sturt, Alex Cameron – inhabitants of Peasemore. Editors These acknowledgements Working Groups: Jane Gibson - analysis of identify those who have Social & Community Issues - questionnaire responses contributed in a variety of Antonia Cretney,Wendy Sarah Ward, Abby Thomas - particular ways to the Plan's Green, Neil Sanderson, Glenys Community Council production. The Parish Council Angood for Berkshire and the Steering Group wish Annelli Connold, West to record their gratitude to the The Built Environment – Berks Council many people who have, not The Parish Council, Donald least by their attendance at the Lindsay,Walter Brown, Jack Maps - copyright West Vision Day and their response Nickson, Berkshire Council to the Questionnaire, helped to make the Plan a document The Natural Environment - Grants towards the work of which, we hope, can be owned Katherine Wallace, producing the Plan were by the whole village. Elizabeth Keller received from: West Berkshire Council Young People - Bernie Davis, The Countryside Agency with the assistance of Denise Brown (Downland Youth Network) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 03 I N T R O D U C T I O N Eliza Jacobs Outside The Old Shop, 1918 In November 2001 the received, a grant from the The Community Project Government produced its Rural Countryside Agency to produce White Paper; “Our Countryside: a Parish Plan. Peasemore also On 17th November 2001 two the future” identifying a received a grant from West members of Peasemore Parish number of measures for the Berkshire Council, as part of a Council attended the West future development of rural pilot, supporting four parishes Berkshire Partnership, Vital areas of England. One of these in West Berkshire to undertake Villages Workshop, at measures, ‘Vital Villages’, was parish plans. Brightwalton Village Hall. launched by the Countryside Agency in April 2001. The purpose of the Peasemore A short time later the Parish Parish Plan is to identify needs Council decided that it should One part of this scheme was and issues in our community produce a Parish Plan to help The Parish Plan. It was and to address them in the identify needs and issues in envisaged that these Plans form of an action plan. the community. would help local councils This will then be used by the involve local communities in community, Parish Council and identifying needs and issues Local Council, as well as West and in doing so improve the Berkshire Partnership through quality of life of the people the community Plan to guide living in that area. change and to conserve and Government Funding was enhance what is important to allocated to the Countryside us, for the benefit of future Agency to assist the generations. implementation of these Plans. In December 2002 Peasemore Parish Council applied for, and 04 I N T RO D U C T I O N The Lych Gate Old Barn, Manor Farm Consultation and Appraisal could express and refine their producing Plans. This Parish Plan is the result of needs and views on our This Plan identifies the needs, extensive consultation with village/Parish. Each household the concerns and the wishes of villagers and outside bodies received a full copy of the the community. It is designed who have assisted us with results. to be a ‘living document’ specialist knowledge. In the representing the collective spring of 2002 the Parish 83 of the 116 households in the opinion of the people of Council, in conjunction with Parish returned the completed Peasemore. It is a statement of members of the community, questionnaire giving a 71.5% the things we value most held a well supported ‘Vision response [above the national about our village and Day’ to hear what the people of average.] Prizes were offered highlights the issues that have Peasemore had to say about as an incentive. 224 arisen from the consultation what we want our community individuals over the age of 11 process; it is intended for use to be. Following this a responded. A consultation by: all residents who wish questionnaire was distributed workshop was held for to participate as part of to every household. Residents children/young people of all the community. ages in January 2004. over the age of eleven were • the Parish Council asked to respond. Steering groups of interested At all stages of the process the • landowners, businesses volunteers, responsible for Parish Plan Committee and farmers specific Key Issues, were set endeavoured to consult with • providers of services up. Several workshops, the statutory bodies; and utilities meetings and feedback Countryside Agency, sessions were held, at which all Community Council for • local authorities the residents of Peasemore Berkshire, West Berkshire • the Parochial Church Council Council and other Parishes • other village organisations INTRODUCTION 05 T H E P L A C E C A L L E D P E A S E M O R E The Parish is set in the North first recorded on a map, drawn and probably centred around Wessex Downs ‘Area of by Rocque in 1761, and again the Saxon Church on the site of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ on on a copy by Willis in 1768. the present Victorian, Gothic the southern slope of the The road network has not Church. Between 1078 and 1097 Berkshire Downs at about 500 much changed since and a Richard of Peasemore built a feet above sea level. It is circular enclosure, which may chapel and cemetery here and situated on soil which is mainly be evidence of an Iron Age this became the parish church clay with flints on chalk. settlement (an archeological in 1104, and was rebuilt in Peasemore is an ancient village research project headed by Victorian style in standing at a high point on the BARG is currently underway) 1842 2. Rubble from the Norman Downs, midway between is clearly visible on Church was used as road Wantage and Newbury and just successive maps. foundations through three miles North West of the village! junction 13 of the M4. Over the A Neolithic stone axe head was centuries the village, with its discovered at Prince’s farm in The chancel cross was rescued landmark church spire, has the 1950’s [now at The by the Vicar of Brightwalton developed to become a mature Ashmolean Museum, Oxford] and now forms part of the settlement whose buildings fit and a number of flint tools Brightwalton War Memorial. comfortably into the landscape have been found at Warren of arable farmland within Down. These have been In 1809 the first Primitive which the village is set. The authenticated by Newbury Methodist Chapel was built large cities and towns of museum and suggest that the near the site of what is now London, Reading, Oxford and area has been occupied for at Walnut Tree cottage. This was Newbury provide centres of least five thousand years. replaced in 1831 by ‘Ebenezer’ employment at West View and the third Christianity was established in Chapel was erected in 1923 on Peasemore’s the village during Saxon times the site of what is now Interesting Past ‘Furlongs’. All three Chapels in succession have been demolished but they reflect the The first reference to what strong Methodist community became Peasemore Parish was that existed on the Downlands in 951AD in King Edred’s in the 19th century.They Charter when the boundaries of continued to hold regular open the Parish were defined and air ‘camp’ meetings and described as part of the services well into the 20th Chieveley Parish. The village is century on what is known as first recorded in the Domesday Mell Green. book, in 1086, as Praxemere, and again in 1166 as Pesemere, meaning the ‘pond by which peas grow’, from the Old English ‘pise’ – peas, and ‘mere’ – pond1. Peasemore is St Barnabas Church 06 THE PLACE CALLED PEASEMORE The Manor is an early 15th century hall house, bought by Thomas Chaucer, the son of the great Geoffrey Chaucer in 1410 and altered and extended in the late 18th century. It is Drakes (17th.C) grade II listed3. Priors Side - the old name for Peasemore House was for many years Prior to the building of the described in the Royal owned by Poughley Priory, Victorian Church School in Commission on the Historical which is now occupied by 1850 the village school was Monuments of England, Welford Aerodrome.