Binfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 7,475. The village is on the north-western fringe of the Bracknell urban area.
Contents |
History
The name derives from 'Bent Grass Field'. Bin is said to be from the Anglo Saxon word for bent and refers to bent or waving grass. The word field comes from the Anglo Saxon word for forest clearing or feld. The forest was cleared after the Enclosure Act of 1813 when Forestal Rights were abolished and people bought parcels of land for agriculture it was at this point that villages like Binfield expanded when there was work for farm labourers.The local hundred of Beynhurst has a similar derivation. Billingbear is the north-western portion of Binfield parish, although the park, near Shurlock Row, is over the border in Waltham St. Lawrence.
The Stag and Hounds was reportedly used as a hunting lodge by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and an elm tree outside it (the stump of which was finally removed in 2004 - it was ravaged by Dutch Elm Disease in the 70s) was said to mark the centre of Windsor Forest. John Constable spent his honeymoon at the Rectory in 1816 and sketched 'All Saints Church' twice. It is also said to have been a refuge for a number of Parliamentary soldiers during the Civil War. The lodge became a coaching inn in 1727. The 18th century travel writer, William Cobbett, once stayed there and wrote that it was "a very nice country inn". He called nearby Bracknell a "bleak and desolate" place.
All Saints Church is mostly mid-nineteenth century, but has some ancient fittings. Of particular note is the 17th century hourglass and elaborate iron stand. It features the arms of the Farriers' Company of London. The famous writer, Alexander Pope, lived at Pope's Manor in Popeswood and sang in the church choir as a boy in the early 1700s.
Binfield Manor was built in 1754 by Sir William Pitt (a distant cousin of Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham) at a cost of £36,000. It is currently owned by the [Sultan of Brunei]. In 1816, John Constable (the artist) stayed at the rectory on his honeymoon and twice sketched the church
Binfield is most famous for being the childhood home of the 18th century poet, Alexander Pope.
The Luck of Binfield always hung in Binfield Place, a mostly Jacobean Manor (partly of Henry VII's reign) with a missing wing. It was a 17th century bas-relief of a lady's head, said to pour misfortune upon any owner who removes it. The grounds are used every summer for a large party for locals, called 'Party At The Place'.
From the late 19th century to the 1960s brick making was an important industry in the area with the Binfield Brick and Tile works at Amen Corner being an important employer - which is now the site of the Coppid Beech Hotel and the John Nike Sport Complex. The presence of large houses in the area, most of them without estates to support them, meant that many tradesmen could make a living in the village and it continued to flourish until the development of Bracknell New Town. It was with the help of Binfield bricks which helped to create the world famous Royal Albert Hall.
Suburbs
Much of modern Binfield stretches towards the south and east of the original village. Suburbs include:
- Farley Wood (including Farley Copse)
- Amen Corner
- Temple Park
- Billingbear
- Popes Wood
Amenities
Binfield is home to Newbold College, a Seventh-day Adventist college and church. There are two Church of England churches, named All Saints' on Terrace Road North and St Mark's on St Mark's Road. There is also Binfield Free Church, this features a baptismal pool, where you can be completely submerged in water. This is different to the other churches as they have standard small baptism stands. In addition to the college, Newbold has its own Seventh-day Adventist primary school. Binfield also has a Church of England Primary School with about 420 pupils, and a day nursery. There is also a Pre-school at the Memorial Hall.
Binfield has several Public Houses: The Roebuck (Greene King), The Victoria Arms (Fullers), the Jack O'Newbury (Freehouse) and the Stag and Hounds. There is a doctor's surgery, chemist, art shop V & A Traynor, post office, two estate agents Gerry Burke and Keith Gibbs, and a number of takeaways, including a fish and chip shop (the Big Thumb), The Amir (Indian food) and also the Binfield Kitchen(Chinese food). A new addition to Binfield is Daruchini, a Bangladeshi/Indian restaurant. It replaced the Royal Standard Pub. There are also three hairdressing salons throughout the centre of the village.
The village has three main parks, one in Jubilee Fields, another at Pope's Meadow and the third being on the Parish Fields, this park is next to the grounds of the primary school. The park at Jubilee has recently been renovated, with modern equipment. This proves to be very popular with the older children of the school. It is suitable for all ages, with a baby park included. It has an obstacle course set out over the field, this includes a great zipline.
Sport and leisure
Binfield also has a cricket team, founded 1865, who became Champions of the Morrants Chiltern League for the very first time in 2009, and a football team, founded 1892, [1] (a girls team called the 'Wildcats' and a boys team called 'Binfield FC'), each with their own grounds. There are several parks, including Jubilee Fields, which has recently been updated, and Pope's Meadow.
Alexander Pope
Pope was born to Alexander Pope Snr. (1646 – 1717) a linen merchant of Plough Court, Lombard Street, London, and Edith Pope (née Turner) (1643–1733), who were both Catholics.
Shortly after William and Mary became joint monarchs in 1689, Catholics were expelled from the City of London. The Popes moved up river to Hammersmith, but in 1700 they relocated to Binfield. There the principal manor house, Binfield Place, was held by the Catholic Dancastle family. The village was also only seven miles across the heath from Hall Grove, Bagshot in Surrey. This was the home of Magdalen Rackett, Mr Pope's daughter by his first wife.
It was through Magdalen's husband Charles Rackett that Pope had been able in 1698 to purchase Whitehill House, a small manor house in fourteen acres of land at Binfield. The house has been known successively as Binfield Lodge, The Firs and Arthurstone. Now much altered, and renamed Pope's Manor, it was the headquarters of the construction company Bryant Southern, who refurbished the then much negleted property.
But if Queen Anne was capable of acts of clemency towards individual Catholics, she showed no compromise to Catholics in general. In 1706 she made it a treasonable offence to convert anyone to Catholicism. She ordered the enforcement of the laws against Catholics and had a census made 'of the Number of Papists in every Parish, with their Qualities, Estates and Places of Abode'. The Catholic population of the Thames Valley area remained fairly static at about 1 per cent. In Berkshire, for example, there were 293 known or suspected Catholics. In the city of Oxford there were fourteen.
In the spring of 1714 Pope returned to his parents' home at Binfield from one of his frequent periods in London. With him came the poet Thomas Parnell, a charming Irish Anglican clergyman who was greatly liked by the Catholic household. Two months later Parnell revisited Binfield and from there he and Pope travelled to Letcombe Bassett (3 miles SW of Wantage).
In the spring of 1715 Alexander Pope paid his last visit to the family home at Binfield in Windsor Forest. Whitehill House, his parents' home, had been sold and a few weeks later they moved to Chiswick.
External links
- Binfield Online
- Royal Berkshire History: Binfield
- Binfield Village Protection Society
- Binfield Football Club
- Newbold College
- Newbold Seventh-day Adventist church
- Mountain Binfield Mountain Bike Club
- Binfield Cricket Club
- Binfield Badger Group
- Binfield Concert Band
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
