Spencers Wood

Infobox UK place
official_name= Spencers Wood
local_name=
country= England
region= South East England
static_

static_image_caption=
area_footnotes=
area_total_sq_mi=
area_total_km2 =
population=
population_density=
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map_type=
latitude= 51.3944
longitude= -0.9722
scale=
post_town= Reading
postcode_area= RG
postcode_district= RG7
postcode_district1=
dial_code= 0118
constituency_westminster= Wokingham
civil_parish= Shinfield
lieutenancy_england= Berkshire
unitary_england= Wokingham
hide_services=

Spencers Wood is a village in the civil parish of Shinfield, Berkshire, England, 4 miles south of Reading. An all-but defunct pronoun is "Spencers Wooder", which was used by children to distinguish themselves from children of neighbouring villages, such as the "Grazeleyites".

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History

The village was named after the le Despencer family — a Norman family — in the 13th century. Until about 1300, the village was part of the Royal Forest (Windsor Forest).

In the 13th century, Spencers Wood was administered by William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury and his court in Amesbury. Hence at that time Spencers Wood was part of Wiltshire (as was much of the surrounding area). Nearby Swallowfield was split between Wiltshire and Berkshire, with "Part Lane" marking the partition. In fact, it was only on 20 October 1844 that Spencers Wood and the surrounding areas became part of Berkshire. In 1860, most of the land, which was hitherto common land, was enclosed and separately acquired by two local gentlemen; the local philanthropist Frederick Allfrey, and William Merry, who was a County magistrate and a visiting magistrate to Reading Gaol, as well as Secretary at War Lord Palmerston's private secretary from 1812 to 1828.

By 1880, Spencers Wood had become a thriving village with a population of 600, 200 of whom were children. Most of the working men worked in the fields or were in domestic service. Victorian and Edwardian style houses were built along the Basingstoke Road using bricks baked at the local Swain family kiln. The Square became the heart of the village during this building period. Many of the houses still stand.

In spite of its growth, Spencers Wood was still split between the ecclesiastical parishes of Shinfield, Swallowfield and Grazeley. This changed in 1908 when the Church of St Michael and All Angels was consecrated. The boundaries were finally officially changed five years later, although some parts of the village were still in the ecclesiastical parish of Grazeley. Also on 1908, the local school was opened, which ended the necessary walk to Swallowfield's Russell Hall, Shinfield or Grazeley School. [Spencers Wood Local History Group, Our Village of Spencers Wood]

World War Two

Spencers Wood, being a rural community, was not too badly affected by the Blitz. Few German bombs fell in the area, which was just as well as the village has no air-raid shelters. One German plane was shot down locally.

Rationing also had little affect on the village as the majority of villagers were too poor to notice a real reduction in goods. Food was grown and caught locally as part of the dig for victory programme and the black-market was able to supply all excess demand.

The main impact of the war was the influx of people. Two coaches of evacuees arrived in the village in September 1939. Evacuee children and local children were educated separately until Christmas 1939. Canadian forces were stationed in the village for a while, and a small POW camp was opened after the Canadians relocated. Some POWs helped on the local farms. The village hall served as the Local Defence Volunteers headquarters. Basingstoke Road was the main road to Aldershot, and frequent troop convoys ran through the village.

After the war, many soldiers, evacuees and POWs decided to settle in the village, in addition to this, a baby boom helped the population of the village to grow.

Recent History

The first street lighting in the village was installed after the war.

In 1954, Spencers Wood Women's Institute was formed. It was quite successful, with 60 members at its height. It closed in the mid-1980s.

In the 1960s, the M4 Motorway was built and became a natural barrier between the village and Reading. In the 1980s, the A33 Swallowfield Bypass severed roads to the village of Grazeley.

Despite local opposition, many new houses have been constructed in the village in recent years.

Village Services

* "Double's Garage" is a petrol station and car mechanic on the Basingstoke Road. It is a business that has been family owned for over 100 years, which started out as a blacksmith and farrier in The Square, the centre of the village. Their original site still stands, although it will soon be replaced by two modern houses.

* "Reading Busses" and Hampshire company "Countywide Travel" both serve the village with a bus service. They are the latest of a plethora of bus companies to serve the village, which started with "Cordery's Garage". The prices of the earliest return tickets to Reading were 11d (approx 5p), although for just over double (2 shilling, exactly 10p) a weekly ticket was available. As of May 2008, a return ticket is ₤4.00, ₤1.10 more expensive than the neighbouring villages of Ryeish Green and Three Mile Cross.

* The Bakers, now "Warings", has always been a bakers. Although it is now part of a chain, the bread is still baked locally. Originally, it was one of three bakers in the village.

* The local library is part of "Wokingham Borough Council's Libraries". The building was originally an infants school.

* The local pub is called "The Farriers' Arms", although it was briefly called "The Cygnet" when it was purchased by the owner of "The Swan" (a pub in neighbouring Three Mile Cross). Before the Swallowfield Bypass was built, it was a popular place for coaches to stop on their way to the south coast, so much so that reservations were required. It is a very old business, although originally only a beer house. A full licence was granted after the First World War. In recent times, it has expanded to incorporate two adjacent cottages, making it significantly larger than the original beer house. Originally there were many more pubs in Spencers Wood.

* The "Hop Inn" is the local off-licence. The building was originally a pub called "The Cricketers", although it was one of the village butchers for a while.

* An Indian restaurant has recently arrived in the village. It is not the first Indian business to serve Spencers Wood, an Indian tablecloth and silk tie trader served the village before World War Two.

* A chemist now occupies the building that was "Harrisons Grocery Store and Provision Shop". During World War One, it was known as "Farleys". The existence of this chemist prohibits the majority of the village population from making use of the chemist at Swallowfield Surgery. [ [http://www.swallowfieldmedicalpractice.co.uk/FAQ.htm#Where%20can%20I%20get%20my%20medications FAQs ] ]

* The "Grovelands Garden Centre" was a family run business until 2006 when Dobbies Garden Centres took it over. Dobbies has since been bought by Tesco.

* The village Post Office is on the Basingstoke Road and is not threatened with closure as of 2008. It has been a post office since 1885, and was a manual telephone exchange until 1934. In November 1992 the post office was the scene of a bloodless armed robbery, no-one was arrested for the crime. The oldest surviving postbox in the village dates from King George V's reign.

* Two hairdressers serve the village. One used to be a "Harness Maker".

* The village has two areas with allotments.

Famous Residents

English comedian Lenny Henry CBE and his comedienne wife, Dawn French, live in Spencers Wood with their family.

References