| Newtown |
| Newtown is a common name all over the
country and often there are several in just one small area, but this
particular one lies on the south of the River Enborne and has Greenham
Common one one side of a busy main road, it is also attached to
Burghclere in some ways.
The crossing of the river by the A34 let Newtown to become a market and trading centre for travellers and a mill was built here for processing wool. The Swan Inn which stands on a junction just before climbing up into Newbury was once a coaching inn that had a tollgate and it is still a thriving concern, even more accessible now that Newbury has a bypass taking all the heavy trucks away from the area. Sandeford is a part of Newtown and lies on the Berkshire side of the river and it had a new priory there in the 13th century and the monks ran a farm and a weaving business. During the 18th century it was largely rebuilt and after being a wartime hospital it was converted into a school for girls. St Mary and St John the Baptist church was constructed
in 1865 and runs its own hall and other activities which have turned out
to be popular with the villagers. |
