Tilehurst

The name Tilehurst comes from the Old English "tigel" meaning "tile" and "hurst" meaning "wooded hill". Alternative spellings have included Tygelhurst (13th century), Tyghelhurst (14th century), and Tylehurst (16th century). The present spelling became commonplace in the 18th century. == History ==

Tilehurst was first recorded in 1291, when it was listed as a hamlet of Reading in Pope Nicholas III's taxation. At this time, the settlement was under the ownership of Reading Abbey, where it stayed until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. After Child sold the estate to the Blagraves, he was reluctant to leave the house. The manor was retained by the Blagrave family until the 1920s, after which it served as the clubhouse for the estate's golf course and was later converted into apartments. The manor of Kentwood was owned by Peter Vanlore, before passing through the Kentwood family (taking their name from the manor itself), the Swafield family, the Yate family, the Fettiplace family and the Dunch family. The Great Western Main Line was built through Berkshire in 1841; railway station opened in 1882. In the 1920s and 30s, many new houses were built in Tilehurst, particularly semi-detached residences. This gave the need for improved utilities; electricity arrived in the 1920s (replacing the gas that fuelled the area from 1906) and Tilehurst Water Tower was built in 1932. After World War II, Tilehurst—like many other settlements—was in need of new housing; from 1950, many houses and estates were built in the area. In the mid-1960s, a prominent Victorian character property, Westwood House with some five acres of open grounds was demolished as part of the ever pressing need for new housing. This site was positioned between Westwood Road and Pierce's Hill and had served well as a venue for occasional local social events. == Governance ==

Tilehurst is divided between the civil parish of Tilehurst in the district of West Berkshire and the electoral wards of Tilehurst and Kentwood (where Tilehurst railway station is located) in the borough of Reading. There are now four ecclesiastical parishes with Tilehurst in their names: Tilehurst St Catherine and Calcot St Birinus, Tilehurst St George, Tilehurst St Mary Magdalen and Tilehurst St Michael (the latter church being the original parish church). Administrative history Tilehurst was an ancient parish. It historically included Theale to the south-west and also extended eastwards towards Reading as far as the Reading Union Workhouse (which later became Battle Hospital) on Oxford Road, and included Prospect Park. Theale became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1832, The eastern end of the parish of Tilehurst around the workhouse and Prospect Park was incorporated into the borough of Reading in September 1887. The civil parish boundary was adjusted to match the new borough boundary eighteen months later in March 1889, with the part of Tilehurst in the borough of Reading being transferred to the civil parish of Reading St Mary. A much larger part of Tilehurst was transferred to the borough of Reading in 1911, including the main village around Tilehurst Triangle (then also known as Tilehurst Common) and Tilehurst's parish church of St Michael at Churchend. The civil parish of Tilehurst was reduced as part of the 1911 changes to just cover the then largely rural west of the old parish that was not incorporated into the borough of Reading. The government decided instead to leave Reading's boundaries unchanged from when they had last been reviewed in 1911, placing the Tilehurst civil parish in Newbury district, which became West Berkshire in 1998. == Geography ==

near to Tilehurst. Appletree Eyot can be seen in the distance Tilehurst is situated on a hill (approximately AMSL), to the west of Reading. The land is steep to the west and south of the village; the gradient is smoother north (towards the River Thames) and east (descending towards Reading). Tilehurst has four local nature reserves called Blundells Copse, Lousehill Copse, McIlroy Park & Round Copse. == Demography ==

For Tilehurst Ward in Reading, the 2011 census recorded 9,185 residents in the ward and an area of . In the 2001 census there were 14,683 residents in the parish of Tilehurst Without. == Economy ==

Until the late 19th century, the majority of working men in Tilehurst were employed in farming or similar agricultural work. this was shown on a 1942 map of the area as an "aerial cable" running from the clay pit in Kentwood to Grovelands works approximately away. The cable was also included on the 1940s Ordnance Survey New Popular Edition maps, labelled as an "aerial ropeway". An 1883 Ordnance Survey map of Berkshire shows a number of kilns in the Grovelands area (on the present-day Colliers Way estate) and one in Norcot near the present-day Lawrence Road. The latter was more specifically named in the 1899 Pre-WWII 1:2,500 scale Berkshire map as "Norcot Kiln, Brick and Tile Works". By the 1920s, Tilehurst Potteries had been formally established at Kew Kiln on Kentwood Hill. By the 1960s, clay business had waned and the pits were closed in 1967. == Architecture ==

The architecture of Tilehurst ranges from 19th century thatched cottages (built using bricks from the Tilehurst kilns) are common in the area; streets such as Blundells Road and Norcot Road display this type of architecture. As the area expanded, a huge number of semi-detached dwellings were built in the mid-20th century, in areas such as St Michael's Road (1930s) Examples of unique architecture in Tilehurst include two water towers: Tilehurst Water Tower is a 1932 concrete building, open octagonal in design with arcading supporting a cylindrical drum; Norcot Water Tower is an 1890s brick building with tiered blind arcading. The north and south faces feature Doric and Ionic order porticos respectively. == Culture ==

Tilehurst has a horticultural society which holds a produce show annually in August. The village has few establishments for performing arts, as most are provided in Reading. An amateur dramatics society, the Triangle Players, is based in the village. A branch of the Allenova School of Dancing is also situated in Tilehurst. Tilehurst Square Dance Club draws dancers from Reading and beyond and has been operating since 1989. == Transport ==

Tilehurst railway station is located at the northern edge of the suburb. It is served regular Great Western Railway services between , Reading and London Paddington on the Great Western Main Line. Journey times are approximately 54 minutes to London, five minutes to Reading and 20 minutes to Didcot. Connections to the south and south-west via the Reading to Taunton Line and the Reading to Basingstoke Line are made by changing at Reading. Reading Buses services 15, 15a, 16, 17, 18 and 33 (with the 85, 86 and 87 serving Little Heath School) serve Tilehurst, connecting the village to Reading, Purley and Theale. Tilehurst is bordered by two major roads: to the north by the A329 (connecting the village to Reading and Pangbourne) and to the south by the A4 (connecting the village to Reading and Theale). == Education ==

Tilehurst is served by two comprehensive secondary schools: Denefield School and Little Heath School. The catchment areas of King's Academy Prospect and Theale Green Community School also cover parts of Tilehurst. Tilehurst is served by Brookfields School, a special school catering for students with moderate, severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities. Primary education in Tilehurst includes Birch Copse Primary School, Downsway Primary School, Long Lane Primary School, English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Moorlands Primary School, Park Lane Primary School, Ranikhet Primary School, St Michael's Primary School, St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Springfield Primary School, Meadow Park Academy, Westwood Farm Infant School and Westwood Farm Junior School. == Places of worship ==

Tilehurst has a number of religious buildings covering numerous denominations: • The Church of St Michael, situated centrally in the parish, is a brick church with a square tower. replacing an earlier church thought to have been built in 1189. • The Anglican church of St Catherine of Siena was built in the Little Heath area of Tilehurst from 1962 to 1964. • A Methodist church is near the village centre, and a Latter-day Saints church opened in Tilehurst in the 1970s. • Tilehurst also has a United Reformed Church (built on the site of an early 19th-century Congregational Chapel and Anglican churches dedicated to St George and St Mary Magdalen. central Reading, and East Reading respectively. == Sport ==

Tilehurst has been represented in numerous sports for over a century: • Tilehurst Cricket Club has existed since at least 1883. The club originally played on Church End Lane. While the exact location of the ground is unknown, it is likely that it was on a recreation ground behind the present-day Moorlands School. Victoria Recreation Ground was established in 1897 and the cricket club began using the new park as their ground at some point after this. The club joined the Reading and District Cricket League in 1900; the Reading Chronicle reported on the club's first game—a loss to nearby Grovelands CC—by saying: "Tilehurst were but poorly represented, several of their best players not having signed the required fourteen days and they had to play ten men only". Tilehurst Panthers and Westwood Wanderers. Barton Rovers, established in 1982, are based at Turnham's Farm, Little Heath. • Tilehurst Panthers, established in 2006, are a ladies team based at Denefield School and the Cotswold Sports Centre. • Westwood Wanderers were established in 1972 and are a men's team based at the Cotswold Sports Centre. The team play their home matches at Denefield School. • Reading Racers were based at Reading Greyhound Stadium from 1968 until the stadium's demolition in 1975. The team then moved to Smallmead Stadium, south of Reading. == Notable residents ==

• Bryan Adams, musician, lived in Tilehurst in the 1960s while his father was stationed in the United Kingdom • Jacqueline Bisset, actress, grew up in Tilehurst in a 17th-century country cottage, where she now lives part of the year • Kenneth Branagh, actor, attended Meadway School in the 1970s • Tim Dinsdale, searcher for the Loch Ness Monster. • Mike Oldfield, musician, grew up in Tilehurst • Zac Purchase, Olympic gold medal winning rower, lived on the Dee Road estate • Ayrton Senna, Formula 1 driver, lived on the Pottery Road estate in the 1980s • Sir Peter Vanlore (1547–1627) bought Tilehurst Manor and lived there with his wife Lady Jacoba van Loor (daughter of Henri Thibault). == References ==