HeritageGateway - Home
Site Map
Text size: A A A
You are here: Home > > > > West Berkshire HER Result
West Berkshire HERPrintable version | About West Berkshire HER | Visit West Berkshire HER online...

West Berkshire HER logo

The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our online HER enquiry form.



HER Number MWB17476
Record Type Monument
Name Site of Wokefield Park Farm, also called St Benedicts Farm

Grid Reference SU 674 656
Map Sheet SU66NE
Parish Wokefield, West Berkshire
Map:Show location on Streetmap

Summary

Historic farmstead within an estate, documented in the 19th century and redeveloped in the late 20th century as part of a hotel and golf club

Monument Type(s):

  • FARMSTEAD (Victorian to Late 19th century - 1840 AD (pre) to 1880 AD (pre))

Full Description

This estate farm within Wokefield Park is recorded on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map <1> as noted during a 2005 survey of West Berkshire's historic farmsteads <2>. It is also depicted on the mid 19th century tithe map <5>. In 1872 it consisted of a regular rectangular courtyard with several rows of small pens, sited about 130m to the southeast of the mansion of Wokefield Park. A farmhouse lay a short distance to the east of the yard <1>. The yard was partially demolished by the end of the 19th century with a new shelter shed and pens built further east <3>, and many more buildings had been added by 1970 <4> when it had been renamed St Benedict's Farm. This was in line with the name of the school which occupied Wokefield Park from 1932.

A planning application in 1989 <5> sought to redevelop St Benedicts Farm as a training and conference centre, along with the creation of a new golf course. It appears that all the farm buildings were eventually demolished, although the layout of the conference suites followed the footings of the farmstead.

Sources and further reading

<01>Landmark. 1872-85. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 1, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 1:2500. Marked but not named. [Map / SWB14341]
<02>Orr, S. 2005. West Berkshire Historic Farm Buildings - An Assessment of the Resource and Guidelines for Management. [Unpublished document / SWB14474]
<03>Landmark. 1899-1900. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 2, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14455]
<04>Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. Marked 'St Benedicts Farm'. [Map / SWB14665]
<05>1840. Stratfield Mortimer Tithe Map. [Map / SWB150027]
http://ww2.berkshirenclosure.org.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DD1%2f120%2f1 (Accessed 10/02/2022)
<06>Newbury District Council. 1974-2000. Newbury District Council Planning Applications 1974-2000. 89/34691/ADD. [Index / SWB148104]
<07>Horvarth, J and Cook, P. ?. The History of Wokefield Park. [Monograph / SWB14250]
<08>Jackson Stops and Staff?. 1936. Sales Particulars: The Wokefield Park Estate. ?. [Unpublished document / SWB148871]

Related Monuments

MWB16188Wokefield Park (formerly Oakfield Park) (Landscape)
MWB15997Wokefield Park (House) (Building)

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

EWB1005SPAB Domesday Survey of Barns