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| HER Number | MWB18256 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Site of The White Hart Inn, Theale |
|---|
Summary
Location of a coaching inn, demolished in 20th century prior to the construction of the M4 motorway
Monument Type(s):
- INN (19th century to Late 19th century - 1830 AD? to 1900 AD?)
Full Description
The White Hart was an isolated inn on the London to Bath Road east of Theale. It is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey mapping <1> as a beer house and on the Tilehurst enclosure map of 1817 <7>, and it existed apparently up until the construction of the M4 in the early 1970s <2> when it lay directly in the path of the motorway. It never lay within Theale parish even when the 19th century extent stretched towards Reading as the parish boundary ran along the Bath Road, and the inn was on the north side, in Tilehurst.
Murray's Guide of 1949 noted the building as of architectural interest, describing it as having "an unusual and sensible plan. Its two small wings are set at a right-angle, so that windows look up and down the Bath Road" <3>. The inn was apparently built in about 1830 <3>, and also lay at the junction of a road down from Pincents Farm and a brick yard. Historical pub research indicates that a public house with this name was in operation in 1830 (from Pigot's directory) <4>.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Landmark. 1872-85. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 1, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14341] |
| <02> | Ordnance Survey. 1971-89. Ordnance Survey Epoch 6, 1:2500. 1:2500. SU 6471 - 1974. [Map / SWB147952] |
| <03> | Betjeman, J and Piper, J (eds). 1949. Murray's Berkshire Architectural Guide. p146. [Monograph / SWB10404] |
| <04> | Wilding, K and Harris, S. Public Houses, Inns & Taverns of Berkshire. https://pubwiki.co.uk/Berkshire/. 18/12/2013. Theale, White Hart. [Website / SWB148574]
https://pubwiki.co.uk/Berkshire/ (Accessed 08/02/2021) |
| <05> | Gelling, M. 1973. The Place Names of Berkshire - Part One. English Place-Name Society Vol XLIX. p195. [Monograph / SWB10003] |
| <06> | The History of Tilehurst Group. 1997. The Tilehurst we remember - personal reminiscences. p33. [Monograph / SWB148878] |
| <07> | Various. 1738-1858. Berkshire Enclosure Maps - online as New Landscapes. http://www.berkshirenclosure.org.uk. Tilehurst 1817. [Map / SWB14663]
http://www.berkshirenclosure.org.uk (Accessed 08/02/2022) |
Related Monuments
| MWB5909 | A4 BATH ROAD - General Record (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
None recordedIf you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.
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