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Summary

Linear hamlet of mainly 19th century estate buildings, but with earlier origins

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Conservation Area: Benham Park
• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000173: Benham Park

Monument Type(s):

• HAMLET (Mid 18th - Mid 19th century to Early 21st century - 1750 AD to 2050 AD)

Full Description

Marsh Benham is shown on Rocque's map of 1761 <1> as a linear settlement on the south side of the road, to the southwest of Benham Park. The Ordnance Survey First Edition map of 1880 <2> shows several dwelling within a narrow strip about 950m in length. The revised Pevsner guide <3> notes 'mid-Victorian estate cottages grouped around a courtyard', presumably referring to the three buildings at 97-98, 99-101 and 102-103 Marsh Benham.

The hamlet includes a stud farm (very early 20th century), many estate cottages and the Red House public house. This thatched building is first named as a beer house on the OS Second Epoch map of 1899 <4>, but its appearance suggests that it may be older than many of the estate cottages.

Apart from the timber framed former Manor House, there are no designated buildings within this historic settlement. The eastern end lies within the Conservation Area of Benham Park, but is outside the Registered Park of the same name.

A gazetteer of markets and fairs <5> suggests Marsh Benham as the location of a market granted by King John in 1200 to Hugh de Nevill at an unidentified place in Berkshire. The market seems likely to have been within the Benham estate.

A Dame School for infants existed at Marsh Benham in the 1870s though its location is unclear; however a field on the Benham Estate is known as 'School Garden' <6>.

One of the Speen enclosure maps of 1780 <7> provides detailed outlines of all the buildings at 'Benham Marsh', a strip of land which stretches from from a crossroads in the east into Benham Park (though there is no indication on this document of the park's extent at this time). Only a few buildings (The Red House, an unnamed farm and the old Manor House) appear to have approximately the same outline by the late 19th century <2>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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