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| HER Number | MWB20987 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Site of The Halfway Garages, Bath Road, Padworth |
|---|
Summary
Former location of a group of buildings around a mid 20th century garage serving traffic on the A4
Monument Type(s):
- GARAGE (Early to Mid 20th century to Late 20th century - Present - 1930 AD? to 1990 AD?)
- PETROL STATION (Early to Mid 20th century to Early 21st century - 1930 AD? to 2050 AD?)
Full Description
A visit report by BIAG in 1987 <1> records the Halfway Garage operating on this site; it was noted that like other garages on the Bath Road it was next to a public house (the Hare and Hounds). It may have derived its name from being halfway between Reading and Newbury. At the time of the 1987 visit the modern garage was still operating but the outbuildings were not used.
The garage is shown on the Fifth epoch OS map of 1970 <2>, and half of the complex of buildings is depicted on a sheet of the 4th Epoch of 1936 <3>. The business is described in a motoring history of the Kennet Valley <7>.
A planning application to redevelop the site was submitted in 2004, and an archaeological desk-based assessment was undertaken <4> although this focussed on the prehistoric and Roman potential of the land. The site visit in 2004 noted the buildings and forecourt of a petrol station, the buildings of a disused garage and a derelict house <4>. Aerial photographs of 2003 <5> and 2010 <6> show the residential complex replacing the mid 20th century buildings although a modern petrol station remains on the site.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group. 1966-1991. Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group Gazetteer of Industrial Sites & Monuments. 2023 WBC Network. OG141. [Unpublished document / SWB12762] |
| <02> | Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. Marked 'Garage'. [Map / SWB14665] |
| <03> | Ordnance Survey. c. 1930. Ordnance Survey Epoch 4. [Map / SWB14664] |
| <04> | Cotswold Archaeology. 2004. Halfway Garage, Padworth, Berkshire - Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment. CA Report 04044. 2005 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB14417] |
| <05> | GeoInformation Group. 08/04/2003. West Berkshire Council Aerial Survey 2003 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. 1:7000. [Photograph / SWB146766] |
| <06> | 2010. West Berkshire Council Aerial Survey 2010 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. [Photograph / SWB148137] |
| <07> | Day, R and Green, T. 2021. A Motoring History of the Kennet Valley
A Motoring History of the Kennet Valley. pp160-3, Illust. [Monograph / SWB150238]
https://countrysidebooks.co.uk/collections/most-popular-titles/products/motoring-history-of-the-kennet-valley?variant=42258625888430 (Accessed on 11/05/2022) |
Related Monuments
| MWB5909 | A4 BATH ROAD - General Record (Monument) |
| MWB20460 | Site of the Hare and Hounds, Bath Road, Beenham (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB176 | Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group Survey |
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