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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 MWB5968
Record Type Monument
Name A4 BATH ROAD, Holybrook parish to Reading

Grid Reference SU 666 719
Map Sheet SU67SE
Parish Holybrook, West Berkshire
Map:Show location on Streetmap

Summary

Section of probable medieval road, turnpiked in 1714

Other Statuses and Cross-References

  • Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 05052.26.000

Monument Type(s):

  • ROAD (ROAD:SECTION, Medieval to 17th century - 1066 AD? to 1700 AD)
  • TOLL ROAD (Late 19th century - 1871 AD to 1900 AD)

Full Description

The first Turnpike Trust in Berkshire was in 1714 for seven miles of the Bath Road from Reading to Theale <2>. Rosevear <3> lists the main Turnpike Trusts of the Bath Road in West Berkshire as Speenhamland to Marlborough in 1726 and Speenhamland to Reading in 1728. The Trust expired in 1872.

Various monuments survive along the 18th century coaching route between London and Bath such as milestones <4> and water pumps, spaced at approximate half mile intervals <5>.

Sources and further reading

<01>Roberts, C. 1941. And So To Bath. [Monograph / SWB147351]
<02>Dils, J (ed). 1998. An Historical Atlas of Berkshire. p68-69 The Roads of Berkshire by Brian Boulter. [Monograph / SWB13916]
<03>Rosevear, A. 2008. Turnpike Roads in England. http://www.turnpikes.org.uk. 26/04/2010. [Website / SWB147831]
http://www.turnpikes.org.uk (Accessed 31/12/2021 using Internet Explorer)
<04>The Milestone Society. 2001-Present. Database of Milestones in West Berkshire. General reference. [Digital archive / SWB14453]
http://www.msocrepository.co.uk/ (Accessed 09/10/2019)
<05>Phillips, D. 1983. The Great Road to Bath. [Monograph / SWB147800]

Related Monuments

MWB5909A4 BATH ROAD - General Record (Monument)

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

  • None recorded