Warfield

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For other uses, see Warfield (Disambiguation).

Warfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It is part of the unitary authority of Bracknell Forest.

[edit] Geography

Warfield is a mostly rural parish made up of a number of small settlements. Warfield Village proper consists of the few houses around the parish church in the centre of the parish, but the West End, Newell Green, Warfield Street and Hayley Green area just to the south is generally referred to as 'Warfield'. To the north are the hamlets of Hawthorn Hill, Jealott's Hill, Moss End and Nuptown. In the south of the old parish, Wick Hill and Priestwood were amongst the earliest suburbs of the new town of Bracknell, in which parish they now lie. The High Street area of Bracknell itself was originally in Warfield parish. Warfield Park is an area of residential park homes. New housing developments in Warfield have taken place since the 1980s and include Whitegrove (also known as 'Warfield Green'), Quelm Park and Lawrence Hill.

The stream known as The Cut runs through the centre of the parish, eventually joining the River Thames at Bray. The Bull Brook runs into The Cut, just south-east of the church. There are a number of small ponds and other bodies of water in the parish, notably the ominously named 'Drown Boy Pond' at Jealott's Hill and the lake at Warfield Park. There were springs in the Holly Spring area. Cabbage Hill is perhaps the largest hill in the parish, from which there are excellent views of Bracknell.

[edit] Local government

As well as being administered by the unitary authority of Bracknell Forest, Warfield has a parish council consisting of thirteen councillors. There is also a Warfield Action Group.

[edit] History

Warfield was originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement and is recorded in the Domesday Book. The name means 'Wren's Field'. The medieval church is one of the finest in Berkshire, particularly noted for its Decorated Period chancel with beautiful carvings and 'Green Men'. There are several memorials to the Stavertons who lived at the old manor house in the moat at Hayley Green. This was replaced, in the Georgian period, by Warfield House alias Warfield Grove, the home of Admiral Sir George Bowyer and, later, the political writer, Sir John Coxe Hippisley. Another fine old country house was Warfield Park. In the 18th century, it was the home of John Walsh, the Secretary to Lord Clive and an amateur scientist, and later to his descendants the Lords Ormathwaite. It was pulled down in 1955. There was formerly much brickworking in the south of the parish, most notably under the Lawrence family who made the bricks for 10 Downing Street there. The last of the brickworks were pulled down in the 1990s to make way for the housing development, Lawrence Hill. A memorial to the brickworks was put in place near the original site.

[edit] Transport

The main road through Warfield is the B3034, from Brookside to Bill Hill. Warfield is served by bus routes 53, 53A, 153, 162 and 192, run by First Group.

[edit] Education

Building Blocks Nursery
Paws Nursery
Plus Three Nursery
Possums Nursery
Warfield CofE Primary School
Whitegrove Primary School
Sandy Lane Primary School
Meadowbrook Montessori School

[edit] Sport and leisure

Frost Folly Country Park
The Library is in Whitegrove
Memorial Ground and Play Area
Rainbows and Brownies at the Brownlow Hall
Six pubs: The Three Legged Cross, the New Leathern Bottle, the Shepherd's House, the Plough and Harrow, the Cricketers, the Yorkshire Rose
Warfield Archery Club
Warfield Cricket Club
Warfield Players
Warfield Women's Institute
Warfield Fete each Summer
Warfield Produce Show held annually
Warfield Pumpkin Show every September at the Plough and Harrow
Whitegrove Summer (July) and Christmas Fete (Dec) held every year