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Hampstead NorreysThe attractive little village of Hampstead Norreys lies in the valley of the upper part of the River Pang. In the centre of the village near the phone box and pub is the Grade II listed Parish Well which is complete with the pump mechanism for withdrawing water and is enclosed in an Oak four sided structure with tiled roof. The parish church, situated in the centre of the village, is St. Mary's. The building is substantially 12th century but additions and alterations were made in the 15th and 19th centuries.
Once a centre for Norman goldsmithing, there are still the remains of a Norman motte and bailey castle just outside the village. Nearby there are Bronze Age burial mounds as well as sites of Roman villas and settlements on the slopes above the river. Just outside the village to the east is Wyld Court, home to The Living Rainforest, an indoor glass house tropical rainforest with plants, animals and butterflies. A little to the north of Wyld Court is the site of RAF Hampstead Norreys, a WW2 military airfield which was host to a small number of squadrons of Wellington bombers. Many sorties were flown into occupied France from here as well as pilots being trained to fly Wellington Bombers, Lysanders and Gliders. Hampstead Norris railway station was a minor halt on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway for about half a century until 1962. The route of the line is still evident either side of the village but part of the former track through the village has now been lost under development. Hampstead Norreys is 7 miles north-east of Newbury on the B4009. |
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