Newbury
Newbury is an old market town in Berkshire on the River Kennet, and 16 miles from Reading. It became prosperous through the cloth trade.
There was a Saxon settlement here, and the Normans built a castle, of which no trace remains.
St. Nicholas` Church dates from the 15th century.
The Kennet and Avon Canal has its first lock in the town.
The Cloth Hall, dating from the 1620s, houses the Newbury and District Museum.
Jack of Newbury, a local clothier, led 150 men to the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He had been asked to privide six men.
There were two battles at Newbury in the Civil War, in 1643 and 1644.
Newbury was the last town in England to use the stocks, in 1872.
Newbury Racecourse is situated to the East of the town, and was established in 1905.
Persons born in Newbury include Richard Adams, author of "Watership Down"; and Alastair Pilkington, glass manufacturer.
The building of the Newbury Bypass in the 2990s, essential though it was for the town, sparked off many protests because of its destruction of environmentally important land.
Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby is available to lead Guided Walks around Newbury for groups.