| Checkendon | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Checkendon Location withinOxfordshire | |
| Area | 9.85 km2 (3.80 sq mi) |
| Population | 493 (2011 census)[1] |
| • Density | 50/km2 (130/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU6683 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Reading |
| Postcode district | RG8 |
| Dialling code | 01491 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
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Checkendon is a village andcivil parish about 6 miles (10 km) west ofHenley-on-Thames inSouth Oxfordshire and about 9 miles (14 km) north west ofReading inBerkshire on a mid-height swathe of theChilterns.
The parish records exist from the 7th century. The village is listed in theDomesday Book of 1086 as Cecadene (Old English for "Ceaca's hill or hill-pasture"). The parish covers about 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) and lies between 150 metres (490 ft) and 170 metres (560 ft) above sea level.[2] AfterWorld War II Checkendon hosted aNational Assistance Board camp forPolish war refugees displaced fromMiddle East andAfrica. The camp, located on the outskirts of Checkendon, was opened in 1948 and offered accommodation inNissen huts. It was closed in the early 1960s.[3][4]
TheChurch of England parish church ofSaint Peter and Saint Paul is a 12th-centuryNorman building. All but one of the windows were replaced later in theMiddle Ages withDecorated Gothic andPerpendicular Gothic ones, and the Perpendicular Gothic westtower is also a later addition.[5] The building isGrade I listed.[6] The church has an early 13th-centurywall painting ofChrist in Majesty above a procession ofApostles. The murals were faithfully repainted when they were rediscovered, but more recently this has been considered over-restoration.[7]
Thebell tower has aring of eight bells. Four were cast by Lester and Pack of theWhitechapel Bell Foundry in 1765, two were cast in 1879 by Mears and Stainbank also of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and two more also cast by Mears and Stainbank were added in 1967.[8] Theturret clock is by Tucker of London, dated 1853.[9]Saint Peter and Saint Paul parish is now a member of The Langtree Team Ministry: aChurch of Englandbenefice that also includes the parishes ofIpsden,North Stoke,Stoke Row,Whitchurch-on-Thames andWoodcote.[10] The war artistEric Kennington (1888–1960), who was churchwarden, is buried here.
Checkendon has aChurch of England primary school.[11] Checkendon also has avillage green with a playground. The village had twopubs: the 15th-century Four Horseshoes[12] within the village and the 17th-century Highwayman[13] to the south in the nearby hamlet ofExlade Street. The Four Horseshoes closed and in 2014 the landlordBrakspear was given permission to convert the pub into a post office. This never transpired, however, and in 2018 the pub company successfully applied to convert the property into residential accommodation. The property was eventually sold in January 2022.[14]
There is also the Black Horse public house at Scots Common.[15] Checkendon has anequestrian centre located on Lovegroves Lane.[16] CheckendonCricket Club[17] plays in the Berkshire Cricket League First Division.[18]
North of the village, in the 19th-centuryWheelers Barn, isPhilip Koomen Furniture, producing modern bespoke wooden furniture.[19] TheHook End Recording Studios, where bands such asMarillion,the Cure and theManic Street Preachers have made albums, are in the manor house at nearby Hook End.[20][21][22] Near the edge of the village, on public display, is the statueNuba Survival byJohn Buckley, created in 2001.[23]
No bus routes serve Checkendon: The nearest bus services are found inWoodcote.
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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