| Lower Basildon | |
|---|---|
 Typical Building Style | |
  Lower Basildon Location withinBerkshire | |
| OS grid reference | SU609787 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | READING |
| Postcode district | RG8 |
| Dialling code | 01491 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°30′14″N1°07′26″W / 51.50396°N 1.12397°W /51.50396; -1.12397 | |
Lower Basildon is a small English village in thecivil parish ofBasildon, nearPangbourne, in the county ofBerkshire.
Upper Basildon has a sub-post office (located in St Stephen's Church) and a pub-restaurant,The Red Lion.[1] Lower Basildon currently has a garage/shop and a motor repair business.
The village is covered only by a Tuesday bus service running betweenGoring-on-Thames and Reading. The nearest railway station isGoring and Streatley (2.6 miles; 4.2 km) which offers stopping trains betweenDidcot andLondon Paddington. The mainA329 road connects the village with Goring and Reading.
To the south-east of the village there is a wildlife garden,Beale Park.[2]
The 15th centuryparish church ofSt Bartholomew stands at the end of Church Lane, down by the River Thames.[3]
The remains of a modestRoman villa were discovered near the church in 1839 during the construction of theGreat Western Railway but nothing of the villa remains to be seen today. It housed two beautifulmosaic floors, which were unfortunately destroyed very soon after being found. A drawing of one was made by the antiquarian,Charles Roach Smith.[3]
The village is well known locally for the presence of a row of early 20th century timber-framed 'black-and-white' houses on its western side. However, only one of these possesses a true timber frame. The remainder are built of brick, and clad with timber to resemble framing. These had been specifically commissioned as workers' cottages for Basildon Park.[3]
Basildon Grotto, or The Grotto House, is located 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the west of the village on the road toStreatley. The original Grotto was built in 1720 and consisted of a rock chamber filled with shells and a rock pool. This summer house was extended at the beginning of the 19th century by Arthur Smith MP to form a large mansion.[4] Until about 2007, it was the headquarters of the Institute for Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM). Although sold to a new owner, it remains empty, fire-damaged and ruinous.[5][6]
TheNational Trust property, Basildon Park, occupies the space between the villages of Lower andUpper Basildon.[3]
In birth order:
