Arborfield

The village of Arborfield is centred around the junction at Arborfield Cross.

The Church

Near to the site of Arborfield House, once the seat of the Standen family, stands the ruins of a 13th century church, which used to contain a rare type of font carved from a solid block of wood with an oak cover. This font, together with a stained glass window, has been removed to the present parish church, which lies between the River Loddon and the village. The new church also contains an 18th century tomb upon which lie the alabaster figures of Edward Standen, his wife and one of their children.

Arborfield Hall, which has since been demolished, was immortalised as the ‘Old House at Aberleigh’ in Miss Mitford’s Our Village.

Bear Wood Park

The parish includes the estate of Bear Wood, with an extensive and well-wooded park, a 40 acre lake and a Victorian mansion, now occupied by Bearwood College.

The estate was formerly the home of John Walter, who established The Times newspaper (then called the Daily Universal Register) in 1788. His grandson perfected the invention of the first high-speed machinery to produce newspapers from continuous reel.

The parish is the home of two permanent Army training establishments, which also extend into the parish of Barkham.

See our community facilities page for details of local clubs, societies and community halls.

Local publications

The Arborfield News is a bi-monthly publication delivered free to every property within the parish of Arborfield and Newland. It is packed with information including reports from local clubs, future events, Parish Council news and adverts for local traders. Further information can be obtained from the Parish office.

View an interactive maps of Arborfield for more details.