Hurst

Hurst originated from clearings within the Windsor Great Forest which were occupied by foresters. Later in the 13th and 14th century more clearings were made and, with the benefit of Royal Patronage, manor houses built. These large houses with their estates and workers' cottages created the framework of the modern village. This consists of scattered housing in a generally wooded area set within one of the largest parishes in the county. The diverse and attractive scenery punctuated by ponds and open fields has survived making Hurst a green lung in this fast growing part of Berkshire.

Housing and shops

The village shops are located at Wards Cross, in the centre to the village on the main road between Wokingham and Twyford. At the eastern end of the street is the Cross formed by the junction of School Road and Hinton Road and here is one of Hurst’s well known features: Townsend Pond. Several old manor houses lie to the north of Wards Cross and are reached via Hinton Road. Among these are Hinton House, Haines Hill and Stanlake Park, all of which feature in old texts relating to Hurst.

Village life

In the other direction is the school, village halls (managed by a Trust) and the church, which stands atop a small hill. A 12th Century flint stone chapel originally stood on this spot with the oldest part of the present church being the north aisle. Restoration work undertaken in 1855 uncovered evidence showing that soon after the year 1300 the main body of the church was added to and re-roofed. In the year 1612 a brick tower was added, giving the appearance we see today. Inside the church there is much to interest historians with the Elizabethan chancel screen, which carries the Royal Arms and an hour glass in a decorative wrought iron stand dated 1636 beside the handsome Jacobean pulpit. The main door is arched over by a fine yew tree and immediately opposite the church gate stand the almshouses.

Next to the almshouses stands the Castle Inn which renovations have shown to be part 14th century - a wattle and daub section of wall is preserved within the main bar. Beside the inn is the bowling green, again known to be very old, and pictures of W.G. Grace playing a match here are kept in the pub.

To the south west of the church are Hurst Grove and the hamlet of Davis Street.

Dinton Pastures Country Park

Lakes created by gravel extraction along the banks of the River Loddon have become part of the Borough Council’s Dinton Pastures Country Park, where there are facilities for golf, sailing, fishing, bird watching and walking. The River Loddon forms the western boundary of the parish and there is a riverside path from Dinton Pastures to an historic part of the parish, Whistley Green. Records show that this area of the village was of major importance over 1000 years ago. It was under the control of the Abbot of Abingdon in 968 and had been populated well before that. A major manor house stood near the river and was known as Whistley Court Mansion. This was demolished in the mid-19th century and now gravel workings have removed any trace of the past. Now the river flows through an area of reclaimed land offering fishing and walks on public footpaths.

A network of public footpaths criss-crosses the parish, providing a most pleasant way of sightseeing. Many of these paths are centuries old linking the disparate communities well before the advent of the road system. The Borough Council is responsible for ensuring that these footways and many bridleways remain usable.  The Parish Council is responsible for Townsend Pond and the nearby School Road Playing Field.  The Parish Council also maintain a Playing Field in Davis Street.  A cricket pitch and football playing fields are available due to the generosity of the owners of Hurst Lodge and Haines Hill House respectively.

View an interactive map of Hurst for more details.