Compton, Berkshire

Compton
Compton
	; Medieval church of the ecclesiastical parish of Compton, dedicated to St Mary and St Nicholas
	; Fields of barley with narrow roadside hedgerows cover a large portion of Compton.
	Compton Location within Berkshire
Area	15.02 km2 (5.80 sq mi)
Population	1,571 (2011 census)
• Density	105/km2 (270/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SU5279
Civil parish	Compton;
Unitary authority	West Berkshire;
Ceremonial county	Berkshire;
Region	South East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Newbury
Postcode district	RG20
Dialling code	01635
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Newbury;
Website	Compton Parish Council
	List of places UK England Berkshire 51°30′54″N 1°15′11″W / 51.515°N 1.253°WCoordinates: 51°30′54″N 1°15′11″W / 51.515°N 1.253°W

Compton is a village and civil parish in the River Pang valley in the Berkshire Downs about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Didcot which is buffered from neighbouring settlements by cultivated fields to all sides. The village is in a gently-sloped dry valley and the fledgling Pang seasonally enters from the north west and discharges in the south east and may be joined at the centre of the village by the Roden from the North, when winter bournes rise to fill their channels. Elevations vary from 95 to 155m AOD.

Parish church[]

The bell tower of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas was built in the 13th century^[2] and has Perpendicular Gothic features^[2] that were added in the 15th century.^[3] In 1850 the nave and chancel were modernised^[3] or rebuilt^[2] and in 1905 the Gothic Revival architect John Oldrid Scott added the north aisle.^[2]

Transport[]

Former railway[]

In 1882 the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was completed through the parish and Compton railway station was opened. British Railways withdrew passenger services from the line and closed Compton station in 1962. BR had closed Compton goods yard by 1964. Through freight traffic was withdrawn in 1964 and the line was closed and dismantled during 1967.

Bus service[]

From 18 February 2013, Compton is served by Newbury and District bus services 6 and 6A from Newbury.^[4]

Amenities and economy[]

The academically successful The Downs School local authority secondary school is in Compton. In the 21st century its Science building was built, named The Hubble after American astro-physicist Edwin Hubble. The Primary School, Compton Church of England Primary School is located on School Road. The School emblem is a stag.

The Institute for Animal Health is at Compton. Substantial portions of the BBC Television series Trainer were filmed in and around Compton and the next nearest village, East Ilsley.

The village is also known as where footballer Theo Walcott grew up as he went to Compton Primary School and The Downs School.

Industry[]

Despite Compton being a small village, in 2006 it became the founding place of a chemical manufacturing company called Carbosynth. Since 2019, it has merged with a Swiss company called Biosynth AG to form a key global organisation within the fine chemical industry and now operates under name Biosynth Carbosynth^®.^[5]

Geography[]

Compton has a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) just to the south west of the village, called Ashridge Wood.^[6]

Demography[]

**2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005^[1]**
Output area	Homes owned outright	Owned with a loan	Socially rented	Privately rented	Other	km² roads	km² water	km² domestic gardens	Usual residents	km²
Civil parish	147	239	134	68	10	0.122	0.011	0.300	1571	15.02

Nearest places[]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Pevsner, 1965, page 120
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Page & Ditchfield, 1925, pages 15-21
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Biosynth Carbosynth".
^ "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2017.

Sources[]

Page, William; Ditchfield, P.H., eds. (1924). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 4. pp. 15–21.
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). The Buildings of England: Berkshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 120–121.

External links[]

[ons-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005

[Pevsner-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Pevsner, 1965, page 120

[Page-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Page & Ditchfield, 1925, pages 15-21

[4] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[5] "Biosynth Carbosynth".

[6] "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2017.

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show v t Settlements in West Berkshire
Towns	Hungerford Newbury Thatcham (All are civil parishes and have town councils)
Civil parishes	Aldermaston Aldworth Ashampstead Basildon Beech Hill Beedon Beenham Boxford Bradfield Brightwalton Brimpton Bucklebury Burghfield Catmore Chaddleworth Chieveley Cold Ash Combe Compton East Garston East Ilsley Enborne Englefield Farnborough Fawley Frilsham Great Shefford Greenham Hampstead Marshall Hampstead Norreys Hermitage Holybrook Inkpen Kintbury Lambourn Leckhampstead Midgham Padworth Pangbourne Peasemore Purley on Thames Shaw-cum-Donnington Speen Stanford Dingley Stratfield Mortimer Streatley Sulham Sulhamstead Theale Tidmarsh Tilehurst Ufton Nervet Wasing Welford West Woodhay West Ilsley Winterbourne Wokefield Woolhampton Yattendon
Other villages and hamlets	Aldermaston Wharf Ashmore Green Avington Bagnor Beansheaf Farm Beedon Common Benham Hill Bloomfield Hatch Brightwalton Green Brimpton Common Burghfield Bridge Burnt Hill Calcot Chapel Row Colthrop Crockham Heath Crookham Donnington Eastbury Eddington Elcot Eling Enborne Row Fords Farm Goddard's Green Halfway Heads Hill Hell Corner Hoe Benham Honey Bottom Hungerford Newtown Hunts Green Hyde End Inkpen Common Lambourn Woodlands Little Heath Lower Basildon Lower Denford Lower Padworth Marlston Marsh Benham Midgham Green Mortimer/Mortimer Common Ownham Padworth Common Shaw Shefford Woodlands Snelsmore South Fawley Stockcross Tilehurst Upper Basildon Upper Denford Upper Eddington Upper Lambourn Upper Woolhampton Wash Common Wash Water Weston Wickham Wickham Heath Woodlands St Mary Woodspeen World's End

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National libraries	United States

Compton
Medieval church of the ecclesiastical parish of Compton, dedicated to St Mary and St Nicholas
Fields of barley with narrow roadside hedgerows cover a large portion of Compton.
Compton Location within Berkshire
Area	15.02 km² (5.80 sq mi)
Population	1,571 (2011 census)^[1]
• Density	105/km² (270/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SU5279
Civil parish	Compton
Unitary authority	West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Newbury
Postcode district	RG20
Dialling code	01635

Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central

UK Parliament	Newbury
Website	Compton Parish Council
List of places UK England Berkshire 51°30′54″N 1°15′11″W / 51.515°N 1.253°W / 51.515; -1.253Coordinates: 51°30′54″N 1°15′11″W / 51.515°N 1.253°W / 51.515; -1.253