Shaw House
www.what3words.com ///career.driver.hoursYou can enter the gardens of Shaw House from the car park. There is an entrance about half way up the car park on the western side that has stairs over an earth bank. Level access is available from the north end of the car park, also on the western side. Make your way round to the grand front entrance to Shaw House on its south sideYou are inside the Shaw House and St Mary’s Church Conservation Area. Conservation Areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest. Shaw House and St Mary’s Church Conservation Area was designated in 1990. Most of the Conservation Area is also a Grade II Registered Park and Garden. Registered Parks and Gardens are significant gardens, grounds and other open spaces that have been designed by people.The Shaw House Registered Park and Garden is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk list. Historic England is the Government’s advisor on heritage. Because of this, West Berkshire Council commissioned a Conservation Area Management Plan, or CAMP for short, in 2017. The final report is available here: www.westberkshireheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Shaw-House-Conservation-Area-Management-Plan-Mar-2020.pdf. This trail will explore some of the themes in the CAMP.While you are on the trail, look out for all of the different plants and animals that you can see on the trail. How many of the trees do you think have grown there by themselves and how many were planted on purpose by people? Just because a place is full of greenery, does not mean it is completely natural! Parks and gardens, like the one you are in now, are created and maintained by people. In fact, the whole of West Berkshire has been shaped by over 10,000 years of human activity! This is why archaeologists (people who study the evidence of past human activity) and ecologists (people who study living things and their relationship with the world around them) see the ‘natural’ and the ‘historic’ environment as elements of the same thing.To find out more about the history of Shaw House’s gardens, visit Reception (on the north side of the building) and ask for a copy of their garden trail. The gardens have 18 different species of native and non-native trees, often planted in rows which are good commuting routes for bats!Go straight down the drive at the front of the house to the gates near Church Road. Be careful of traffic.
Shaw House gates
www.what3words.com ///prices.resist.admitLook around you at the great house with its grassy lawns and big trees, and then turn to look across the road. This is where there would have once been views to the river and park, and down to Newbury. This whole landscape has been changed. It was created for the owners of Shaw House, so they could enjoy the views from their windows, have nice places to walk around, and could show off their property and wealth to any visitors and to the people who lived nearby. It has changed a lot since then though!Shaw House was built in Elizabethan times by Thomas Dolman II (1543-1622) in 1581. Thomas Dolman II was a very wealthy cloth merchant and the son of Thomas Dolman I (c.1510-75), who bought Shaw Manor in 1554. The house is now Grade I listed, which means it is of exceptional interest and among the most important 2.5% of all the listed buildings in England! It was restored and reopened in 2006, and is now a venue for training, conferences and events, as well as a Register Office.This gateway was installed in 1908, but the wrought iron overthrow (the archway above your head) was made in the 18th century. In 1907-8, Kathleen Farquhar (1850-1935), who owned Shaw House in 1905-1935, built a new boundary wall with high railings around the House. The new wall and gates may have replaced a ha-ha, which was filled in. Ha-has are ditches with vertical drops that stop animals wandering into the gardens of grand houses without spoiling the view, like walls and fences might do! The gateway is Grade II listed.The way everything around us looks is because of the relationship between the landscape, plants, animals and people. Even places that might look natural are almost certain to have been shaped by people now or in the past.Continue south, carefully crossing the road and go down the path opposite the gates, following the blue sign directing pedestrians to the Town Centre. When you get to the bridge over the River Lambourn, stop and have a look at the shape of the river channel.
Bridge over the Lambourn River
www.what3words.com ///rests.elite.shopA map survives called the Speen Manor map that shows us the design of the House and its estate in 1729 or 1730, after they were bought by James Brydges, the first Duke of Chandos (1673-1744), in 1728. It is the earliest surviving record of what Shaw House’s grounds used to look like. Although this bridge is not shown on the Speen Manor map, it is shown on a plan by Joseph Andrews (1692-1753), who owned the estate in 1751-53.One striking thing that you might notice on the Speen Manor map is how the river meanders and wiggles to the west of Shaw House, but then flows in an almost straight line past it and to the east. This change in the course of the river is because people in the past straightened it to make the flow of water faster to power Shaw Mill! The manor of Shaw has had a water-powered corn and flour mill at least since the time of Domesday Book of 1086. There is still a former 18th century mill and a Grade II listed 17th century mill house (now private homes) at the end of Church Road.The River Lambourn is an important chalk river system. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a SSSI (pronounced ‘triple S.I.’), which means it is of national importance, and a Special Area of Conservation, which means it is of international importance. Bundles of hazel and willow sticks that look a bit like little fences were put into the riverbed a few years ago to encourage more plants to grow along the riverbank, make the water flow more slowly and eventually make the river meander again.Continue south along the same path until you reach an information board to the right of the path, about half way down the avenue.
Shaw Park
www.what3words.com ///rounds.eagle.winterThe path you are following and the bridge you have just crossed were once the main route to Shaw House from the London to Bath Road for 200 years! Because this was the way that most visitors would approach the House, it was important to its owners to make it grand and impressive to show off their wealth. They did this by lining it with long avenues of trees and by building a very fashionable water garden.The Speen Manor map shows two long rectangular channels of water in the grounds south of Shaw House. In 1733 the Duke of Chandos employed John Hore (1680-1763), one of the earliest English canal engineers, to join the channels into one broad canal with a new semi-circular pool scooped out of the north bank of the River Lambourn and a cascade water feature. The basin and canal could still be seen on the 1808 Ordnance Survey Drawing of East Ilsley and on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880-81 the canal is marked as a fishpond.Although these water features had started to silt up and become overgrown by the early 20th century, they largely survived until the A339 dual carriageway was built in the 1970s, linking Newbury to the M4 motorway. (Here is an aerial photograph taken in 1952: www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW041720.) The southern end of the canal was filled in and levelled in the 1960s, and trees and bushes were allowed to grow up in the way of what had been the most important view of Shaw House and St Mary’s Church from the south. The House and Church are now hidden from a big part of the grounds in which they were originally built. The drive is still partly lined with trees, but since Western Avenue and the A339 cut it off to traffic, the path can now only be used by pedestrians and cyclists, and is not what it was in its heyday.Either go diagonally across the grass towards the river (beware of the bumpy, uneven ground and molehills) or go back up the path, turn left before crossing the bridge and follow the path along the south side of the river.
The riverbank
www.what3words.com ///cycle.deaf.flashFind a long bit of concrete embedded in the southern riverbank, but be careful at the edge of the water.Do not to lean too far in and you will be able to spot some bricks within the riverbank. These bricks are believed to have been part of a viewing platform to admire Shaw House and the cascade water feature. On the opposite side of the river was the semi-circular pool for looking at reflections of the House. The pool is shown in a painting by John Collins in 1769 with two swans, a white horse and some visitors enjoying the grounds. The Duke of Chandos’ impressive water garden was also carefully recorded on the plan by Joseph Andrews in about 1750.The north side of the river now has reed beds and wet woodland in which small areas of swamp and pond habitats have formed. The trees in the woods are crack willow, alder carr, ash, lime and elder. On the side near Church Road, to the north, non-native trees have been planted, including sycamore, sweet chestnut, horse chestnut, cherry laurel and bamboo.Continue west along the path on the south side of the river until you reach a wooden table and benches in a clearing near an underpass.
The site of the Boathouse
www.what3words.com ///rare.pushed.treatOn the Shaw and Donnington Tithe Map of 1838 and on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880-81, a boat house is marked on the north bank of the River Lambourn near here, upstream of the semi-circular basin and canal. When Shaw House’s park was surveyed in 2003, however, it was not possible to investigate if anything survived of the boathouse because of how overgrown the trees and bushes here have become.However, all of the trees and plants along the river are also good for wildlife. At least five rare creatures have been recorded in the River Lambourn, including the Crenobia alpine flatworm and bullhead lampreys. It is an important breeding habitat for wild brown trout and grayling, and supports birds, including kingfishers, green sandpipers and grey wagtails, as well as bats, otters, water voles, frogs and toads. The river eventually flows into the River Kennet, which has the highest average number of species per site surveyed of any other lowland river in Britain!These habitats are threatened though. The drains from the road behind you discharge into the river here, potentially polluting the water and impacting the plants and wildlife. Non-native species have been found in the area as well, like American mink and signal crayfish. The road is also a source of air and noise pollution. Listen to how loud the traffic is here as you go round to the next point of interest.Continue following the path west. It will take a right turn to the north and across a wooden bridge over the river. Follow the path through the car park area until you reach a metal fence along Church Road. You will see a school in front of you and a church to your right.
Trinity School
www.what3words.com ///economics.apron.twiceThe settlement of Shaw is called 'Sagas' in the oldest written reference to it in 1080. It was called 'Essages' in Domesday Book of 1086, which means a small wood. When Thomas Dolman I bought the Manor of Shaw in 1554, it included the medieval manor house, lots of land and a deer park to its west. The old manor house may be the long building shown to the west of Shaw House on the Speen Manor map, but it had been demolished probably by the beginning of the 19th century and its exact location has never been identified.During the Second World War (1939-45), on 10 February 1943, Newbury was bombed and the Senior Council School near the railway station was hit. Because Shaw House was not being used by a family at that time, the decision was made to move the school pupils there and to found Shaw House School. New buildings were built, but the opportunity to investigate where the old manor house had been was not taken when Shaw House School’s Astley Building was built in 1964. If the medieval manor was there, it is likely that it has now been completely destroyed. There is now much better guidance in place to encourage developers (people who want to build things) to be more aware of the historic environment and possible archaeology when they submit planning applications.Shaw House was used as a school until 1985 when there were worries about the condition of the building. The decision was made to build a new school within the grounds, and to replace both Shaw House School and nearby Turnpike School. This new, third school was called Trinity School and opened in 1999. Trinity School and the other buildings to the west of it are probably on what had been the deer park and if you look carefully at the trees on the school grounds, you may spot old yew trees and other species that were once part of Shaw House’s grand gardens.If you would like to find out more about Newbury's Second World War history, West Berkshire Museum and Greenham Common Control Tower have created this trail, also on PocketSights!Go left and around the end of the metal fence onto the pavement, then go along the pavement of Church Road towards the church. Carefully cross the road and go through the lych gate into the churchyard.
St Mary’s Church and lych gate
www.what3words.com ///trap.arena.ridesThis gateway is called a lych gate. Lych gates are gateways with roofs and are the traditional entrances into churchyards. The name comes from the Saxon or Old English word for a dead body, lic. This lych gate was built in 1897 in memory of Evelyn Blackburn Maze by WP Blackburn Maze. It is Grade II listed.The church in front of you was completely rebuilt in 1841 on the site of an earlier Saxon or Norman church. The Norman font, the special bowl on a pedestal that holds holy water for christenings, still survives. It is possible that the site was important even as far back as the Roman period, however. Roman tiles were said to have been used in the roof of the previous church, and in 1878 members of the Newbury District Field Club reported that fragments of Roman urns and glass vessels had been found in the churchyard. This could mean that the site has been important for over a thousand years. It would certainly have been important to the people who lived and worked in Shaw House and on its estate.The church is Grade II listed. To find out more about its services and activities, visit: www.shawchurch.org.uk.Go along the left fork in the path until you reach the war memorial.If you do not want to explore the churchyard, skip the next two points of interest and go to number 11. Go back to Shaw House and go through the gates again into the grounds. As soon as you go through the gates, turn right towards the information board. Be careful of the concrete path. It is uneven, especially at the base of the redwood trees.
Shaw War Memorial
www.what3words.com ///myself.hugs.lionThis war memorial is made of stone and is in memory of those who died in the First World War (1914-18) (sometimes called the Great War), who lived in the villages of Shaw and Donnington. It was dedicated in a ceremony on 1 December 1918 after a special memorial service was held in St Mary’s Church. You can read what the Newbury Weekly News said about it at the time here: www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk/memorial.php?link=WB015.There are also five Commonwealth War Graves in the churchyard. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an organisation that tries to make sure all of the people of the Commonwealth who died in the First and Second World Wars are commemorated somewhere, so that they are not forgotten. The memorials are often distinctive white stone headstones of the same shape as each other. Can you find them all?Gunner Ernest Henry Deacon died in 1917 and is commemorated to the south-east of the north gatePrivate James Frederick Ayres of the Royal Marine Light Infantry died in 1919 is commemorated to the south-east of the north gateSergeant William Charles Goodman died in 1940 and is commemorated north of the ChurchPrivate Albert Edward Richardson died in 1942 and is commemorated in the north-west corner of the churchyardFlying Officer Edgar Ernest Vincent (Marc) Barwood died in 1944 and is commemorated north of the ChurchAfter exploring this part of the churchyard, go back along the same path towards the church tower. Follow the path as it turns left around the corner of the building and heads east. Just after going around the corner of the Church you will see several chest tombs to your right. They are big, rectangular grave markers made of stone, now quite covered in lichen.
Chest tombs
www.what3words.com ///gain.crowned.goesFour of these great chest tombs are Grade II listed and they date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Although they are listed, not much information is said about them on their records.If you are interested in finding out more about the memorials and grave markers in a churchyard or cemetery near you, you might be interested in Historic England’s 'Discovering England's Burial Spaces' (DEBS) project: http://debs.ac.uk/index.html.If you are interested in finding out more about lichens, the plant-like or moss-like organisms that can often be seen growing on old gravestones and stone memorials in churchyards, then have a look at the British Lichen Society’s guides to surveying them: www.britishlichensociety.org.uk/activities/churchyards-and-churchyard-survey.Continue to follow the path along the side of the Church. It will turn right towards Church Road. When you reach the road, turn left and go back through Shaw House’s gateway and into the grounds. As soon as you go through the gates, turn right towards the information board. Be careful of the concrete path. It is uneven, especially at the base of the redwood trees.
Steps to the Terrace
www.what3words.com ///player.pushy.sockAlmost immediately past the redwood trees is a short stretch of brick wall. Have a look at the east side of the wall where there is a diagonal line up it.Believe it or not, this is one of the oldest surviving features of the garden and probably dates to the 16th century. It looks as if there were steps here up to the top of the bank or terrace that you can see running around the edge of the garden, or perhaps part of a pavilion that people could sit inside or even a banqueting house! The terrace is made of chalk rubble and earth and was built with a flat walkway, or promenade, along the top for people to look down from and have good views of the gardens. It was built in the 16th century and was probably originally much wider than it is now.During the English Civil War (1642-51), Shaw House was the headquarters of Charles I’s army during the Second Battle of Newbury in October 1644. The terrace may have been used by soldiers to hide behind during the fighting.The terrace and boundaries of the garden are shown on the Speen Manor map. They were very fashionable! This style of laying out gardens in regular, symmetrical designs was supposed to show harmony and order, and people’s control over nature. The rectangular shapes were divided into squares or quarters called ‘compartments’ or ‘parterres’ using low hedges, and filled with elaborate plant beds and decorative flowerbeds. You can have a go at designing your own version for Shaw House here: www.westberkshireheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Shaw-House-garden.pdf!Today, parts of the terrace are left to grow wild for biodiversity and the yew trees that were planted on them in the 18th century, which would have originally been clipped and carefully maintained, have grown tall and bushy. The terrace would have been damaged when the yew trees were planted, but perhaps now they also protect the bank from being weathered away.If the gardens were restored to how they once looked in the past, which century of their history would you choose?Continue along the concrete path, heading east through the trees. Follow it as it turns left until you reach the end and it becomes a tarmacked path near a bicycle shelter. The remains of a brick and concrete structure are in the ground to your left.
The Great Lawn
www.what3words.com ///chest.candy.blessThe part of the garden to your right is called the Great Lawn. The Speen Manor map shows us that in the 18th century most of it was divided into parterres, but about a third of it was a bowling green! In the middle of parterres it was fashionable to have sculptures, water features or fountains. In front of the House was a basin for carp and at the northern end of the Great Lawn was a fountain. The fountain may have been fed by water from a 16th century brick water tower to the east of the House that was knocked down in the 1960s. Some of the historic divisions and pathways in the gardens could still be seen in 1998 when a geophysical survey of the grounds was carried out!During the Second World War and before it was used as a school in 1943, Shaw House was requisitioned. This means that it was taken over by the Government for use by the army. The rectangle of brick and concrete that you can see here, to the left of the path, is what remains of a small toilet block from either the Second World War or from the house’s time as a school. You can see the walls of the cubicles outlined in brickwork and if you look very carefully the outline of some of the toilets themselves too!All of the temporary school buildings that were built in the gardens of the House have been removed, apart from the two areas of tarmac on the Great Lawn. These are what remains of two sets of tennis courts.Continue north along the path and follow it to the left around the corner of Shaw House. Go past the Reception on the House’s north side and go towards the wall in front of which there is a line of black tables and benches. Be careful on the crazy paving. It is uneven.
The Cottage
www.what3words.com ///rocks.splice.clearWhen Mrs Farquhar owned Shaw House, she had a range of buildings built for use by her servants that ran northwards from the House’s west wing, possibly reusing some older buildings that were already there. When the House became a school in 1943, some of this range was demolished, except for the most northern part, including the servants’ hall and a game larder. These surviving bits were converted into a small house for Shaw House School’s caretaker and called the Cottage.Either cross diagonally over the grass or go back along the path and turn left towards the gap in the terrace. Head towards the information board.
The Kitchen Garden
www.what3words.com ///slides.tummy.glitzThis gap in the earthwork terrace was created when Shaw House was a school and there was a gymnasium and a swimming pool here. In the northern side you can see some brickwork that might have been part of the foundation of this bit of the terrace or perhaps a repair.You are now in what was Shaw House’s Kitchen Garden. It is now a community garden with a grass amphitheatre, which was dug in November 2016. The building on the west side used to be a coach house. Because of its English bond brickwork, it has been dated to about 1860. It is used by Trinity School as a workshop and store.Turn right and follow the path towards the car park.
The Bothy
www.what3words.com ///timing.wake.intelligibleThe First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880-81 shows two buildings here built against the wall along Love Lane. The wall along the lane dates from the mid- to late 17th century and, like the garden terrace, might have been important for the defence of Shaw House during the Second Battle of Newbury in 1644. By the time of the Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1970 the eastern, right-hand building had been demolished and only the western, left-hand building was still there. This building is probably from the late 19th century and is described as a garden building or ‘bothy’.You are now back at the northern end of the car park and have reached the end of the trail! Wildflowers have been allowed to grow in the car park since it was upgraded in 2016.For more events, exhibitions and activities at Shaw House, please visit: https://booking.westberks.gov.uk/heritage_events.html#?location=Shaw%20House.
