Hall Farm, as an area, is steeped in local history. The site, now owned by Reading University, was once the site of a thriving community. The Arborfield Local History Society have a wonderful website, full of all kinds of insight into the rich and diverse history of the whole of Arborfield. The entire website is well worth a few hours spent exploring, but by way of an introduction we could start here: http://arborfieldhistory.org.uk/properties_hall.htm
The old Arborfield Hall is a building I feel particularly "attached" to, even though the building itself was demolished in the 1960's. If you look closely at the Tudor style chimneys you might spot a similarity to this one:
There is a another matching Tudor brick chimney, just a bit shorter than ours, on one of the farm buildings at Hall Farm.
Even the brickwork over the windows matches ours. I feel LINKED to it.
There are an incredible number of locally valued listed buildings in and around the Hall Farm site, including:
• Cutbush – Grade II listed building
• Barn Adjoining Cutbush – Grade II listed building
• Oldhouse Farmhouse – Grade II listed building
• Hall Place Farmhouse – Grade II listed building
• Remains of Old Church – Grade II listed building
• Simonds Family Tomb – Grade II listed building
• Bridge House – Grade II listed building
• The Old Rectory, the Old Rectory Close – Grade II listed building
• Church of St Bartholomew – Grade II listed building
• Mole Bridge Farmhouse – Grade II listed building
• The Glen – Grade II listed building
• Carter’s Hill House – Grade II listed building
• Oak Cottage – Grade II listed building
• West Lodge – Grade II listed building
• Park Lodge – Grade II listed building
• Berkshire Masonic Centre – Grade II listed building
• Bridge at Sindlesham Mill – Grade II listed building
• Sindlesham Mill – Grade II listed building
But the ignorant greedy philistines who see this rich cultural heritage as just another way to make money want to turn it into a housing estate :-(
Just how blind and foolish are these people?
Where is Banksy when you need him? https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/19763137.banksy-plans-offers-10m-oscar-wildes-reading-prison/?ref=ebbn