Charvil

Human settlement in England

Charvil

Unitary authority

Wokingham

Berkshire

Region

South East

CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townReadingPostcode districtRG10Dialling code0118PoliceThames ValleyFire Royal Berkshire Ambulance South Central UK Parliament

Maidenhead

WebsiteCharvil Parish Council

List of places: UK; England; Berkshire

51°28′33″N 0°53′08″W / 51.4759°N 0.8855°W / 51.4759; -0.8855

Charvil is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England.^[1]^[2] The village is 3 miles (5 km) east of the centre of Reading on the A4 road to Maidenhead, between Sonning and Twyford. The 2021 Census recorded the parish's population as 3,158.^[3] The area was mostly farmland until the 1950s, since which time the population has increased significantly. Charvil is bisected by the new A4 Bath Road.

Amenities

Charvil has two pubs: The Wee Waif^[4] and The Heron on the Ford (formerly The Lands End).^[5] Charvil's community centre was built in 1952 as the Church of England church of Saint Patrick but was deconsecrated in 2011.^[6] It became known as Jubilee Hall. It was later demolished to make room for a housing project in 2019. Charvil is part of the ecclesiastical parish of St Andrew, Sonning.

The land between Charvil and Twyford is a nature reserve with footpaths beside the River Loddon and around lakes formed from former gravel pits.

In 2013, Charvil Piggott Primary School opened, providing primary education to children in the village. This school is operated by The Piggott School, the local secondary school in Wargrave. In November 2023 a sinkhole appeared in the East Park Farm Car Park near the Primary School, making national headlines.^[7] This sparked a range of conspiracy theories between residents with some believing it to be divine retribution for the recent demolition of the church of Saint Patrick.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents include

Uri Geller, illusionist
David Hamilton, radio and television broadcaster
Alan Titchmarsh, television gardener.

Nearby towns and cities

Nearby villages

References

^ Reading & Windsor, Henley-on-Thames & Bracknell (Map). 1:50,000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2012. § 175. ISBN 978-0319232149.
^ "1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer" (csv (download)). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
^ "Charvil (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
^ "The Wee Waif". Hungry Horse. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
^ The Lands End
^ "Church council closes St Patrick's Church in Charvil". BBC Berkshire. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
^ "Charvil car park scanned following sinkhole near school". BBC News. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024.