Bracknell, Berkshire
Historical Description
Bracknell, a village and a chapelry in Berks. The village stands adjacent to the L. & S.W.R., 3 miles W of Ascot racecourse, and 4 E of Wokingham. It has a station on the railway, and a head post, money order, and telegraph office. It consists chiefly of one fine, long, open street, and there are several large mansions and parks in its neighbourhood. The chapelry includes the village, is in the parishes of Warfield and Winkfield, and was constituted in 1851. Population of the chapelry, 2220. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Oxford; net value, £187 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Oxford. The church is a graceful structure of 1851, in the Early English style. It was enlarged in 1860. There is a chapel of ease at Chavey-Down, and there are also Baptist, Congregational, Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels. The Victoria Hall, a building used for public purposes, was built in 1887.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Berkshire | |
| Civil parish | Warfield | |
| Hundred | Cookham | |
| Poor Law union | Easthampstead |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1851.
Churches
Church of England
Mission Chapel, Chavey Down
The Mission chapel, at Chavey Down, is a plain building of red brick, with chancel added in 1900, and a western bell-cot containing one bell.
The Holy Trinity (parish church)
The church of the Holy Trinity, built in the year 1851, and enlarged in 1860, is a structure of flints in the Early Pointed style, and consists of chancel, nave of three bays, aisles, south porch and a north tower with picturesque spire containing one bell and a clock: in 1888 the chancel was rebuilt and an aisle added at a cost of £1,515; a new organ and chancel seats of oak were added in 1894; the stained east window is a memorial to Col. Bagot Lane: there are 380 sittings.
Baptist
Baptist Chapel
There is a Baptist chapel, erected in 1886, seating 200.
Congregational
Congregational Chapel
The Congregational chapel, erected in 1810, was rebuilt in 1859.
Methodist
Primitive Methodist Chapel
There is a Primitive Methodist chapel.
Wesleyan Chapel
There is a Wesleyan chapel.
Roman Catholic
Catholic church of St. Joseph, Stanley Road
The Catholic church of St. Joseph, in Stanley road, is an iron building, erected in 1898, and has 260 sittings.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Bracknell from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Bracknell)
- Kelly's Directory of Berkshire, 1915
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Berkshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Bracknell are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Berkshire papers online:
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitations of Berkshire 1532, 1566, and 1665-6 is available online.