Sonning

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Sonning :: Sonning_Common

Sonning is a small village in Berkshire, England a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book Three Men in a Boat as the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river.

The historical name of the village is Sunning, derived from the name of the Saxon Sunna. Older more traditional villagers still pronounce the name of the village in this way and the spelling can be found on old maps and documents. In Saxon times, the village was of considerable importance as the lesser centre of the bishopric of Ramsbury, sometimes called the see of Ramsbury and Sonning. The Bishop's Palace was the residence of the Bishops of Salisbury until the 16th century.

From the early 20th century, the Deanery provides a fine example of an Edwin Lutyens house with a Gertrude Jekyll garden, originally designed as a show house for the founder of Country Life magazine.

Famous residents

Notable former and current village inhabitants include:

General Eisenhower, before D-Day
Uri Geller, the illusionist
William Holman Hunt, the Pre-Raphaelite artist, in his later life at The Acre
Ric Lee, drummer for the 1970s group Ten Years After
The Right Honourable Theresa May, the local MP
Sir Terence Rattigan, dramatist, briefly at The Red House during 1945–47 — there is a blue plaque
Dick Turpin, reputedly, at his aunt's house, now called Turpins
Admiral Villeneuve, subsequent to his defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar
The Bishops of Salisbury

The following are buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church:

Location

Sonning village is situated at a crossing point of the River Thames, where the narrow arched Sonning Bridge crosses the river to the hamlet of Sonning Eye on the Oxfordshire bank. Just upstream of the bridge is Sonning Lock.

The village is some three miles east of the major town of Reading; in other directions this would put it within the Reading suburban sprawl, but Sonning remains a clearly delineated small village.

Home of the independent secondary school,Reading Blue Coat School.

Position:

Nearby towns and cities: Henley-on-Thames, Reading, Woodley

Nearby villages: Charvil, Sonning Eye, Twyford, Wargrave

Local government

Sonning is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It falls within the area of the unitary authority of Wokingham. Both the parish council and the unitary authority are responsible for different aspects of local government.

Sport and Recreation

Sonning has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V

Twinning

Sonning is twinned with Ligugé, France. The village has an active Twinning Association and the lane to the village primary school is called Ligugé Way.

External links

Villages in Berkshire | River Thames | King George's Field