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Woodley is a town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading. The name Woodley means 'a clearing in the wood' and it was anciently a part of the large parish of Sonning.
History
Until the 1930s, Woodley was a very small village of no great significance. In that decade, an airfield and flying school was opened in the 100 Acre Field belonging to Sandford Farm. In 1932, F.G. Miles came to Woodley and joined forces with Philips and Powis in the production of the Miles Hawk airplane, leading to the foundation of Miles Aircraft Ltd which continued producing aircraft in Woodley until after the second world war. During the pre-war years many famous aviators landed at Woodley, including Charles Lindbergh and Amy Johnson; Douglas Bader lost his legs in an accident on the airfield. The aviation tradition of Woodley is still carried on by the presence of the Museum of Berkshire Aviation.
After the war Woodley continued to grow, with industry relocating from Reading and new housing growing up. In the 1960s a new town centre was created, replacing the old village shops. In the 1980s the airfield site was redeveloped as a major housing area, and Woodley is now largely indistinguishable from Reading to the casual visitor.
In the west of Woodley, Old Bulmershe Manor was the home of the Blagrave family and probable birthplace of the famous 17th century mathematician, John Blagrave. The adjoining large house of Bulmershe Court alias Woodley Lodge was built in 1777 by James Wheble. The house was subsequently bought by Henry Addington, at that time Speaker of the House of Commons and later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He lived there when not in London and was frequently visited by other prominent figures of the age, including William Pitt the Younger and, it is said, King George III. During World War II, the house was used by the US Army. In the 1960s, it was demolished and replaced by a teacher training college that has subsequently become part of the University of Reading.
Government
Woodley is a civil parish with a town charter (granted in 1974) and an elected town council. It falls within the area of the unitary authority of Wokingham. Both the town council and the unitary authority are responsible for different aspects of local government.
Woodley falls within the following parliamentary constituencies: Reading East and Maidenhead.
Education
Woodley is home to two secondary, comprehensive schools that have achieved Specialist School Status:
- Waingels College (Mathematics and Computing)
- The Bulmershe School (Sports)
Location
Position:
Nearby towns and cities: Reading, Earley, Wokingham
Nearby villages: Sonning, Twyford, Winnersh, Hurst, Charvil
See also
- List of places in Berkshire
- List of civil parishes in England
- Sonning Cutting on the Great Western Railway to the north of Woodley
External links
"Woodley"