Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Newbury and Thatcham (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: St Nicolas Church, Donnington Castle, and Highclere Castle. Also, be sure to include Newbury Bridge in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Newbury and Thatcham (England).
Table of Contents
St Nicolas Church
Church in Newbury, England. St Nicolas Church is the Church of England parish church of Newbury, Berkshire, and stands just south of the main bridge over the River Kennet, in the centre of the town. It is chiefly remarkable for the consistency of its Perpendicular Gothic architectural style and its unusually large size for a parish church.[1]
Address: W Mills, RG14 5HG Newbury
Donnington Castle
Ruined medieval castle built in 1386. Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386 and was bought by Thomas Chaucer before the castle was taken under royal control during the Tudor period. During the First English Civil War the castle was held by the royalist Sir John Boys and withstood an 18-month siege; after the garrison eventually surrendered, Parliament voted to demolish Donnington Castle in 1646. Only the gatehouse survives. The site is a scheduled monument under the care of English Heritage.[2]
Address: Castle Lane, RG14 2LE Newbury and Thatcham
Highclere Castle
Tour the real Downton Abbey and grounds. Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The 5,000-acre estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about 5 miles south of Newbury, Berkshire, and 9.5 miles north of Andover, Hampshire. It is the country seat of the Earls of Carnarvon, a branch of the Anglo-Welsh Herbert family.
Highclere Castle has been used as a filming location for several films and television series, including 1990s comedy series Jeeves and Wooster, and achieved international fame as the main location for the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey (2010–15) and the 2019 and 2022 films based on it.
The house, Egyptian exhibition, and gardens are open to the public for self-guided tours during the summer months and at other times during the rest of the year, such as Christmas and Easter. The house also holds ticketed events, such as the Battle Proms picnic concert, and special guided tours throughout the year.[3]
Address: Highclere Park, RG20 9RN Highclere
Newbury Bridge
Bridge. Newbury Bridge, also known as Kennet Bridge or Town Bridge, is a bridge across the River Kennet in the town centre of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge carries Bridge Street, which links Northbrook Street, to the north of the river, with Bartholomew Street, to the south. The river channel under the bridge is also used by boats navigating the Kennet and Avon Canal. The current bridge was built between 1769 and 1772 and has three arches, although the two outer arches are now hidden by flanking buildings. It is a Grade II* listed structure.[4]
Victoria Park
Park in Newbury, England. Victoria Park is a small public park near to the centre of Newbury, Berkshire, England. Current features of the park include a bandstand, tennis courts, boating lake, bowls club, skatepark, and a statue of Queen Victoria.[5]
Address: btwn Parkway and Newbury Relief Rd, Newbury and Thatcham
Newbury Town Hall
Newbury Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Newbury, Berkshire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Newbury Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.[6]
Newbury Lock
Weir in Newbury, England. Newbury Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in the town centre of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. It has a rise/fall of 3 ft 6 in, and is situated just upstream of Newbury Bridge.
The lock is a grade II listed structure. It has brick walls that are capped with Bath Stone and which are wider at the top than at the base in an attempt to counteract frost damage. It was built in 1796, as part of the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal linking Newbury and Bath. The canal was built under the supervision of John Rennie.
Newbury Lock was the easternmost lock on the original Kennet and Avon Canal, and downstream it connected to what was the much older Kennet Navigation, opened in 1727 between Reading and Newbury. The canal opened throughout in 1810 and provided, along with the River Thames, the Kennet Navigation and the River Avon, a through route between London and Bristol. The Kennet Navigation was purchased by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company in 1812, and is now generally regarded as part of the Kennet and Avon canal.
Adjacent to the lock is a sculpture called Ebb And Flow, created by the sculptor Peter Randall-Page. The work comprises a large granite bowl set at the centre of a spiral granite path leading down from the lock. The bowl is connected to the lock by underground piping so that when the lock fills, water flows into the bowl and then empties away as the level of the water in the lock goes down.[7]
Address: 104 Northbrook St, RG14 1AA Newbury
Shaw House
Mansion in England. Shaw House is an important example of an early symmetrical H-plan Elizabethan mansion, located at Shaw, on the north-eastern outskirts of Newbury in Berkshire.[8]
Address: Shaw House Church Road, RG14 2DR Newbury and Thatcham
The Living Rainforest
Tourist attraction in England. The Living Rainforest is an indoor greenhouse tropical rainforest located in Hampstead Norreys in Berkshire, England. It is an ecological centre, educational centre and visitor attraction consisting of three glasshouses, operated and run by the Trust for Sustainable Living. The glasshouses are named Amazonica, Lowlands and Small Islands respectively.
The Living Rainforest has been accredited by the Council for Learning Outside of the Classroom and awarded the LOtC Quality Badge. Each year around 25,000 children visit the Living Rainforest as part of their school's curriculum. It is open 7-days a week from 09:30 to 16:00.[9]
Address: Hampstead Norreys, RG18 0TN Newbury and Thatcham
West Berkshire Museum
Museum in Newbury, England. The West Berkshire Museum, in Newbury, Berkshire, holds various artworks and collections related to Newbury and West Berkshire. Established in 1904, the museum is housed in two of Newbury's most historic buildings. The Cloth Hall was built in 1627 by Richard Emmes, a master carpenter of Speenhamland for the Newbury Corporation as a cloth factory. Originally part of a larger range of buildings with a courtyard in the centre, the building was subsequently used as a workhouse, hospital and school before being used for storing corn from 1829 until its conversion to a museum.
The museum itself has exhibition galleries, café and a local history library, along with a Conference room which can be hired.
A permanent exhibition tells the story of West Berkshire. From the geology to the stories of people who have lived in West Berkshire; early ancestors, to well known characters like Jack O'Newbury: the people who have created the towns and villages, roads and canals, fields and farms, industries, pastimes and organisations that forms West Berkshire today.
The second floor galleries feature a series of special exhibitions, along with Gallery 5 which can be hired to display original artwork, sculpture and craft.
Entry is free but donations are most welcome and go towards adding to and conserving the collections and maintaining the historic buildings.
The museum underwent a £2.2m renovation in 2014 to update its exhibition areas and visitor facilities. The funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£1.2m), and West Berkshire Council, Greenham Common Trust and the Headley Trust (£1m total).[10]
Address: 1 The Wharf, RG14 5AS Newbury and Thatcham
Greenham Lock
Weir in Newbury, England. Greenham Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Newbury, Berkshire, England.
Greenham Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury. The canal is administered by the Canal & River Trust. The lock has a rise/fall of 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m).[11]