Holybrook is a civil parish, forming a contiguous part of Reading in West Berkshire and is a mixture of urban, suburban land with watercourses and flood meadows in Berkshire, England. The parish takes its name from the Holy Brook, a watercourse which forms its southern boundary and which is a corollary of the River Kennet. Its main settlements are part of Calcot those commonly known as Beansheaf Farm and Fords Farm, Holybrook and occasionally considered part of Calcot or Southcote which overlaps with this area.

Holybrook
Civil parish
Holybrook is located in Berkshire
Holybrook
Holybrook
Location within Berkshire
Area1.94 km2 (0.75 sq mi)
Population6,919 (2011 census)[1]
• Density3,566/km2 (9,240/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSU6671
Civil parish
  • Holybrook
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townReading
Postcode districtRG31
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Berkshire
51°26′20″N 1°02′17″W / 51.439°N 1.038°W / 51.439; -1.038

Geography and history

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Historically, since before the Norman Conquest, this was part of the parish of Reading, when its Southcot or Southcote part was a well-dispersed settlement.[2] Holybrook is composed of two suburbs of Reading: Beansheaf Farm and Fords Farm, together with that part of the older suburb of Calcot that lies south of the A4 Bath Road. The church of St Michael in this area was built in 1967, one of only a small minority built to serve a new parish in that decade.[3]

The civil parish dates from 2000 when it was created from the part of Theale east of the M4 motorway.

Demography

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2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005[1]
Output area Homes owned outright Owned with a loan Socially rented Privately rented Other km2 roads km2 water km2 domestic gardens Usual residents km2
Civil parish 767 1370 340 285 13 0.236 0.024 0.626 6919 1.94

Governance

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The parish has an elected parish council, and falls within the area of the unitary authority of West Berkshire. The parish council and the unitary authority are responsible for different aspects of local government. The parish is in Reading West parliamentary constituency.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005". Archived from the original on 11 February 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  2. ^ P.H. Ditchfield; William Page, eds. (1923). "The hundred of Reading: Introduction and map". A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  3. ^ St Matthew, Reading The Church of England.
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