Purley-On-The-Thames, A Village In Berkshire, England
Purley, also known as Purley on the Thames is a civil parish and village in Berkshire County, England bounded by Reading, Pangbourne and Oxford.
Historically, the village consisted of three separate manors and the settlements associated with them. These are Purley La Hyde to the west, centred on Purley Hall and Fulham Home Farm; Purley Parva to the north-west centred on Westbury Farm, and Purley Magna to the east, focused on where the church presently stands. In the past, the town has been purely agricultural, however all that changed when development arrived in the area in the 20th Century.
In and around the area there are still buildings or structures that stand as proof of the town’s historic past. There is the timbered Elizabethan Manor house originally built in 1540, replaced in 1740 with a brick house, destroyed in 1800 and replaced again with a mansion designed by Wyatt. It now stands on top of a hill to keep it away from flooding. Today, the Mansion House has been turned into flats. Then there is the Purley Hall which was built in 1608 as a replacement for the manor house of Purley La Hyde and was home to some famous personalities.
Food, Shopping And Accommodation In Purley
There are no hotels or restaurants in the village. However, the urban area of Reading has become the main cultural, economic, and social centre of the residents of the village.
Things To See And Do In Purley
The village is ringed and crisscrossed with footways, bridleways and footpaths in the rural part of town for the pleasure of visitors who love walking, cycling and horse riding. Purley was also the site of the South Berks Hunt for quite some time.