East Garston is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the

River Lambourn The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames. The riv ...

, about north of

Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The population of the parish at the 2021 census was 5,869. The Kennet and Avon Can ...

West Berkshire West Berkshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council. History The district of Newbury was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbur ...

. The river flows through the village, dividing many houses from the main road, so that each has a bridge over the river to the front door.

Toponymy

East Garston was known by its earlier Saxon name ''Argeston'' until the end of the 19th century, and locals called the village Argeston into the early 20th century. The origin of the name is uncertain. It may have meant the "ton" of Esgar: a ton being a principal house for a lord, with surrounding dwellings for tenants.

Government

The

of East Garston comprises the village of East Garston, together with a considerable area of rural downland to the north and south. The parish has approximately 226 dwellings. In 2011 the population was 449, in an area of . The parish has boundaries with the

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

parishes of Fawley, Great Shefford,

and

Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of r ...

, and with the

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

parish of Letcombe Bassett.

Notable people

Charles Thomas Wooldridge Charles Thomas Wooldridge (1864 – 7 July 1896) was a Trooper (rank), Trooper in the Royal Horse Guards who was executed in HM Prison Reading, Reading Gaol for uxoricide and who, as 'C.T.W', was the dedicatee of Oscar Wilde's ''The Ballad of ...

, murderer and dedicatee of ''

The Ballad of Reading Gaol ''The Ballad of Reading Gaol'' is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand and Naples, after his release from Reading Gaol () on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being convicted of gross indecenc ...

'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, was born in the village.'A Key to "In Memoriam by Oscar Wilde" – notes made by Mary Grave bound into her sister Eleanor Grave's 1899 copy of ''The Ballad of Reading Gaol'' held at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

– researched by Glenn Christodoulou

Amenities

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

of All Saints is a flint built church dating back to the 12th century. Situated on the northwestern edge of the village, it is Grade II* listed. The East Garston Bellringers was re-formed in 1998. The village has a village hall, social club and cricket club, and is the home of the Garston Gallopers, a mixed

Morris dancing Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins, their shoes or both. A band or single musi ...

side. The Gallopers' colours are purple and green, the "village" colours from the school uniform and the racing colours of a prominent racehorse trainer from the village..

Demography

Gallery of images

File:Bridges over the River Lambourn, East Garston, Berkshire.jpg, Bridges over the River Lambourn File:River Lambourn, East Garston, Berkshire.jpg, River Lambourn File:East Garston Down, East Garston, Berkshire.jpg, East Garston Down

References

{{authority control Villages in Berkshire West Berkshire District Civil parishes in Berkshire