Winterbrook is a small settlement in the
English county of
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
, which adjoins the south end of
Wallingford and sits on the west bank of the
Thames. It is separated from Wallingford by Bradford's Brook. In 1974 it was transferred from
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
. Although having been part of the adjacent parish of Cholsey for centuries, its proximity to Wallingford resulted in its being absorbed into that town for administrative purposes in 2015. This change was effected despite the strenuous and long-term objections of the residents. It is now part of the Wallingford ward of
South Oxfordshire District Council. It remains in the
Church of England parish of
St Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
the Virgin,
North Stoke.
Winterbrook appears in records from the time of King
Henry III. It is connected to the east bank by
Winterbrook Bridge. The
common lands
Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel.
A person who has a r ...
in Winterbrook were
enclosed in 1851. Winterbrook House is a
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
17th-century house. Its most famous resident was the novelist,
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
, who lived at Winterbrook House and died there in 1976. Winterbrook Lodge and Winterbrook Close are both Grade II listed early 19th-century houses. Other major buildings include the Waterside Court Care Home and the Winterbrook Nursing Home. As of 2009, Winterbrook residents were campaigning against its possible selection as the preferred option for 850 new houses as part of the
South Oxfordshire Core Strategy as well as a preemptive planning application by Wates Homes Ltd (part of
Wates Group
Wates Group Ltd is one of the largest family owned construction, property services and development companies in the United Kingdom.
Wates Giving, the firm's charitable foundation, has donated over £10 million since 2008.
History
Edward Wates ...
) for 106 dwellings.
South Oxfordshire District Council Planning Application Details P09/W0489 Planning permission was refused.
References
External links
Winterbrook
Save Winterbrook
Villages in Oxfordshire
Wallingford, Oxfordshire
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