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About Compton
An introduction to Compton Parish and the nearby area
There are several Comptons throughout England. Ours – Compton, Berkshire – is situated within the administrative boundary of West Berkshire District Council. It is high up on the North Wessex Downs within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in a hollow of chalk downland.
The village is several miles North of the intersection of two arterial routes, the M4 London to the West and the A34 Midlands to Southampton. Two miles to the West, at East Ilsley, there is access to the A34 trunk road. Access to the village is by minor roads, off the B4009 from Hampstead Norreys to the South, of the B4009 from Aldworth to the East and from East Ilsley to the West.
The nearest railway stations are at Goring, 6 miles to the East, Didcot Parkway, 9 miles to the North and Newbury, 10 miles to the South.
The Conservation Area is to the North of the High Street and includes Cheap Street, Hockham Road and Horn Street.
The village has a Parish Church, a general store and post office, a public house/hotel, a doctors’ surgery, a Village Hall, a pre-school, a Scout/Guide hut and a Sports and Recreation Centre. There is a primary school and a secondary school: Compton C of E Primary School and The Downs School.
The Recreation Ground, in the middle of the village, is the main open green area. Other open areas are in Gordon Crescent and Manor Crescent, the playing fields situated between The Downs School and Shepherds Mount estate, the Cricket Ground between the High Street and the old site of the Pirbright Institute, allotment gardens/grazing to the West of Newbury Lane, bordering the village boundary and allotment gardens between School Road and the old railway station on the village boundary.
Compton has a diverse economy including Racing, Baxter Healthcare and the two schools. These provide the main employment in the village and bring in a welcome variety of people, enriching village life. Many parishioners commute out of the village for work including London and the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus a few miles away. There is also an estate of nine industrial units and a number of smaller units in various parts of the Parish, including converted agricultural barns.