Editing Newbury, Berkshire

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|type = [[Market town]]
|official_name = Newbury
|static_image_name = Newbury-clocktower-2018.jpg
|static_image_caption= Newbury clock tower at sunset in 2018 
|static_image_2_name = [[File:Newbury_town_flag.svg|150px]]
|static_image_2_caption= Flag
|coordinates = {{coord|51.401|-1.323|type:city(34,000)_region:GB-WBK|display=inline,title}}
|population=
|population_ref= 33,841 (Parish, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Newbury parish |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/admin/west_berkshire/E04001207__newbury/ |website=City Population |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref><br>
{{nowrap|42,260 (Built up area, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>}}
|area_total_km2=9.9
|civil_parish = Newbury
|unitary_england = [[West Berkshire]]
|region = South East England
|lieutenancy_england = [[Berkshire]]
|constituency_westminster = [[Newbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Newbury]]
|post_town = NEWBURY
|postcode_district = RG14
|postcode_area = RG
|dial_code = 01635
|os_grid_reference = SU4767
|london_distance = {{convert|60|mi|km|-1|abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid Reference Finder |url=http://www.gridreferencefinder.com |website=www.gridreferencefinder.com |access-date=5 May 2021 |archive-date=13 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113054429/http://www.gridreferencefinder.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

'''Newbury''' is a [[market town]] in [[West Berkshire]], England, in the valley of the [[River Kennet]]. It is {{convert|26|mi}} south of [[Oxford]], {{convert|25|mi}} north of [[Winchester]], {{convert|27|mi}} southeast of [[Swindon]] and {{convert|20|mi}} west of [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. It is also where [[West Berkshire Council]] is headquartered.

Newbury lies on the edge of the [[Berkshire Downs]], part of the [[North Wessex Downs]] [[Area of outstanding natural beauty]], {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} north of the [[Hampshire]]–[[Berkshire]] county boundary. In the suburban village of [[Donnington, Berkshire|Donnington]] lies the part-ruined [[Donnington Castle]] and the surrounding hills are home to some of the country's most famous racehorse training grounds (centred on nearby [[Lambourn]]). To the south is a narrower range of hills including [[Walbury Hill]] and a few private [[landscape garden]]s and mansions, such as [[Highclere Castle]]. The local economy is inter-related to that of the eastern [[M4 corridor]], which has most of its industrial, logistical and research businesses close to Newbury, mostly around [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Bracknell]], [[Maidenhead]] and [[Slough]]. Together with the adjoining town of [[Thatcham]], {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} distant, Newbury forms the principal part of an urban area of approximately 70,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/UK-EnglandUA.html|title=United Kingdom: Urban Areas in England - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts|website=www.citypopulation.de|access-date=28 June 2015|archive-date=6 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606213742/http://www.citypopulation.de/UK-EnglandUA.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Newbury is also home to [[Newbury Racecourse]], as well as being the location of the headquarters of [[Vodafone]] and the software company [[Micro Focus International]]. The town centres around a large [[market square]] and retains a rare [[medieval]] [[Cloth Hall]], an adjoining half timbered [[granary]], and the 15th-century [[St Nicolas Church, Newbury|St Nicolas Church]], along with 17th- and 18th-century [[listed buildings]].

== History ==
[[File:Detail of the facade of 1663, Camp Hopson of Newbury, in 2014.jpg|thumb|upright|Part of the facade of Camp Hopson of Newbury, dating from 1663 with classical brick pilasters, in 2014.]]
[[File:Donnington Castle - UK - geograph.org.uk - 7002.jpg|thumb|[[Donnington Castle]]]]
[[File:Almshouses, 14-21 West Mills, Newbury.jpg|thumb|17th century almshouses]]

There was a [[Mesolithic]] settlement at Newbury. Artefacts were recovered from the [[Greenham]] Dairy Farm in 1963, and the Faraday Road site in 2002.<ref>"An Early Mesolithic Seasonal Hunting Site in the Kennet Valley, Southern England" by C.J. Ellis, Michael J. Allen, Julie Gardiner, Phil Harding, Claire Ingrem, Adrienne Powell & Robert G. Scaife ''Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society'' 69: (2003)</ref> Additional material was found in excavations along the route of the [[Newbury Bypass]].<ref>Birbeck, Vaughan (2000) ''Archaeological Investigations on the A34 Newbury Bypass, Berkshire/Hampshire, 1991-7'' Trust for Wessex Archaeology Ltd., {{ISBN|1-874350-34-5}};</ref> Newbury was founded late in the 11th century following the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]] as a new [[borough]], hence its name. Although there are references to the borough that predate the [[Domesday Book]] it is not mentioned by name in the survey. However, its existence within the [[Manorialism|manor]] of Ulvritone is evident from the massive rise in value of that manor at a time when most manors were worth less than in [[Saxon]] times. In 1086 the Domesday Book<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/domesday-book|title=Newbury recorded in the Domesday Book|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042800/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/domesday-book|url-status=live}}</ref> assesses the borough as having land for 12 ploughs, 2 mills, woodland for 25 pigs, 11 [[villein (feudal)|villeins]] (resident farmhands, unfree peasant who owed his lord labour services), 11 bordars (unfree peasants with less land than villans/villeins), and 51&nbsp;enclosures (private parks) rendering 70s 7d.

Doubt has been cast over the existence of [[Newbury Castle]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/newbury-castle|title=Newbury Castle|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042802/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/newbury-castle|url-status=live}}</ref> but the town did have royal connections and was visited a number of times by [[John of England|King John]] and [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] while hunting in the area. The first reference to a bridge on the site of the current [[Newbury Bridge]] is an account of its reconstruction in the [[14th Century]]. In 1312, King [[Edward II]] directed that its bridge should be kept in good order.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maxwell Lyte |first1=H.C. |title=Close Rolls, Edward II: November 1312 Pages 556-559 Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward II: Volume 1, 1307-1313. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1892. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-close-rolls/edw2/vol1/pp556-559 |website=British History Online |access-date=20 August 2020 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021112659/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-close-rolls/edw2/vol1/pp556-559 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1623, when the bridge collapsed, it was recorded as being built of wood, being {{convert|30|ft|m|0|abbr=off}} in length and {{convert|20|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} in width, and having shops on it. The bridge was presumably rebuilt, as it is recorded that in 1644 a guard was placed on the bridge.<ref name=nhnb>{{cite web |url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/newbury-bridge |title=Newbury Bridge |publisher=Newbury History |website=newburyhistory.co.uk |access-date=13 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315143442/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/newbury-bridge |archive-date=15 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Historically, the town's economic foundation was the cloth trade. This is reflected in the person of the 16th-century cloth magnate, [[Jack of Newbury]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/jack-of-newbury|title=Jack of Newbury (1489-1557)|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042730/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/jack-of-newbury|url-status=live}}</ref> the proprietor of what may well have been the first factory in [[England]], and the later tale of the Newbury Coat. The latter was the outcome of a bet as to whether a gentleman's suit could be produced by the end of the day from wool taken from a [[sheep]]'s back at the beginning. The local legend was later immortalized in a humorous novel by [[Elizabethan]] writer [[Thomas Deloney]]. Newbury was the site of two battles during the [[English Civil War]], the [[First Battle of Newbury]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/first-battle-of-newbury|title=First Battle of Newbury 1643|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042715/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/first-battle-of-newbury|url-status=live}}</ref> (at [[Wash Common]]) in 1643, and the [[Second Battle of Newbury]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/second-battle-of-newbury|title=Second Battle of Newbury 1644|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042742/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/second-battle-of-newbury|url-status=live}}</ref> (at [[Speen, Berkshire|Speen]]) in 1644. The nearby [[Donnington Castle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/donnington-castle|title=Donnington Castle|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=8 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208005530/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/donnington-castle|url-status=live}}</ref> was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle. The disruption of trade during the civil war, compounded by a collapse of the local cloth trade in the late 16th century, left Newbury impoverished.

The local economy was boosted in the 18th century by the rise of [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] as a popular destination for the wealthy escaping [[London]]'s summer heat and associated stench. Newbury was roughly halfway between London and Bath and an obvious stopping point in the two-day journey. Soon Newbury, and the [[Speenhamland, Berkshire|Speenhamland]] area in particular, was filled with coaching inns of ever increasing grandeur and size. One inn, the George & Pelican, was reputed to have stabling for 300 horses. A theatre was built to provide the travellers with entertainment featuring the major stars of the age. In 1795 local magistrates, meeting at the George and Pelican Inn in Speenhamland, introduced the [[Speenhamland System]] which tied parish [[poor relief]] (welfare payments) to the cost of bread.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/bread-riot|title=The Bread Riot at Newbury during 1766|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042720/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/bread-riot|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1723, the Kennet Navigation made the River Kennet navigable downstream from Newbury to the [[River Thames]] in Reading. Some 70 years later, in 1794, work started on the centre section of the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]], which would extend the Kennet Navigation to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], thus providing a through water route between London and [[Bristol]] via Newbury. This route was finally completed in 1810.<ref name=nhnb/><ref name=russell11>{{cite book |last=Russell |first=John |title=The Kennet & Avon Canal: A journey from Newbury to Bath in 1964 |year=1997 |publisher=Millstream Books |location=Bath, UK |isbn=978-0-948975-46-2 |page=11}}</ref> The opening of the [[Great Western Railway]] from London to Bath in 1841 effectively killed the [[canal]] and coaching trades, and as the line passed some {{convert|25|km|mi|frac=2}} to the north it brought no advantage to the town. {{rws|Newbury}} had to wait until 1847 to join the railway network, with the opening of the [[Berks and Hants Railway]] branch line from {{rws|Reading}} to {{rws|Hungerford}} via Newbury, and until 1906 to be on a main line, with the opening of the [[Reading-Taunton line]]. As a result, Newbury became something of a backwater market town, with an economy based largely on agriculture and [[horse-racing]]. The last use of the [[stocks]] in Newbury, and probably the UK, was on 11 June 1872 when Mark Tuck was placed in them for 4 hours.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=13 June 1872 |title=Revival of the stocks |work=London Evening Standard |location=London}}</ref> In the 1980s, British electronics firm [[Racal]] decided to locate their newly formed telecommunications company Racal Vodafone, later [[Vodafone UK]], in the town. In the subsequent decades Newbury became something of a regional centre for the high-tech industries, and the town has since enjoyed a return to general economic prosperity.

=== Greenham Common ===
[[File:RAF Greenham Common runway.jpg|thumb|Greenham Common in the late 80s]]

A large [[Royal Air Force]] station was established during the [[Second World War]] at [[Greenham Common]] on the edge of the town. In the 1950s, it became home to [[US Air Force]] [[bombers]] and [[Tanker (aircraft)|tankers]], for which it was equipped with the longest military runway in the [[United Kingdom]]. In the 1980s, it became one of only two USAF bases in the UK equipped with ground-launched [[nuclear weapon|nuclear]]-armed [[cruise missile]]s, causing it to become the site of protests by up to 40,000 protesters and the establishment of the [[Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp]]. With the end of the [[Cold War]], the base was closed, the runway was broken up, much of it used as fill material in building the [[Newbury bypass]], and the area was restored to [[heathland]]. This project then saw Greenham and [[Crookham, Berkshire|Crookham]] commons reopened to the public in 2000.

=== 1943 bombing ===
On 10 February 1943, two German bombers, [[Dornier Do 217]]s from ll/KG40 Bomber unit in Holland, on a nuisance raid, followed the [[Great Western Railway]] line running west from London. One of the bombers headed towards Reading while the other followed the line all the way to Newbury. At 4:43pm the bomber dropped eight high-explosive bombs over the town. There had been no time for a warning siren. The Senior Council School, St. Bartholomew's Almshouses, St. John's Church (just the altar was left standing) and Southampton Terrace were all destroyed, and another 265 dwellings were damaged, many of which had to be demolished. St John's Church was completely rebuilt after the war. 15 people were killed and a further 41 people were injured, 25 seriously.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/ww2-newbury-bombing|title=The day Newbury was bombed in 1943|website=www.newburyhistory.co.uk|access-date=22 February 2018|archive-date=22 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222165809/http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk/ww2-newbury-bombing|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Government ==
[[File:Newbury town centre.jpg|thumb|[[Newbury Town Hall]], completed in 1881]]
There are two tiers of local government covering Newbury, at [[civil parish|parish]] (town) and [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: Newbury Town Council and [[West Berkshire Council]]. The town council is based at the [[Newbury Town Hall|Town Hall]] in the Market Place.<ref>{{cite web |title=Newbury Town Council |url=https://www.newbury.gov.uk/ |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref> West Berkshire Council is also based in the town, having its headquarters on Market Street.

Newbury Town Council currently has 23 [[councillor]]s, representing seven [[ward (politics)|wards]] of the town, currently: Brummel Grove, Clay Hill, Falkland, Northcroft, Pyle Hill, Victoria and St Johns. In the [[2023 United Kingdom local elections]], the Liberal Democrats retained control of the town council, with 21 councillors elected, alongside 2 Green Party councillors.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-04 |title=Election results by party, 4 May 2023 |url=https://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk/mgElectionResults.aspx?ID=38 |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk}}</ref>

{{Emblem table
|collapsed=y
|image=Borough of Newbury - geograph.org.uk - 5654993.jpg
|name=Arms of Newbury Town Council
|shield=Gules on a Fesse Argent between in chief a Teazle Flower between two Garbs and in base as many Swords in saltire points upwards Or a Bar wavy Azure.
|crest=On a Wreath Or and Azure a Castle of three Towers domed Gules flying from the centre tower a forked Pennant Argent charged with a Bar wavy Azure and from the exterior towers a Flag also Azure.
|motto=Floruit Floreat
|notes=Granted to the borough council on 24th June 1948.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://civicheraldry.co.uk/south_central.html#newbury%20tc |title=NEWBURY TOWN COUNCIL (BERKSHIRE) |publisher=Robert Young |access-date=31 October 2019 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024060618/http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/south_central.html#newbury%20tc |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

In the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], the town is in the [[Newbury (constituency)|Newbury constituency]]. Since the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|General Election]] of July 2024 this constituency has been represented by [[Lee Dillon]], a [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]]. From 1999 to 2020 Newbury was part of the [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East England]] [[European Parliament]] constituency electing MEPs by [[proportional representation]].

===Administrative history===
Newbury was an [[ancient borough]]. Its date of incorporation as a borough is unknown; the name implies it was founded as a borough, and the earliest known documentary reference to it explicitly being a borough is from 1189.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Page |editor1-first=William |editor2-last=Ditchfield |editor2-first=P. H. |title=A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 4 |date=1924 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=130–155 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol4/pp130-155 |access-date=4 November 2024 |chapter=The borough of Newbury}}</ref> The earliest known [[municipal charter]] was granted in 1596. The borough covered the same area as the parish of Newbury.<ref>{{cite book |title=First Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Part 1 |date=1835 |page=89 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7pNRAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA89 |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref> It was reformed to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1836 under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country.<ref>{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations Act 1835 |date=1835 |page=460 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/460/mode/2up |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref>

The municipal borough and parish of Newbury were abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], becoming part of the larger [[Newbury (district)|Newbury district]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref> The Newbury district councillors who represented the area of the former borough then acted as [[charter trustees]] to preserve the town's mayoralty and civic traditions, in the absence of the town having its own town council.<ref>{{cite web |title=Civic history |url=https://www.newbury.gov.uk/history/civic-history/ |website=Newbury Town Council |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref>

In the mid-1990s, the government decided to abolish [[Berkshire County Council]] and pass its functions to the county's six district councils, including Newbury District Council. Ahead of the change coming into force, the district council decided to establish a new parish of Newbury, and also to change the district's name to West Berkshire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical information from 1973 onwards |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ordnancesurvey.co.uk%2Fdocuments%2Fboundary-legislation-changes-from-1973.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |website=Boundary-Line support |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=17 February 2023}}</ref> The new parish of Newbury and its town council were established in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Newbury (Parishes) Order 1996 |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20230308202849mp_/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/12081/newbury-parishes-order-1996.pdf |website=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref> Newbury District Council took over county-level functions from the abolished county council and was renamed West Berkshire Council on 1 April 1998.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996|year=1996|number=1879|access-date=9 May 2024}}</ref>

===Twin towns===
The twinning ceremonies were held at the [[Corn Exchange, Newbury|Corn Exchange]]. Newbury is [[Sister city|twinned]] with the following:
* [[Braunfels]] in [[Germany]] (1963)
* [[Bagnols-sur-Cèze]] in [[France]] (1970)<ref name="Archant twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|title=British towns twinned with French towns|access-date=11 July 2013|work=Archant Community Media Ltd|archive-date=5 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* [[Eeklo]] in [[Belgium]] (1974)
* [[Feltre]] in [[Italy]] (2003)
* [[Carcaixent]] in [[Spain]]. (2019)

== Geography ==
[[File:Newbury and surroundings.jpg|thumb|right|View of Newbury and surroundings from [[Donnington Castle]]]]
The [[civil parishes in England|Civil Parish]] of Newbury consists of the town and the [[suburb]]s of [[Wash Common]], The City, West Fields, East Fields and [[Speenhamland, Berkshire|Speenhamland]]. The modern conurbation of Newbury, however, with close bus and road links and almost contiguous development, may be taken to include the surrounding villages of [[Speen, Berkshire|Speen]], [[Donnington, Berkshire|Donnington]], [[Shaw, Berkshire|Shaw]] and [[Greenham]].<ref name=os>{{cite web|url=http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?mapAction=gaz&gazName=g&gazString=SU4767|title=OS Maps - online and App mapping system - Ordnance Survey Shop|website=getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk|access-date=12 December 2012|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505201643/https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/apps/os-maps/|url-status=live}}</ref> Speen, which is now a suburb of western Newbury, is roughly equidistant between [[Bristol]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/UK_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Berkshire,+Speen,+United+Kingdom&toplace=Bristol&dt1=ChIJo_IKermodkgRp0UVguLNi_4&dt2=ChIJYdizgWaDcUgRH9eaSy6y5I4|title=Distance between Berkshire, Speen, United Kingdom and Bristol (UK)|website=distancecalculator.globefeed.com|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410201649/https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/UK_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Berkshire,+Speen,+United+Kingdom&toplace=Bristol&dt1=ChIJo_IKermodkgRp0UVguLNi_4&dt2=ChIJYdizgWaDcUgRH9eaSy6y5I4|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[London]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/UK_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Berkshire,+Speen,+United+Kingdom&toplace=London,+United+Kingdom&dt1=ChIJo_IKermodkgRp0UVguLNi_4&dt2=ChIJdd4hrwug2EcRmSrV3Vo6llI|title=Distance between Berkshire, Speen, United Kingdom and London, United Kingdom (UK)|website=distancecalculator.globefeed.com|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410201649/https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/UK_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Berkshire,+Speen,+United+Kingdom&toplace=London,+United+Kingdom&dt1=ChIJo_IKermodkgRp0UVguLNi_4&dt2=ChIJdd4hrwug2EcRmSrV3Vo6llI|url-status=live}}</ref>

Elevations vary from a minimum of 72&nbsp;m [[Above Ordnance Datum|above mean sea level]] to 122&nbsp;m at [[Wash Common]]. Elevations reach 150–200&nbsp;m in the directly adjoining hills.<ref name=os/> The [[River Kennet]] and the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] flow east through the centre of the town to reach the [[River Thames|Thames]] at [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], while the [[River Lambourn]] (beside which is the country's largest horse-training paddocks in the Valley of the [[Lambourn Downs]]) partly forms its northern boundary, ending in the town. A tributary that is smaller still, the [[River Enborne]], forms the southern boundary (and also the county boundary with [[Hampshire]]).

Adjoining the town's south-eastern border is [[Greenham Common]] and the famous [[Newbury Racecourse]]. Newbury is surrounded on three sides (north, west and south) by the [[North Wessex Downs]].  The [[downland]] to the south rises steeply out of the river valley providing scenic views, including [[Watership Down, Hampshire|Watership Down]] (made famous by the novel of the same name), [[Beacon Hill, Burghclere, Hampshire|Beacon Hill]], the southeast's highest point [[Walbury Hill]], and [[Combe Gibbet]].

==Demography==
Newbury has two very narrowly buffered settlements, [[Thatcham]] (25,267
inh. as at 2011) and [[Shaw cum Donnington]] (1,686 inh. as at 2011) forming an identifiable, informal greater Newbury urban and suburban conglomeration.  In major use classes 11% of Newbury's land is occupied by roads and as of 2005, 34% of its land was occupied by domestic gardens.
								
{| class="wikitable"									
|- 									
|+ '''2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005<ref name=ons>{{cite web|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk|title=Local statistics - Office for National Statistics|website=neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk|access-date=5 May 2021|archive-date=11 February 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030211201309/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>'''									
|-									
!Output area||Homes owned outright||Owned with a loan||Socially rented||Privately rented||Other||km<sup>2</sup> roads||km<sup>2</sup> water||km<sup>2</sup>  domestic gardens||Usual residents ||km<sup>2</sup>									
|- align=center									
|Civil parish|| 3816	||	4549	||	2589	||	2464	||	133	||	1.146	||	0.189	||	3.430	||	41075	||	9.9
|}

==Economy==
[[File:Newbury, New Vodafone Headquarters - geograph.org.uk - 5590.jpg|thumb|right|Part of the [[Vodafone]] Headquarters]]
Newbury and its immediate surroundings constitute the major commercial and retail centre of [[West Berkshire]]. The local economy is inter-related to that of the eastern [[M4 corridor]] which has most of its industrial, logistical and research businesses close to Newbury, [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] and [[Slough]], with smaller industrial estates in the county at [[Theale]], [[Bracknell]] and [[Maidenhead]]. Newbury is home to the [[United Kingdom]]s headquarters of the [[mobile network operator]] [[Vodafone]], which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 workers. Before moving to their £129 million headquarters in the outskirts of the town in 2002, Vodafone used 64 buildings spread across the town centre.<ref>{{cite news
|work=vnunet.com
|title=How Vodafone moved to a mobile environment
|url=http://www.vnunet.com/computing/features/2072443/vodafone-moved-mobile-environment
|date=24 September 2004
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201155/http://www.vnunet.com/computing/features/2072443/vodafone-moved-mobile-environment|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>

As well as [[Vodafone]], Newbury is also home to the [[United Kingdom]] headquarters of [[National Instruments]], [[Micro Focus]], [[Stryker Corporation]], Cognito, [[EValue]] and [[Newbury Building Society]]. The [[pharmaceutical company]] [[Bayer|Bayer AG]] are also headquartered in the town, although in October 2015 the company announced their intention to move to the [[Green Park Business Park]] near [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/home/16180/EXCLUSIVE--Bayer-to-leave-Newbury.html|title=EXCLUSIVE: Bayer to leave Newbury|date=22 October 2015 |access-date=22 October 2015|archive-date=24 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024233918/http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/home/16180/EXCLUSIVE--Bayer-to-leave-Newbury.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Transport ==
===Rail===
Today, Newbury is served by two railway stations, {{rws|Newbury}} and {{rws|Newbury Racecourse}}, which both are on the Reading to Taunton line. It was also served by the [[Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway]] until this closed in the 1960s.

===Road===
Following a similar east–west route is the [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4 road]] from London to Bristol, historically the main route west from London.  This road has been superseded as a long-distance route by the [[M4 motorway]] which runs almost parallel and can be accessed {{convert|3|mi|km|abbr=off|spell=on|0}} to the north at the [[Chieveley]] interchange at Junction 13. At Newbury this east–west route is crossed by a [[dual-carriageway]] north–south trunk road, from the major south coast port of [[Southampton]] to the industrial centres of the [[English Midlands|Midlands]]. Although this route was once served by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway, today it is only served by the [[A34 road (England)|A34 road]], which now bypasses Newbury to the west on an alignment partially using the old rail route (see also 'Newbury Bypass' below).

Until the completion of the bypass, the A34 and A4 met in the town centre at the Robin Hood Roundabout, a complicated gyratory system encompassing 6 approaching roads, a fire station, ambulance station and an exit on the inside of the roundabout, which has a north–south flyover across the roundabout. In 2007, the sculpture ''Couple in Conversation'' was unveiled on the roundabout, providing a new landmark for one of the major gateways into the town. Other significant roads radiating from Newbury include the [[A339 road|A339]] which now includes the renumbered part of the old A34 through the town centre and then heads towards [[Basingstoke]] and the [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3 motorway]], the A343 to [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]], the B4000 to Lambourn, the B4494 to [[Wantage]] and the B4009 to [[Streatley, Berkshire|Streatley]].

====Bus services====
[[File:Newbury's New Bus Station (geograph 6015131).jpg|thumb|Newbury's New Bus Station]]
Most local bus services were provided by Newbury Buses, a division of [[Reading Buses]] until August 2011. Reading buses continue to operate most bus routes around Newbury under the Newbury & District brand <ref>[https://www.reading-buses.co.uk/newbury-district Newbury District] [[Reading Buses]]</ref>

[[Stagecoach South]] operates routes 7 and 7A to Woolton Hill & Andover, and route 32 (formally the 'Link') to Basingstoke.

[[Thames Travel]], operates routes X24 and X34 to Harwell Campus and Didcot, funded jointly between the [[Harwell Science and Innovation Campus|Harwell Campus]] and West Berkshire Council's government-issued Bus Service Improvement Plan funding.

[[Swindon's Bus Company]], operates route X20, a once-weekly "shopper" service from Marlborough.

[[National Express Coaches|National Express]] previously served Newbury, most recently route 402 towards Reading's Mereoak [[Park & Ride]], [[Heathrow Central bus station|Heathrow Airport]] and London, under contract to Newbury & District.

====Newbury bypass====
The town's location at the intersection of the routes from London to Bristol and from Southampton to [[Birmingham]] made it, for many years, a transport bottleneck. In 1963 a dual carriageway was built east of the town centre to ease congestion and the opening of the M4 motorway in 1971 moved the intersection of these major trunk routes {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} north of the town, to [[Chieveley]]. The ring road around the town still suffered serious congestion and the [[Newbury bypass]] was proposed in 1981. The plans were approved in 1990. The road was built and finally opened in 1998. In August 2004, the improved A34-M4 junction was re-opened which allowed north–south traffic on the A34 to completely bypass the earlier roundabout at the M4. This junction continued to be improved, with new road markings and traffic signals completed in 2008.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Newbury River Kennet 27-04-05.jpg|The [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] runs through the middle of Newbury
Newbury spans the River Kennet, the valley of which has for millennia formed an important east–west transport route, served by the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the Reading to Taunton Line, one of three routes from London to the [[West Country]].
File:The A34, Donnington.jpg|The [[Newbury Bypass]] near [[Donnington, Berkshire|Donnington]]
File:Cheap Street in Newbury, UK.jpg|Cheap Street
File:Northbrook Street, Newbury (1).jpg|Northbrook Street, Newbury
File:Intersection between Northcroft Street, Northbrook Street and Bridge Street in Newbury, UK.jpg|Intersection between Northcroft Street, Northbrook Street and Bridge Street
</gallery>

== Education ==
Newbury has three main [[secondary schools]]:

* [[St. Bartholomew's School]] – one of the oldest schools in [[Berkshire]], founded in 1466.
* [[Park House School]]
* [[Trinity School (Newbury)|Trinity School]], formed after the closure of [[Shaw House, Berkshire|Shaw House]] School and [[Turnpike trust|Turnpike]] School.

There is also [[Newbury College (England)|Newbury College]], a further and higher education college, funded by a [[private finance initiative]], and [[Mary Hare School]], a residential [[Mixed-sex education|co-educational]] community [[special needs school]] for deaf pupils.

[[Independent schools]] nearby include:

* [[Horris Hill School|Horris Hill]], an all-boys day and [[boarding school]] (from ages 4 to 13; boarding from 7 to 13)
* [[Downe House School]]
* [[Cheam School]]
* [[St Gabriel's School]], a co-ed school (from the ages 3 to 18)
* Thorngrove School, a day [[Mixed-sex education|co-educational]] school in nearby [[Highclere]] (from the ages 2½ to 13)
* Newbury Hall School, an international high school
* [[St Michael]]'s School, a [[Roman Catholic]] school in [[Burghclere]]

== Sports and leisure ==
[[File:Newbury Stands.jpg|thumb|The Berkshire Stand and The Grandstand at [[Newbury Racecourse]]]]
[[File:Newbury Rugby Football Club.jpg|thumb|[[Newbury R.F.C.]] home ground]]
Newbury is home to one of [[England]]'s major racecourses, [[Newbury Racecourse]], which held its first race meeting in 1905.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ltd |first=Indzine |title=About The Racecourse |url=https://newburyracecourse.co.uk/about-us/about-the-racecourse/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Newbury Racecourse |language=en-GB}}</ref> The most prestigious race in the calendar is the [[Hennessy Gold Cup]], which normally takes place in late November. The Racecourse also frequently plays host to a series of concerts on race days during the summer, which has included [[Olly Murs]], [[Craig David]], [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], [[Rick Astley]] and [[Madness (band)|Madness]] in recent years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Newbury Racecourse, Newbury, England Concert Setlists {{!}} setlist.fm |url=https://www.setlist.fm/venue/newbury-racecourse-newbury-england-73d23291.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.setlist.fm}}</ref>

Northcroft Lido in Newbury's Northcroft Park is one of the last remaining [[Lido (swimming pool)|lidos]] in the United Kingdom. It was originally built in the 1890s, although the current structure was erected in the 1930s. The pool is still in use today and received a major renovation in summer 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northcroft Lido |url=https://www.westberks.gov.uk/northcroft-lido |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=West Berkshire Council |language=en}}</ref> It is owned and subsidised by [[West Berkshire Council]] but is managed by an external contractor, Parkwood Leisure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leisure-centre.com |title=Leisure and Sports Centres in United Kingdom &#124; Swimming &#124; Health & Fitness&#124; Tennis &#124; Gym &#124; Dance &#124; Squash &#124; Aerobics |publisher=Leisure-centre.com |access-date=9 June 2012 |archive-date=1 September 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050901180038/http://www.leisure-centre.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Newbury was home to [[A.F.C. Newbury]], with their home ground situated at Faraday Road near the town centre, but the club collapsed after Vodafone pulled its sponsorship of the team in May 2006.<ref>{{cite news |date=23 May 2006 |title=Vodafone ends AFC Newbury deal |publisher=Newbury Weekly News |url=http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=2242 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203062511/http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=2242 |archive-date=3 December 2007}}</ref> A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over the Faraday Road ground temporarily and rebranded itself as [[Newbury F.C.]] in 2007, which has played in the Hellenic Football League since 2008. The team were forced to leave their home ground at Faraday Road in 2018, with the site remaining derelict since and the team playing in a number of temporary venues, including in nearby Lambourn. However, work began in May 2023 to restore the football ground at Faraday Road following the election of a new Liberal Democrat-run local council.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-24 |title=Football to return to Faraday Road |url=https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/football-to-return-to-faraday-road-9314187/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Newbury Today |language=en}}</ref>

Newbury's [[rugby union]] club [[Newbury R.F.C.]], founded in 1928, has been based at a purpose-built ground at Monks Lane since 1996.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Rugby at its best'' |publisher=Newbury Weekly News Advertiser |url=http://www.newburyrfc.co.uk/NRFC%20wrap.pdf |date=October 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320143622/http://www.newburyrfc.co.uk/NRFC%20wrap.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2009}}</ref> The town has two cricket teams, including Newbury Cricket Club, founded in 1822 and playing at Northcroft Playing Fields,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Newbury CC |url=https://newbury.play-cricket.com/home |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=newbury.play-cricket.com}}</ref> and Falkland Cricket Club, which in May 2023 hosted the first ever professional cricket match in West Berkshire with a match between the Southern Vipers and South East Stars in the [[Charlotte Edwards Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=Landmark moment as professional cricket comes to Falkland |url=https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/sport/landmark-moment-as-professional-cricket-comes-to-falkland-9314053/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Newbury Today |language=en}}</ref>

Newbury has two athletics clubs, Team Kennet and Newbury Athletics Club, which train at the Crookham Common Athletics Track.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crookham Common Athletics Track – Team Kennet |url=https://teamkennet.com/about/training/crookham/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |language=en-US}}</ref> The town is also home to numerous golf courses. The most notable is situated at the historic [[Donnington Grove]] estate, built in 1763 and where a golf course was opened in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of Donnington Grove Hotel {{!}} Hotel in Newbury |url=https://www.donnington-grove.com/the-estate/history |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Donnington Grove |language=en}}</ref>

[[Victoria Park, Newbury|Victoria Park]] is the town's main park, located near the centre of the town, and includes tennis courts, a boating pond, adventure golf course, skatepark and bowling green.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victoria Park, Newbury |url=https://www.newbury.gov.uk/services/victoria-park/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.newbury.gov.uk}}</ref> The park is frequently used for local events throughout the year, such as the Newbury Waterways Festival in July.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-08 |title=All aboard for Waterways festival |url=https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/all-aboard-for-waterways-festival-9262876/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Newbury Today |language=en}}</ref> Between 2004 and 2011, the Park's bandstand played host to the Keep Off The Grass (KOTG) dance music event.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victoria Park, Newbury |url=https://www.newbury.gov.uk/services/victoria-park/your-bandstand-memories/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.newbury.gov.uk}}</ref> Until 2018, it was also the finish line of the Crafty Craft, an improvised [[raft race]] along the [[canal]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-07 |title=Newbury Crafty Craft is seeking a new organiser for 2022 onwards! - Visit Newbury |url=https://visitnewbury.org.uk/newbury-crafty-craft-is-seeking-a-new-organiser-for-2022-onwards/,%20https://visitnewbury.org.uk/newbury-crafty-craft-is-seeking-a-new-organiser-for-2022-onwards/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[File:Newbury Corn Exchange 27-04-05.jpg|thumb|The [[Corn Exchange, Newbury|Corn Exchange]]]]
Newbury's arts scene is primarily centred around the [[Corn Exchange, Newbury|Corn Exchange]], a 400-seat auditorium situated in the Market Place which provides a venue for both professional and amateur live performances as well as hosting an independent cinema.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://cornexchangenew.com/about |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Corn Exchange Newbury |language=en-GB}}</ref> English rock band [[the Who]] performed at the Corn Exchange in 1966.<ref name="setlist.fm">{{Cite web |title=The Who Setlist at Corn Exchange, Newbury |url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-who/1966/corn-exchange-newbury-england-7bc32274.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=setlist.fm |language=en}}</ref> The [[Watermill Theatre]], a 220-seat theatre, is located just outside Newbury in Bagnor,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Watermill Theatre - About Us |url=https://www.watermill.org.uk/about_us |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.watermill.org.uk}}</ref> and the former [[RAF Greenham Common|Greenham Common]] air force base is home to The Base, a dedicated arts centre which opened in 2019 in partnership with the Corn Exchange and Greenham Trust.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://thebasegreenham.co.uk/about |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=The Base Greenham |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Since 1979, the Newbury Spring Festival of classical music has brought internationally renowned soloists and ensembles to a variety of venues in and around the town. The [[Newbury Comedy Festival]] emerged as a major event in 2004 and played host to comedians such as [[Alan Carr]] and [[Jo Brand]], but ended in 2012.

Newbury Showground, located to the north of the town centre in Hermitage, is also a major local events venue. Most notably, it hosts the annual Newbury Show every September, an agricultural and farming show which attracts over 50,000 visitors and which returned in 2023 after a 3-year hiatus.<ref name="setlist.fm"/>

== Media ==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC South]] and [[ITV Meridian]] from the [[Hannington transmitting station|Hannington]] TV transmitter.

There are four main local [[radio station]]s broadcasting in the Newbury area; [[BBC Radio Berkshire]]; a [[Community radio in the United Kingdom|community radio station]], Kennet Radio; and two [[Independent Local Radio]] stations  – [[The Breeze (Newbury)|Greatest Hits Radio Berkshire & North Hampshire]] (formerly 'Newbury Sound', 'Kick FM', 'Kestrel FM' and 'The Breeze') which broadcasts from Newbury, and [[Heart South]] (formerly 2-Ten FM) which broadcasts into the area from nearby Reading. The following local newspapers are distributed in Newbury ([[periodical|circulation]]):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.org.uk|title=Home - ABC - Audit Bureau of Circulations|website=www.abc.org.uk|access-date=5 May 2021|archive-date=10 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110002853/http://www.abc.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Newbury Weekly News'' ''(Part of Newbury Weekly News, advertising-funded free paper)'' (33,400)
* ''Newbury & [[Thatcham]] Chronicle'' (21,500)
* ''[[Newbury Weekly News]]'' (24,300)

== Places of interest ==
[[File:St Nicholas, Newbury.jpg|thumb|upright|[[St Nicolas Church, Newbury|St Nicolas' Church]]]]
* The [[Corn Exchange, Newbury|Corn Exchange]] – theatre and cinema.
* [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] shop and tearooms.
* [[West Berkshire Museum]].
* [[Jack of Newbury]]'s House.
* [[St Nicolas Church, Newbury|St Nicolas' Church]] ([[Church of England|CofE]]), completed in 1532. This is a fine example of a parish church built entirely in the [[Perpendicular Period|Perpendicular]] style.
* [[St Joseph's Church, Newbury]], Roman Catholic church with Italianate architecture.
* [[St Bartholomew]]'s Hospital ([[almshouses]]).
* Raymond Almshouses, Newtown Road, built in 1796, founded by Philip Jemmett of [[Kintbury]], and endowed by his daughter Anne and her husband Sir Jonathan Raymond, [[Alderman]] of the [[City of London]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lower Raymond Almshouses, Newtown Road, Newbury |url=https://www.onephotographaday.org.uk/the-lower-raymond-almshouses-newtown-road-newbury/#.XwsBGihKhPY |website=One Photograph a Day |date=26 June 2017 |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030163447/https://www.onephotographaday.org.uk/the-lower-raymond-almshouses-newtown-road-newbury/#.XwsBGihKhPY |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Newbottle - Newcastle-upon-Tyne Pages 379-389 A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp379-389a |website=British History Online |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-date=10 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810044936/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp379-389a |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Litten Chapel, Newbury|The Litten Chapel]].
* The Falkland Memorial.
* [[Donnington Castle]].
* Nearby places of interest include [[Bucklebury Farm Park]], [[Combe Gibbet]], [[Highclere Castle]], the [[Sandham Memorial Chapel]], [[The Nature Discovery Centre]], the [[Watermill Theatre]] and [[Watership Down (place)|Watership Down]].
* New Greenham Arts – an ex-US military building on [[Greenham Common]] airbase, now used to house artist studios, and a performing arts centre.
* Disused GAMA [[cruise missile]] storage area at Greenham Common.
* Greenham Control Tower cafe and museum.

== Notable people ==
[[File:Richard Adams 20081116.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Richard Adams]]]]
[[File:Francis Baily (The Royal Astronomical Society).jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Francis Baily]]]]

A number of notable people have originated from, worked, lived or died in Newbury:

* [[Richard Adams]] (1920–2016), author<ref>{{cite news |author1=McFarren, Robert |title=Richard Adams, Whose Novel 'Watership Down' Became a Phenomenon, Dies at 96 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/arts/richard-adams-author-of-watership-down-dies-at-96.html |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227230414/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/arts/richard-adams-author-of-watership-down-dies-at-96.html |archive-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>
* [[Hannah Aldworth]] (?–1778), philanthropist<ref>{{cite web |title=Will of Hannah Aldworth, Widow of Newbury, Berkshire |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D559490 |website=National Archives |access-date=1 November 2019 |date=6 June 1778 |archive-date=1 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101132311/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D559490 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Roger Attfield]] (1939–), thoroughbred [[horse trainer]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Roger Attfield Hall of Fame Inductee, 1999 |url=http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/trainers/1999/Roger_Attfield.html |website=www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com |publisher=[[Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame]] |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726152133/http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/trainers/1999/Roger_Attfield.html |archive-date=26 July 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Francis Baily]] (1774–1844), astronomer<ref>{{cite book |title=The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers |last=Hockey |first=Thomas |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-387-30400-7 |access-date=31 August 2021 |url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_99 |page=8 |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_99 |archive-date=2 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602041327/https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-0-387-30400-7_99 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Captain Collet Barker]] (1784–1831), early Australian explorer<ref>{{cite book |author1=Barker, Collet |author2=Mulvaney, John |author3=Green, Neville |author1-link=Captain Collet Barker |author2-link=John Mulvaney |title=Commandant of Solitude: The Journals of Captain Collet Barker, 1828-1831 |date=1992 |publisher=[[Melbourne University Press]] |isbn=0522844723 |oclc=609414919 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/609414919 |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831173829/https://www.worldcat.org/title/commandant-of-solitude-the-journals-of-captain-collet-barker-1828-1831/oclc/609414919 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Michael Bond]] (1926–2017), creator of [[Paddington Bear]]<ref>{{cite news |author1=Gates, Anita |title=Michael Bond, Paddington Bear Creator, Is Dead at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/books/michael-bond-dead-paddington-bear.html |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628142450/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/books/michael-bond-dead-paddington-bear.html |archive-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>
* [[Harry Bowl]] (1914–?), footballer
* [[Bruno Brookes]] (1959–), radio and television presenter<ref>{{cite news |author1=Carroll, Sue |author1-link=Sue Carroll |title=EXCLUSIVE: BRUNO BROOKES ON HOW HIS LIFE HAS MOVED ON |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Anthea+did+it+her+way+but+I+don%27t+care..+I+am+worth+pounds+10m+thanks...-a064614594 |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |agency=[[The Free Dictionary#The Free Library|The Free Library]] |date=26 August 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831153949/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Anthea+did+it+her+way+but+I+don%27t+care..+I+am+worth+pounds+10m+thanks...-a064614594 |archive-date=31 August 2021}}</ref>
* [[Lord Carey]] (1935–), former [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]<ref>{{cite news |author1=Herring, John |title=Former Archbishop of Canterbury has permission to preach revoked |url=https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/former-archbishop-of-canterbury-has-permission-to-preach-revoked-9188278/ |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[Newbury Weekly News]] |date=19 June 2020 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831173831/https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/former-archbishop-of-canterbury-has-permission-to-preach-revoked-9188278/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Lawrence Chaney]] (1996–), drag performer<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GN8uEAAAQBAJ |title=Lawrence (Drag) Queen of Scots: The Dos and Don'ts of a Drag Superstar. |first=Lawrence |last=Chaney |publisher=[[Random House]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4735-9811-9 |chapter=Becoming Lawrence Chaney}}</ref>
* [[Simon Channing-Williams]] (1945–2009), film producer<ref>{{cite news |author1=Coveney, Michael |author1-link=Michael Coveney |title=Obituary: Simon Channing Williams |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/apr/14/simon-channing-williams |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=14 April 2009 |quote=He also ran two pubs in Newbury, Berkshire, the Five Bells and the Carpenter's Arms |archive-date=14 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614090640/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/apr/14/simon-channing-williams |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Keith Chegwin]] (1957–2017), television presenter<ref>{{cite news |author1=Booth, Charlotte |title=Keith Chegwin dies aged 60 |url=https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/keith-chegwin-dies-aged-60-9183045/ |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[Newbury Weekly News]] |date=11 December 2017 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831173832/https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/keith-chegwin-dies-aged-60-9183045/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Harry Cotterell]] (1841–1925), British trader
* [[Miles Coverdale|Miles or Myles Coverdale]] (1488–1569), bishop, co-author of the [[Early Modern English Bible translations|1st English Bible]]
* [[George Dangerfield]] (1904–1986), journalist and author<ref>{{cite news |title=GEORGE DANGERFIELD, HISTORIAN |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/06/obituaries/george-dangerfield-historian.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=6 January 1987 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702023458/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/06/obituaries/george-dangerfield-historian.html |archive-date=2 July 2012}}</ref>
*[[Mary Farmer]] (born 1940 Newbury, Berkshire - Died 2021 Boston, Lincolnshire) UK-based designer and weaver of tapestries and rugs<ref>{{cite book |last1=Farmer |first1=Mary |title=The maker's eye |date=1981 |publisher=Crafts Council |location=London |isbn=0903798581}}</ref>
* [[Sebastian Faulks]] (1953–), author<ref>{{cite web |author1=Faulks, Sebastian |author1-link=Sebastian Faulks |title=About Sebastian Faulks |url=https://www.sebastianfaulks.com/about/ |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=5 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805163556/https://www.sebastianfaulks.com/about/ |url-status=live }}{{Self-published source|date=August 2021}}</ref><ref name=Debretts2005>{{cite book|title=Debrett's People of Today 2005|year=2005|edition=18th|isbn=1-870520-10-6|publisher=[[Debrett's]]|page=534}}{{verify source|date=August 2021}}</ref>
* [[Gerald Finzi]] (1901–1956), composer and founder of the [[Newbury String Players]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Gerald Finzi, Composer |url=http://aldbourneheritage.org.uk/village-history/wholived/gerald-finzi-composer |website=aldbourneheritage.org.uk |publisher=[[Aldbourne Heritage Centre]] |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307113010/http://aldbourneheritage.org.uk/village-history/wholived/gerald-finzi-composer |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Jill Fraser]] (1946–2006), [[Watermill Theatre]] owner and director<ref>{{cite news |title=Jill Fraser |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/16/db1603.xml |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=16 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311054810/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F02%2F16%2Fdb1603.xml |archive-date=11 March 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[William Henry Gore]] (1857–1942), painter of the [[Berkshire]] countryside, born and died in Newbury.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Clow, Ross |title=William Henry Gore (1857 - 1942) |url=http://www.fnrcnewbury.org.uk/biography.asp?BiogID=69 |website=www.fnrcnewbury.org.uk |access-date=31 August 2021 |date=29 June 2012 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115140553/http://fnrcnewbury.org.uk/biography.asp?BiogID=69 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[James Hanson, Baron Hanson|James Hanson, Lord Hanson]] (1922–2004), haulier, later venture capitalist<ref>{{cite news |title=Business giant Lord Hanson dies |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3973543.stm |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=2 November 2004 |archive-date=7 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107115733/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3973543.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Alec Hopkins (1986–), actor who played the young [[Severus Snape]] in ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
* Sir [[Michael Hordern]] (1911–1995), actor<ref>{{cite news |author1=Beckett, Andy |author1-link=Andy Beckett |title=Newbury: what the battle is all about |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/newbury-what-the-battle-is-all-about-1323863.html |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=23 October 2011 |quote=Sir Michael Hordern was a [Bagnor, Newbury] resident |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100203/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/newbury-what-the-battle-is-all-about-1323863.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Luke Humphries]] (1995–), professional darts player<ref>{{cite web |title=Luke Humphries |url=https://mastercaller.com/players/luke-humphries |website=mastercaller.com |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922194203/https://www.mastercaller.com/players/luke-humphries |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[John Kendrick (cloth merchant)|John Kendrick]] (1573–1624), philanthropic patron of the town of [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]
* [[Edwin Lewis]] (1881–1959), [[Methodist]] [[theologian]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Rev. Edwin Lewis |url=https://www.swahsociety.com/familytree/getperson.php?personID=I38762&tree=FrostJ |website=swahsociety.com |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831173831/https://www.swahsociety.com/familytree/getperson.php?personID=I38762&tree=FrostJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|William Marshal]] "The Marshal" seen as first [[Lord Marshal of England|Lord Marshal]], (1147–1219) [[medieval]] [[knight]] given up as a hostage at '[[Newbury Castle]]'<ref>{{cite news |author1=Prior, Neil |author2=Burrows, John |title=William Marshal: A combination of 'Muhammad Ali and Kissinger' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48235012 |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=12 May 2019 |quote=In 1152, when William was just six, Stephen besieged Newbury Castle and took William hostage until his father agreed to surrender. |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107234334/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48235012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Henry Martin (murderer)|Henry Martin]] (?-1866), British murderer<ref>{{citation|author=Berkshire Record Office|title=Catalogue of Coroners' Records, Newbury County Division|publisher=The National Archives|place=Kew|year=1866|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=005-newbury&cid=-1#-1}}</ref>
* [[Jack O'Newbury]] (1489–1557), cloth merchant and patron<ref>{{cite ODNB |author1=Pollard, Albert |author2=Kerridge, Eric |author1-link=Albert Pollard |title=Winchcombe, John |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/29712 |access-date=31 August 2021 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/29712 |date=23 September 2004 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831173835/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-29712;jsessionid=849C519E5E06EA6D21F8F591C11AF907 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!--
* [[William of Newbury]], 12th century [[Abbots of Abingdon|Abbot of Abingdon]] REMOVED - appears to have been Abbot of Abingdon (ref <ref name=HeadsI>Knowles, Brooke and London (2001), ''The heads of religious houses: England & Wales, I. 940–1216'', pp. 24-5.</ref> from [[Abbot of Abingdon]]; doesn't appear to be necessarily from Newbury (see https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-the-medieval-chronicle/william-of-newburgh-SIM_02558?s.num=18)
-->
* [[John Septimus Roe]] (1797–1878), the first [[Surveyor-General of Western Australia]]<ref name=ASC>{{cite web|url=http://www.valuingheritage.com.au/adoptagrave/Roe_John_Septimus.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413213721/http://www.valuingheritage.com.au/adoptagrave/Roe_John_Septimus.html|title=John Septimus Roe|archive-date=13 April 2013|publisher=All Saints College|access-date=27 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Lord George Sanger|"Lord" George Sanger]] (1825–1911), circus owner born in Newbury who gave the [[Queen Victoria]] statue to the town in 1902<ref>{{Cite ODNB  | last = Assael  | first = Brenda  | title = Sanger, George (1825?–1911)  | volume = 1  | date = September 2004  | url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35940  | doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/35940  | access-date =22 June 2010
}}</ref>
* [[Hannah Snell]] (1723–1792), female soldier
* [[Edward Charles Titchmarsh|Edward C. ('Ted') Titchmarsh]] (1899–1963), leading 20th-century theoretical mathematician<ref name="frs">{{Cite journal | last1 = Cartwright | first1 = M. L. | doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1964.0018 | title = Edward Charles Titchmarsh 1899-1963 | journal = [[Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society]] | volume = 10 | pages = 305–326 | year = 1964 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
* [[Theo Walcott]] (1989–), retired footballer, originally for [[A.F.C. Newbury]]. He played for [[Southampton Football Club|Southampton]] before his retirement and previously played for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] and [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Fricker |first=Martin |title=Theo Lions on His Shirt |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/topstories/tm_objectid=17050876&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=theo-lions-on-his-shirt--name_page.html |newspaper=Daily Mirror |location=London |date=9 May 2006 |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=14 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014110713/http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/topstories/tm_objectid%3D17050876%26method%3Dfull%26siteid%3D94762%26headline%3Dtheo-lions-on-his-shirt--name_page.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Sir [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] (1942–2021) – [[Formula One]] manager, founded the [[WilliamsF1]] team<ref>{{cite news |author1=Lawrence, Linora |title=Formula for success |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/3741858.formula-success/ |work=[[Oxford Mail]] |date=9 October 2008 |quote=By 1986 Frank had moved to his present home, a small mansion near Newbury |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=25 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725203022/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/3741858.formula-success/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Tim Jeffery|Tim Jeffrey]] (1996-) – [[Paralympic shooter]] for [[Team GB]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-05 |title=Newbury's Tim Jeffery claims shooting bronze at Paris Paralympics |url=https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/sport/newbury-s-tim-jeffrey-claims-shooting-bronze-at-paris-paraly-9381968/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Newbury Today |language=en}}</ref>

Nobles killed at the [[First Battle of Newbury]]

* [[Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon|Earl of Carnarvon]]<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Roy |first=Ian  |title=Dormer, Robert, first earl of Carnarvon (1610?–1643) |date=28 September 2006 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-7839 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/7839 |access-date =31 August 2021}}</ref>
* [[Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland|Earl of Sunderland]]<ref name=cokayne>G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H. A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant'', new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910–1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XII/1, pp. 161, 483 and 484.</ref>
* [[Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland|Lord Falkland]]<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Smith |first=David  |title=Cary, Lucius, second Viscount Falkland (1609/10–1643) |date=29 May 2014 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-4841 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/4841 |access-date =31 August 2021 |freearticle=y}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Newbury power station]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General and cited references ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Higgott |first=Tony |year=2001 |title=The Story of Newbury |location=Newbury, UK |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=9781846742736 |oclc=809543256}}
* {{Cite book |last=Money |first=Walter |year=1887 |title=The History of the Ancient Town and Borough of Newbury, in the County of Berks. |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028185811 |location=Oxford |publisher=Parker and Co. |oclc=10968350}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Newbury and Thatcham}}
{{Commons category|Newbury, Berkshire}}
* [http://www.newbury.gov.uk Newbury Town Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180810104711/http://www.newburytwintown.co.uk/ Newbury Twin Town Association]
* [http://www.newburyhistory.co.uk The History of Newbury District]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190607151237/http://www.newbury.net/ Newbury Community Website]
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Newbury|short=x}}
* [http://www.greenhamcommon.org.uk A History of RAF Greenham Common and RAF Welford]

{{Berkshire}}
{{West Berkshire}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Newbury, Berkshire| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Berkshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Berkshire]]
[[Category:West Berkshire District]]
[[Category:Kennet and Avon Canal]]
[[Category:Towns in Berkshire]]