Buildings
Streatley watermill (Michael Brodie, Journal 2018)
Flash locks were operated by millers in Goring for hundreds of years until pound locks were installed in 1787. The mills were affected by such diverse events as the Great Plague of 1665, imports of grain from the USA and Canada, and the coming of the Great Western Railway. Later Streatley Mill was used to produce electricity and went through various ownerships until it was destroyed by fire in 1926, about the time of the introduction of the National Grid.
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The tale of the black and white cottages (Janet Hurst, Journal 2016)
The black and white cottages were two cottages that stood where the entrance to the Arcade is now. They stood on land owned by Goring Brewery opposite, so the article describes something of the history of the Brewery as well. Much of the time the cottages were let out, but in 1940, when the owner, Mrs Ann Gundry, died childless, the cottages and the Brewery were sold. So brewing ceased in Goring. The cottages gradually fell into a dilapidated state, and in 1965 they were demolished.
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All change at Goring and Streatley Station (Mike Hurst, Journal 2015)
2015 saw the old footbridge demolished at the Station, prompting Mike Hurst to write about the history thereof. The Station started life as just a wooden shack, given in response to a petition by some (but not all) Goring residents. The first Station had broad gauge track, and just two through lines. When this was widened to four lines, the Station was moved 130 yards closer to Reading. At the time Mike was writing more new developments were awaited - a new bridge, electrification, and (thanks to MIGGS) station lifts.
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The Streatley by-pass (Michael Brodie, Journal 2014)
The question of a Streatley by-pass was first raised in 1960, before the M4 route had been agreed. The by-pass might mean the demolition of Wells' Stores and the adjoining property. Various protests were made, there being opposition from the CPRE, the Goring and Streatley Amenity Association, and a number of parish councils. By 1968 two routes had been proposed. Gradually the initial proposal of a dual-carriageway was reduced to a single carriageway. In the end the by-pass was abandoned because of problems of funding.
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The early history of the Queen's Arms at Goring (Janet Hurst, Journal 2014)
It is not known when the Queen's Arms was built, but it appears in records at about the same time as the railway came to Goring in 1840. An early occupier was John Curtis, who owned other property in Goring including the brewery. John seems to have been quite a character - he was sued for assault by a local bootmaker and, after his first wife died, he seduced the daughter of the local parson and only married her after the birth of their daughter. Later the Queen's Arms was bought by Morrell's Brewery of Oxford, and became part of their chain of public houses. It is now a Tesco Express.
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Colonel Bingay's burden: Chancel Repair Liability in Goring (Garry Alder, Journal 2013)
Chancel Repair Liability (CRL) - the obligation to bear the cost of repair to a church's chancel - has for historic reasons been tied up with the ownership of rectorial land. That land has been divided and passed to new owners who were highly unlikely to be aware of their obligations. Goring PCC was asked to find all those landowners with CRL during the Second World War, and the task was taken on by one Colonel Bingay - hence Colonel Bingay's burden. Parliament has since tried to deal with what seemed an archaic, medieval system for dealing with chancel repairs.
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Housing development in Goring 1870-1914 (Janet Hurst, Journal 2013)
In late Victorian and early Edwardian years many large houses were built in Goring. Most were built on land sold off by Charles Weare Gardiner. The railway brought in people who could commute daily or visit at weekends. Properties were built along Cleeve Road and also along Manor Road. Properties were also built for the servants and gardeners of the owners of big houses. Notable architects included James Swallow Dodd and William Ravenscroft, and the houses were built by firms such as Thomas Higgs & Son of Goring and Smallbones of Streatley.
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The modernisation of Goring Church (Garry Alder, Journal 2012)
The article describes fierce disagreements that followed a proposal to make changes to St Thomas' Church in 1887. The proposals included: a new organ chamber to the northeast with a new arch and pipe organ, extending the chancel by a few feet with the square end replaced by an apsidal end, resurfacing the entire floor of the Church with tiles, a new boiler and heating system, and a new rood screen. Those in dispute included the Vicar, the Rev Henry Littlewood, the Patron and Lay Rector, Charles Weare Gardiner, the district architect, the architect Benjamin Corser, and a previous vicar, the Rev George Hunter Fell. Many of the proposed changes were eventually made, albeit in a slightly modified form.
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