Winnersh

Coordinates: 51°25′41″N 0°52′46″W / 51.4281°N 0.8794°W / 51.4281; -0.8794

Winnersh is a village and civil parish in the borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England.

The village is located around 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of the town of Wokingham and around 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Reading, and is roughly bounded by the M4 motorway to the south, the A329(M) motorway to the north, and the River Loddon to the west. The parish extends beyond the M4 to cover the estate village of Sindlesham.

Name

The name "Winnersh" comes from the Old English word 'Winn' meaning meadow or pasture and 'ersc'(or earsh) meaning stubble field or park. This implies that Winnersh consisted of cultivated areas of land centuries ago. It has been mentioned in documents since the late 12th century as a description of the area. Winnersh was originally one of the four 'Liberties' of the parish of Hurst.

Character

Winnersh was largely developed during the railway age. The South Eastern Railway built the North Downs Line in 1849, but the station now known as Winnersh was not opened until 1910, and was originally named "Sindlesham and Hurst Halt", so clearly Winnersh as a village did not exist in the form that it is today (the station is fairly central in the current village). The station was renamed Winnersh Halt in 1930.