Purley-on-Thames
| Purley on Thames | |
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 Church of England Parish Church, Purley-on-Thames |
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.jpg) Mapledurham meadows and woods facing Purley from above the Thames Path National Trail at Purley. |
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 Purley on Thames
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| Purley on Thames shown within Berkshire | |
| Area | 4.27 km2 (1.65 sq mi) |
| Population | 4,394 (2011 census) |
| • Density | 1,029/km2 (2,670/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU6676 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Purley on Thames (locally known asPurley) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. Purley is centred 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Reading, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Pangbourne, and 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Oxford. Consequently, the Reading urban area is the principal social, economic and cultural centre for the people of Purley. Historically, Purley comprised three separate manors and associated settlements, these being Purley Magna to the east, Purley Parva to the north-west, and Purley La Hyde, to the west.
Purley lost most of its old houses due to emparkment around 1800 and redevelopment in the 20th century. It is bounded to the north by a stretch of the River Thames, to the east by West Reading and part of Tilehurst in Reading Borough, to the west by Pangbourne and to the south by Tilehurst and Sulham. After the sale of the estate of Purley Magna in the 1920s most of the eastern part of the parish has been developed but there is easy access to rural areas to the west and south. The area encompassing the other two manors has also retained a rural character.
Changes in the 20th century began with ribbon development along the Oxford Road and Long Lane and in recent years these properties have been redeveloped with modern housing estates. The Purley River Estate was sold off in small plots in the 1930s and for many years suffered much non-planned development. As a result of the guidance plan agreed during the 1960s it has gradually developed from self built, timber dwellings and converted railway carriages, to an area with more conventional 'everyday' houses. The gradual upgrading of the area has resulted in a diverse range of housing styles.
Previously a rural village, Purley is a suburb of Reading, though within the boundaries of West Berkshire Council. The majority of homes in Purley are detached houses, with minorities of small housing and shared ownership properties and a large council estate. The area is largely unaffordable for most of the population - as of 2016, the average price of a property in Purley is £413,268 and the median UK wage is £26,500; the average house price is thus nearly 16 times the average salary.
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Wikipedia