Speen | |
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St Mary the Virgin parish church |
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Maize fields and the Lambourn, Woodspeen, Speen |
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Speen shown within Berkshire | |
Area | 14.53 km2 (5.61 sq mi) |
Population | 2,635 (2011 census) |
• Density | 181/km2 (470/sq mi) |
OS grid reference | SU4568 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Newbury |
Postcode district | RG14 |
Dialling code | 01635 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Royal Berkshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
EU Parliament | South East England |
UK Parliament | |
Speen is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. Centred 2 miles (3 km) north west of the largest town in the district, Newbury, Speen has clustered settlements, the largest of which is Speen village (which is contiguous with Newbury) and the others are buffered from the town by the A34 road and named Bagnor, Stockcross, Woodspeen and Marsh Benham.
Its other land is an approximately even mixture of woodland and agricultural fields (including cultivated crops, hay meadow for livestock feed and pasture) and varies greatly in elevation, having the Reading to Taunton Line alongside the north bank of the River Kennet as its southern boundary and both banks of the Lambourn in its north with elevated ground in between.
Benham Park in the south-west of the area is a listed landscape garden and house under the national statutory scheme.
Speen has the frequently broken-up footpath marking the Ermin Street/Ermin Way, the main Roman road from Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester, Gloucestershire) to Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester, Hampshire).
The English Civil War Second Battle of Newbury was fought at Speen on 27 October 1644. Speenhamland in the parish, now part of Newbury, was the eponymous home of the Speenhamland system of outdoor (poor) relief.