Newbury

What is it Like to Live in Newbury?  

Newbury is a market town which offers an ideal environment for those looking to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. In spite of the changes seen in the area over the last 30 years, Newbury has managed to retain its unique historic charm.

With good schools, easy access to beautiful countryside and excellent transport links, Newbury offers great appeal. It is a fantastic area for young families, as well as those who are looking to settle into retirement.

This traditional English market town is known for its warm community feel and surprising abundance of amenities. It is a town where tradition meets progress and is one of the safest areas in Berkshire.

There are a number of excellent schools in Newbury, including the independent St Gabriel’s School and the academies of St Bartholomew’s School and Park House School. St Barts Schools is the oldest in Berkshire, with a heritage dating all the way back to 1466.

Newbury is a town with plentiful places of cultural interest as well as thriving local arts communities. Some of the major cultural landmarks in Newbury include Donnington Castle, a ruined medieval castle built in 1386 and the West Berkshire Museum, which holds a variety of artworks and collections related to Newbury.

Highclere Castle is another favourite spot in the Newbury area, where the real Downton Abbey can be visited in all its splendour as a Grade I country house. Newbury Racecourse is one of the most famous horseracing venues in the country, hosting horseracing events throughout the year.

Newbury is home to several square miles of nature reserves and other fabulous green spaces. Around three miles away in Thatcham, The Living Rainforest, is particularly noteworthy. It is an indoor ecological centre consisting of three glasshouses which each have flora and fauna representative of tropical rainforest.

The Corn Exchange is one of the major arts centres in Berkshire, hosting a variety of events including opera and theatre, and the Watermill Theatre hosts many West End and Broadway productions. Children can partake in a variety of arts groups at Arlington Arts, which also hosts many other local arts groups.

Sports and leisure groups in the area include Newbury Tennis Club, Northcroft Leisure Centre and Deanwood Park Golf Club.

Find out more about what it is like to live in Newbury.

History of Newbury 

From royal hunting grounds to the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley, Newbury boasts a rich and varied history. Although evidence of a Mesolithic settlement has been found in the area, it wasn’t until the 11th century that Newbury was founded. A castle was thought to exist here and the town frequently hosted royalty, including King John and Henry III. As a rural outpost, it was better-known for its hunting grounds than its bustling town amenities.

A burgeoning cloth trade in the 16th century brought development, but was later overtaken by a thriving tourism industry. As the half-way point between London and Bath, many visitors stopped en route to relax at the inns. This coaching trade would decline following the opening of the Great Western Railway, and Newbury transitioned back to a sleepy market town with an agriculture-based economy.

That all changed in the 1980s when Vodafone chose to locate its headquarters here. Other high-tech companies followed and the town still enjoys the prosperity of those industries.