Avington, Berkshire

Village in England

Kintbury

Unitary authority

West Berkshire

Berkshire

Region

South East

CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townHungerfordPostcode districtRG17 0Dialling code01488PoliceThames ValleyFire Royal Berkshire Ambulance South Central UK Parliament

Newbury

List of places: UK; England; Berkshire

51°25′N 1°28′W / 51.41°N 01.46°W / 51.41; -01.46

Avington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Kintbury, in the West Berkshire district, in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. The village is on the River Kennet, just under 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Kintbury village and 2 miles (3 km) east of the town of Hungerford. The Kennet and Avon Canal follows the river and passes the village. In 1931 the parish had a population of 77.^[1] On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished and merged with Kintbury.^[2]

Toponym

The toponym is derived from Old English and means "the enclosure (tūn) of Afa's people". The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Avintone and a pipe roll from 1167 records it as Avintona.^[3]

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saints Mark and Luke is an 11th-century Norman building. It consists of only a nave, chancel and late 19th-century north transept. The font is a notable piece of Romanesque sculpture and may be Saxon.^[4] The south doorway is a Norman arch. The chancel has Norman vaulting and a Norman arch, both with "beakhead" ornament.^[5] A few early Gothic additions to the church were made in the 13th century, including two doorways and a "low-side" window.^[5] The church is a Grade I listed building.^[4]

References

^ "Population statistics Avington AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
^ "Relationships and changes Avington AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
^ Ekwall 1960, Avington
^ ^a ^b Historic England. "Church of St Mark and St Luke (Grade I) (1319539)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b Pevsner 1966, p. 75.

Bibliography

Ditchfield, PH; Page, William, eds. (1924). "Avington". A History of the County of Berkshire. Victoria County History. Vol. IV. assisted by John Hautenville Cope. London: The St Katherine Press. pp. 21–24.
Ekwall, Eilert (1960) [1936]. Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Avington. ISBN 0198691033.
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 75.