Southcote, Berkshire
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox UK place
Southcote (Template:IPAc-en) is a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located to the south-west of Reading town centre, Southcote has a population of about 8,500 (as of 2011). The settlement lies primarily between the London-to-Bath road and the River Kennet.
The area was sparsely populated until after the Second World War, though excavations have revealed evidence of Paleolithic and Iron Age activity in Southcote, as well as Roman and Saxon habitation. By the time William the Conqueror undertook the Domesday Survey in 1086, Southcote was sufficiently established to warrant a Lord of the Manor, who at that time was William de Braose. From the 16th century onwards, Southcote Manor was owned by the Blagrave family, who sold the manor house in the 1920s. The area was subsequently developed into housing: much of the land changed from agricultural to residential. A large proportion of the land in Southcote not used for housing is classified as flood-meadow, providing flood plains between urbanisation and the River Kennet.
Southcote forms an electoral ward in Reading. The area is seen as a safe seat for Labour, as the Conservatives have not held a seat on the council since the 1980s.
Residents of Southcote generally self-classify as Christian. The male life expectancy in the area is lower than the national estimate, although the female expectancy is slightly higher. Claimants of out-of-work benefits (such as Jobseeker's Allowance) are more prevalent in Southcote than in surrounding areas. Attainment in education in Southcote is lower than the Reading average, as is residents' self-evaluation of health.
Near to the settlement is Southcote Junction, where the Great Western Main Line diverges into the Reading to Taunton line and the Reading to Basingstoke line. The railways were preceded by the Kennet and Avon Canal, which passes south of the settlement. Southcote lends its name to the 104th lock on the canal.
History
Toponymy
Recorded in the Domesday Book as Sudcote,<ref name="Powell-Smith 2015a">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Southcote has also been referred to as Sutcot, Sudcot, Sukote, Suthcot, Suthcote, Suthcotes,<ref name="HGEPN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Southcoat,<ref name="Benolte 71">Template:Cite book</ref> with the present spelling entering usage in the 15th century.<ref name="HGEPN" /> Alternative spellings of Southcot<ref name="BAS 1895">Template:Cite journal</ref> and Southcott<ref name="Seary 1998 486">Template:Cite book</ref> have also been used.
The name "Southcote", comparable to that of neighbouring Norcot, originates from the Old English "suth cote",<ref name="BAS 1935">Template:Cite journal</ref> meaning "south[ern] cottage".<ref name="English Place-Name Society 1973 177">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="English Place-Name Society 1976 860">Template:Cite journal</ref> It is likely that Circuit Lane, one of the primary roads into Southcote, derives its name from "Circourt Lane", a corruption of "Southcote Lane".<ref name="English Place-Name Society 1973 177" /> A similar development of names occurred at Circourt Manor near Denchworth, Oxfordshire.<ref name="English Place-Name Society 1973 177" />
Early history
Lower Paleolithic and Palaeolithic materials have been recovered in various excavations in the Southcote area.<ref name="McNicoll-Norbury 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An Iron Age occupation was located when houses were constructed in the 20th century.<ref name="McNicoll-Norbury 2010" /> A Saxon urn was found in Southcote in 1924.<ref name="OS 1938">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The urn contained ashes and bone fragments, and was given to the Museum of Reading.<ref name="Underhill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A polished stone celt was also found in Southcote in 1926.<ref name="OS 1935">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An excavation of Southcote Manor in the 1960s uncovered many Roman, Romano-British and medieval artefacts such as sherds and pottery; a sample of the latter was discovered to have originated in Oxford in the 2nd century.<ref name="ADS 1964">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Similarly, a Pannonian brooch and samian ware have been found in the area,<ref name="JRS 1955 142">Template:Cite journal</ref> and Roman pottery was found in the vicinity of the clay pits at Prospect Park Brick Works.<ref name="OS 1938" /> Later inhabitation of Southcote was discovered at Anslow's Cottages south of the Kennet, where excavation suggests that a Bronze Age waterfront was made on a branch of the river.<ref name="Moore Jennings 1992 118">Template:Cite book</ref> A 1991 report by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England—now known as English Heritage—detailed the discovery of fragments of twined basketry at Anslow's Cottages, showing that eel or fish traps were used on the river near Southcote.<ref name="Watson 1991">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Archaeological findings of timber structures adjacent to the trap suggest that it dated from the eight or ninth century.<ref name="Higham 2010 61">Template:Cite book</ref> Later discoveries, made in the 1980s during gravel extraction in the area, also uncovered evidence of a landing stage or jetty on the river channel.<ref name="Wessex Archaeology">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11th–15th century
The settlement of Southcote grew largely around the medieval house at Southcote Manor.<ref name="Ford 2015" /> Before the Norman Conquest, Southcote was held by Brictward—a Saxon landowner and priest<ref name="Ford 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Powell-Smith 2015b">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>—under Edward the Confessor.<ref name="ADS 1964" /> The settlement was documented in the Domesday Book as Sudcote with a total population of 13 households, consisting of five villagers and eight smallholders, though a manor house is not mentioned.<ref name="Powell-Smith 2015a" /> At this time Southcote was mostly ploughlands, but had a mill and a fishery, and was valued at £5.<ref name="Powell-Smith 2015a" /> The Lord of the Manor at the time was William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber.<ref name="Powell-Smith 2015a" /> In the early 1200s a house was built and Southcote was owned by Henry Belet. This house had two moats, supplied with water by a channel from the nearby Holy Brook.<ref name="Ford 2015" /> Upon Henry's death the estate was inherited by his son Michael, who was cup-bearer to Henry II.<ref name="Blomefield Parkin 1807 152">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1337, a grant of free warren was made to the Belet family for the manor.<ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1365 the manor and 13th-century moated house<ref name="Briscos">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> passed into the Restwold family, and it passed through marriage to the Drew family of Seagry, Wiltshire, then the Sambourne family.<ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" /> Margaret Sambourne, the heir to the manor, died in 1494 and an inquisition the following year suggested that she held the manor (then valued at £20) as a trustee on behalf of Hugh Kenepy.<ref name="Granite Monthly 1895 475">Template:Cite journal</ref> Around this time a brick house was built to replace the earlier dwelling.<ref name="Briscos" /><ref name="Lysons 1813 341">Template:Cite book</ref> After the death of Sambourne's son, Drew, an inquisition reported in contradiction that the manor was held by the Abbot of Reading; in their work on the Berkshire section of Victoria County History, Peter Ditchfield and William Henry Page write that at this point "the correct tenure had evidently been lost".<ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" /> Through Drew Sambourne's granddaughter, Margaret, the manor passed through marriage to William Windsor, 2nd Baron Windsor. William's grandson, Henry (5th Baron Windsor), sold the manor to Anthony Blagrave by the early 16th century.<ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" />
16th–19th century
The Blagrave family were wealthy landowners around Reading, and the manor passed down through the family (which included mathematician John Blagrave, who built a new house at Southcote);<ref name="Lysons 1813 341" /> a lease document dated from 1596 suggests that the manor was divided between three Blagrave brothers.<ref name="BRO Echo 8">Template:Cite journal</ref> Daniel Blagrave, a cousin of John, inherited the manor on the latter's death in 1611. At the time of the English Civil War, during the siege of Reading in 1643, the Blagraves allowed Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex to use the manor as his headquarters.<ref name="Ford 2015" /> The Blagrave family, who were sympathetic to the Roundheads, are said to have hosted Oliver Cromwell, John Hampden and Robert Blake for a council of war in one of the house's oak panelled rooms.<ref name="Ford 2015" /><ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" /> In January 1649, Daniel was one of the signatories of Charles I's death warrant.<ref name="Ford 2015" /><ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" />
In 1665 Elias Ashmole wrote to Mervyn Tuchet, 4th Earl of Castlehaven at "Southcote neere Redding".<ref name="Benolte 220">Template:Cite book</ref> At some point that century the manor house was largely rebuilt and modernised; the existing 15th century guardhouse and vaulted well were retained.<ref name="Ford 2015" /> Come the Restoration in 1660 after the end of the war, Daniel fled from England and died in Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668.<ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" /> Southcote saw development with the opening of the Kennet Navigation in the 1720s, where the River Kennet was made navigable by vessels as far upstream as Newbury; industrialisation along the canal continued for the next century.
Throughout the 18th century the manor continued to pass through the Blagrave family, including John Blagrave MP. In 1778, Frances Blagrave married John Blagrave of Watchfield (Ditchfield and Page suggest that the couple were not related before marriage<ref name="Ditchfield Page 1923" />). In 1813, Daniel and Samuel Lysons wrote that the manor and mansion house were unoccupied but remained the property of the Blagrave family, who at that point resided at nearby Calcot Park.<ref name="Lysons 1813 341" /> The same year, Calvespit House (near Calvespit Farm to the west of Southcote Manor) was renamed Southcott Lodge and incorporated into the estate.<ref name="BRO Calvespit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Between 1828 and 1850 the house was let to Charles and Frances Lutyens, whose son Charles was born at the house and who later fathered the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.<ref name="Ford 2015" />
Southcote was mentioned in Samuel Lewis's 1835 Topographical Dictionary of England. It was described as a tything within the parish of St Mary's, Reading, and had a population of 84.<ref name="Lewis 1835">Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1847, the Reading to Taunton branch of the Great Western Main Line was built through Southcote.<ref name="MacDermot 1927">Template:Cite book</ref> The following year the Reading to Basingstoke line opened to the east of Southcote; the railways diverging at Southcote Junction. Two years later, in 1850, a water pumping station was built alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal at Southcote Lock.<ref name="OS 1914">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The facility, owned by the Reading Corporation, was connected to the Bath Road Reservoir (Template:Convert north-east) and provided Reading with a source of water that originated upstream of any pollutants from the town.<ref name="Hylton 1992 101">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Institution of Municipal Engineers 1923">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Allsop 1987">Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1860 the occupant was Louisa Mundy, widow of Lieutenant Governor of Jersey Godfrey Mundy. Louisa was the niece of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Carnarvon, and lived at Southcote with her sons Herbert and Cyril.<ref name="Ford 2015" /> By this time, Southcote had expanded to a population of 87, with 14 houses. In his Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, John Marius Wilson stated that the real property of Southcote was valued at £608.<ref name="Wilson 1872">Template:Cite book</ref>
After the Mundys' tenure, Southcote Manor was let to the Brisco (or Briscoe) family, who had made their money in slave trading and plantation ownership.<ref name="Briscos" /> The family were relatives of Hastings MP Musgrave Brisco and inheritors of the Pryce baronetcy. Along with one of his labourers, James Wastel<ref group="nb">James Wastel Brisco's name is alternatively given as James Westall Brisco</ref> Brisco was taken to court in Reading in 1874, charged with the "assault with intent to ravish" a 13-year-old servant girl.<ref name="Edinburgh 1875">Template:Cite news</ref> During the trial, the Reading Observer reported that "several rumours were in circulation that a person connected with the case had committed suicide".<ref name="Briscos" /> Brisco supposedly used his wealth and social status to dissuade witnesses from testifying and the case was apparently abandoned.<ref name="Briscos" />
Brisco was eccentric and wealthy, and added a ballroom to the building in 1891,<ref name="Dormer">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> replacing a timber chapel.<ref name="Ford 2015" /> He also began construction of the house's distinctive tower the same year but died before it was complete and building work was abandoned.<ref name="Ford 2015" />
20th century
The manor of Southcote remained in the Blagrave family until the early 20th century, when it was owned by Henry Barry Blagrave. Henry died in 1927, though the manor house was demolished in 1921<ref name="ADS 1964" /><ref name="Ford 2015" /><ref name="MoR 1921">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> after lying empty following the death of Wastel Brisco and his wife Sarah in 1891 and 1901 respectively.<ref name="Briscos" /><ref name="The London Gazette 2530 1927">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1920 the house had been purchased by a contractor with intentions to demolish the site, though the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings organised a committee to attempt to raise money to save the house.<ref name="BRO manor 1920">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Sphere reported that the bricks and oak panelling were in demand and were likely removed for re-use before the building's demolition.<ref name="The Sphere 1921">Template:Cite journal</ref>
In 1908 Reading Central Goods railway station was opened on the Coley branch line diverting at Southcote Junction.<ref name="Rosier 2014 3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the first few decades of the 20th century, however, most of Southcote remained rural and undeveloped. An Ordnance Survey map of 1914 shows the majority of land as agricultural (farms and nurseries) with a number of gravel pits and smithies.<ref name="OS 1914" /> The 1930s saw the construction of the Southcote Park Estate,<ref name="Southcote Park Estate 2014 Management">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a housing estate built on land inherited after the death of William Berkeley Monck of Coley Park.<ref name="Southcote Park Estate 2014 Management" /><ref name="Southcote Park Estate 2014 Conveyancing">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> An Ordnance Survey map of 1938 shows greater provision for the population (as opposed to industry); some of the gravel pits no longer existed and Presentation College, a boys' school, had opened in two large Victorian buildings—Rotherfield Grange and Oakland Hall, the latter a suburban villa built in the 1870s.<ref name="OS 1938" /><ref name="RBC Elvian 2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="SBH 2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By the advent of World War II, Southcote had begun to experience urban sprawl from Reading and the land bordering the Great Western Railway had begun to be used for housing. Following the war, Denton's Field on the Bath Road<ref name="MoR 1950">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in Southcote was used for celebratory events; Battle of Britain commemorative fêtes were held in September 1949 and 1950,<ref name="MoR 1950" /><ref name="MoR 1949 BOB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and featured a performance by three Alsatians—Rocky, Lindy and Irma—to recognise their work in the war.<ref name="MoR 1949 BOB" /> Denton's Field gained reputation as a location for outdoor community events, and was comparable to places such as Caversham Park and Palmer Park.<ref name="MoR fund">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the 1950s, a huge building project centred around Coronation Square (named for the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II<ref name="MoR 2015 HappyProspect">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) with hundreds of council houses<ref name="MoR 2015 Circuit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> built to satisfy post-war demand.<ref name="Phillips 1980">Template:Cite book</ref> The residents of many of these had moved from houses in central and east Reading that fell short of sanitation requirements of the Public Health Act 1875, were compulsorily purchased and later demolished.<ref name="MoR 2015 Circuit"/><ref name="RBC 2015 RRHH">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The gatehouse at Southcote Manor stood until the 1960s, when a fire broke out.<ref name="MoR 2015 Fire">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was demolished by 1964 to make way for housing.<ref name="ADS 1964" /><ref name="Ford 2015" /><ref name="MoR 2015 Gatehouse">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Reading Central Goods station was closed in 1983, and with it the branch line from Southcote ceased to operate.<ref name="Rosier 2014 3" /> Two years later the track bed and sleepers were removed.<ref name="Rosier 2014 3" />
The same decade a campaign was started to raise £1 million to save the decaying mansion in Prospect Park;<ref name="Phillips 1980 181">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Hill 2001 114">Template:Cite book</ref> in 1986 the building was described as "crumbling" and "likely to be demolished",<ref name="RBTL 1986 50">Template:Cite journal</ref> though plans existed to convert the building into offices.<ref name="RBTL 1986 14">Template:Cite journal</ref> In the 1990s, however, the building was renovated and re-opened as a restaurant.<ref name="Historic England">Template:NHLE</ref>
In 2004, Presentation College went into administration.<ref name="Get Reading 2004 pres college">Template:Cite news</ref> It was taken over by the Society of Licensed Victuallers and renamed The Elvian School.<ref name="RBC Elvian 2011" /> The school closed in 2010.<ref name="RBC Elvian 2011" /> Following its closure, Taylor Wimpey applied to build 193 new homes on the site, competing with a proposal by a community group (the West Reading Education Network) to reopen the site as a free school known as the WREN.<ref name="Get Reading Taylor Wimpey">Template:Cite news</ref> The housing plan was rejected, but Taylor Wimpey then appealed to Reading Borough Council and submitted a revised plan for 120 homes, which left room for the school.<ref name="Get Reading Taylor Wimpey" /> The appeal was taken to the High Court, which ruled that the site should be used solely for education;<ref name="Get Reading Elvian 2015">Template:Cite news</ref> the school opened for Year Seven pupils on 7 September 2015.<ref name="Get Reading WREN 2015">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Get Reading WREN 2015-09-18">Template:Cite news</ref>
Government
Local elections
Southcote forms an electoral ward of the Reading Central constituency, and has three seats on Reading Borough Council. As of 2025, all three are Labour<ref name=election22>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the ward is seen as safe for the Labour Party; the Conservative Party last won a council seat in Southcote in 1987.<ref name="Howarth 2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ward holds elections by thirds – three seats are available, and in three years in every four, one seat comes up for election.<ref name="Local Government Association">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2022 all three councillors were up for election due to boundary changes.
Elected councillors
Incumbent councillors are listed in bold.
| No election in 2025 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2024 local election | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref>|| Labour |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2023 local election | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref>|| Labour |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2022 local election | Jason Brock<ref name=election22/> | Labour |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2022 local election | Debs Edwards<ref name=election22/> | Labour |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2022 local election | John Ennis<ref name=election22/> | Labour |
Community government
Southcote has a number of action groups, including the Southcote Residents' Association (for general residents' interests),<ref name="SRA 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Southcote Neighbourhood Action Group (for a police and council relations),<ref name="NAG 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Southcote Globe (for environmental issues).<ref name="Southcote Globe 2008">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Southcote Park Estate, a large area of semi-detached housing on unadopted roads built in 1933, has an elected volunteer committee.<ref name="Southcote Park Estate 2014 Management" />
Geography
Southcote, as a ward, is bounded to the north by Norcot, to the north-east by Battle, to the east by Coley and to the south-east by Whitley. To the south, south-west and west Southcote forms the boundary between the Reading and West Berkshire.<ref name="OS 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="RBC 2015 Wards">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The boundaries of Southcote are formed by Calcot Park to the north-west, the northern edge of Prospect Park to the north, the Reading to Basingstoke railway line to the east and by channels of the River Kennet to the south.<ref name="OS 2015" /> The western boundary runs through housing in the Fords Farm area.<ref name="OS 2015" /> Beyond the south-west and western boundaries, in West Berkshire, are the wards of Burghfield and Calcot.<ref name="OS 2015" /><ref name="LGBC 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Less formally, Southcote is bordered by the settlements of Horncastle and Fords Farm to the west, Tilehurst to the north, West Reading to the north east, Coley to the east, Whitley to the south-east and Pingewood to the south.<ref name="OS 2015" />
Topography
Southcote is bordered to the south by the Holy Brook and the River Kennet; as such much of the land in the south of the area is floodplain.<ref name="BBC 2010">Template:Cite news</ref> The proximity of Southcote to the river has led to flooding of roads and residences, particularly during the 2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods.<ref name="Fort 2014 Flood">Template:Cite news</ref> Flooding is exacerbated by the routes of the Holy Brook and railway line; the railway crosses the stream by bridges and culverts and in some locations the embankment acts as a bund, inhibiting the dissipation of floodwater.<ref name="RBC flooding">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Similarly, a report by West Berkshire Council found that during the 2013–14 floods the single track road between the Holy Brook and the Kennet at Southcote Mill "acted as a barrier until the rising waters backing up in the flood plain fields finally breached".<ref name="WBC flood plan">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Network Rail's plans for electrification of the Great Western Main Line include provision for flood defences where the line is in proximity to the Holy Brook.<ref name="NR elec E">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
The elevation of Southcote ranges from almost Template:Convert in the north-west extreme of the ward (SRTM data records this as Template:Convert, Ordnance Survey as Template:Convert) to approximately Template:Convert in the floodplains north and south of the Kennet.<ref name=CSI-CGIAR>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="OS Terrain 50">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Geology
The geology of Southcote includes the Reading Formation—rock strata in the Lambeth Group consisting of clay, silt and sand formed in the Palaeogene period.<ref name="BGS 2015 Home">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bedrock in Southcote is also formed of chalk, with geological surveys also finding flint samples.<ref name="BGS 2015 Farm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A map produced by the Geological Survey of Great Britain in 1860 identifies the area as being predominantly Plastic Clay (now known as the Lambeth Group) and chalk north of the river, with flint and gravel samples typical of the Bagshot Formation south of the Kennet.<ref name="BGS 1860">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> More specifically, the 2000 survey showed different types of gravel, including Winter Hill (variably clayey and sandy),<ref name="BGS winter hill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Lynch Hill (sand and gravel with lenses of silt, clay or peat),<ref name="BGS lynch hill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and head (a polymict deposit usually formed by periglacial solifluction or gelifluction).<ref name="BGS head">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="BGS 2000">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The survey also identified that much of the land south of the Kennet is "infilled" or "worked" ground;<ref name="BGS 2000" /> this area was formerly gravel pits and now used for leisure.<ref name="Berks OC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The British Geological Survey defines infilled ground as "areas where the ground has been cut away then wholly or partially backfilled" and worked ground as "areas where the ground has been cut away such as quarries and road cuttings".<ref name="BGS defs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Built environment
The settlement is concentrated to the south of the Bath Road (A4). Southcote consists substantially of planned post-war housing, much of which is Wates-constructed prefabricated housing.<ref name="RBTL 1986 13">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Estates Gazette 289 1959">Template:Cite journal</ref> The majority of dwellings are semi-detached, which account for 37.7% of all residences.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 29.1% of dwellings are flats, and 23.5% are terraces.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" /> Reading's first high-rise dwellings—three eight-storey tower blocks—were built in Southcote in the late 1950s.<ref name="Phillips 1999 159">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Fisher 2009">Template:Cite book</ref> Home ownership in Southcote is 58.3%, which is average for the Reading area. Use of social housing is above the local average at 29.2%.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" />
Southcote's main thoroughfare is Southcote Lane which runs east–west through the area, connecting Southcote to Fords Farm (to the west) and Coley (to the east). Southcote is centred around Coronation Square, an area of open grassland surrounded by community facilities and commercial premises. To the north of the Bath Road is Prospect Park, a large urban park surrounding the Mansion House. Development to the south of Southcote is restricted by the Holy Brook and the Great Western Main Line, and although the land is used for recreation,<ref name="BPC 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> proposals are occasionally put forward to build housing on the floodplains.<ref name="Fort 2014 Meadows">Template:Cite news</ref> The land south of the railway line is subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO).<ref name="NR elec 1b">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> This land is defined by Reading Borough Council as Southcote Meadows, and stretches from the Burghfield Road (near to the western boundary of Southcote) to Milkmaid's Bridge at the foot of Southcote Lock.<ref name="RBC TPO">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other parts of Southcote are subject to similar restrictions, including areas adjacent to (but north of) the railway embankment, trees lining the Kennet and Avon Canal west of Southcote Lock, and various individual sites.<ref name="RBC TPO" />
Parks and open spaces
Prospect Park, one of the largest open spaces in Reading, is in Southcote Ward.<ref name="OS 2015" /> Smaller parks such as Linear Park<ref name="RBC 2015 Linear">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Southcote Farm Lane playground<ref name="RBC 2015 SFL">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> are in the community. Coronation Square is a designated green space in the centre of Southcote.<ref name="GetReading 2016">Template:Cite news</ref>
Bordering Prospect Park is Devil's Dip, a former gravel and clay pit.<ref name="RBC 2015 DD">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The site is recognised by Reading Borough Council as an area of wildlife and historical interest,<ref name="RBC 2015 DD" /> and examples of elm, walnut, ash, horse chestnut and sycamore trees grow there. Other flora found at the site include nettle, bramble and elder, with flowers such as lesser celandine, bluebells and Queen Anne's lace appearing in the spring.<ref name="RDNHS 1991">Template:Cite journal</ref> Peacock butterflies and various species of woodland bird are prevalent in the area.<ref name="RDNHS 1991" />
Demography
According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, the population of the Southcote area was 8,548, of which 48% were male and 52% female.<ref name="ONS 2011 People">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This is an increase of 58 residents compared to the 2001 census.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" /> Censuses before this cannot be compared, as the ward boundaries (and therefore population) changed after the 1991 census.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" />
The majority of residents of Southcote Ward (58.6%) identify as Christian, with people specifying "no religion" counting for 24.9% of the population.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" /> The second most prevalent religion in Southcote is Islam, with 6% of people identifying as Muslim.<ref name="ONS 2011 People" /> The vast majority of Southcote residents (73.4%) are White British; the Reading average is 65%.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" /> Almost one in twenty (4.3%) of residents identify as Black African, 4% of mixed heritage, 3% Pakistani, 3% Indian and 2% Black Caribbean.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" /> 82.9% of the population in Southcote were born in the UK, and 91.3% speak English as their first language. 1.5% of residents do not speak English well.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" />
The life expectancy in Southcote is 77.5 years for males—lower than the national estimate of 78.3—and the expectancy for females (82.6 years) is slightly higher than the national estimate (82.3 years).<ref name="ONS 2011 Health">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The census counted Southcote in Reading's labour market, where 75.6% of the population is deemed as economically active. 71.9% of the population are engaged in employment, and 6.5% are classified as unemployed.<ref name="ONS 2011 Local Economy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Out-of-work benefit payments (such as Jobseeker's Allowance, incapacity, lone parent, disability and carer benefits) in Southcote are higher than the Reading average.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" />
80.2% of Southcote's residence evaluate their health as "good", although this is lower than the Reading average of 85.5%.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" />
Economy
Historically the land at Southcote was used for farming and gravel extraction.<ref name="OS 1914" /> Farms such as Calvespit Farm ({{#if:SU683716|{{#invoke:Ordnance Survey coordinates|oscoord|SU683716_region:GB_scale:25000|SU683716|name=}}}}),<ref name="BL Reading">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Honey End Farm ({{#if:SU684725|{{#invoke:Ordnance Survey coordinates|oscoord|SU684725_region:GB_scale:25000|SU684725|name=}}}}),<ref name="OS 1947">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Southcote Manor Farm ({{#if:SU691718|{{#invoke:Ordnance Survey coordinates|oscoord|SU691718_region:GB_scale:25000|SU691718|name=}}}}),<ref name="OS 1947" /> and Southcote Farm ({{#if:SU695719|{{#invoke:Ordnance Survey coordinates|oscoord|SU695719_region:GB_scale:25000|SU695719|name=}}}})<ref name="OS 1938" /> were in the area. The 1888 Kelly's Directory lists some residents of Southcote Lane as being employed as coachmen, butlers, gardeners, labourers, florists, dairy farmers, thatchers and carters. One resident was a member of the county police, and Major-General C J Addington resided at Southcote Lodge.<ref name="Kellys 1888">Template:Cite book</ref> An Ordnance Survey map surveyed in the 1870s also identifies a vinery and kennels.<ref name="OS 1898">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The farming and gravel industries declined with the expansion of Reading after the Second World War,<ref name="OS 1938" /><ref name="U3A 2012">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> though the existence of the anti-extraction groups "Save Southcote Meadows" and "Residents Against Gravel Extraction" (RAGE) in the 1980s suggests the demand for such industry in the area remained.<ref name="Phillips 1980 181" /><ref name="RBTL 1986 89">Template:Cite journal</ref> By the mid-1980s, the Tarmac Group reportedly owned land near the site of Southcote Manor with the intent of extracting gravel there.<ref name="RBTL 1986 14" />
There are two primary centres of economic activity in Southcote—Coronation Square and Southcote Farm Lane. Coronation Square is home to a number of commercial and community premises, including a post office, takeaway food outlets, newsagents, healthcare businesses and a pet shop; as well as a community centre and library.<ref name="Reading Online CS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The square also featured a public house until its demolition in 2011; the land was subsequently used for affordable housing.<ref name="GetReading 2011">Template:Cite news</ref> Southcote Farm Lane has a small parade of shops and businesses including a convenience store and hairdressers.<ref name="RBC 2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Sacha's Pamper Lounge 2013">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On the border of Southcote and Tilehurst is the Meadway Precinct, which includes a supermarket, pharmacy, as well as other smaller shops. The precinct opened in 1967,<ref name="GR Meadway">Template:Cite news</ref> and a survey in 2012 revealed that the public thought the site had become run-down and required modernisation.<ref name="GR Meadway" /> In 2015 a planning application was submitted to Reading Borough Council by a developer who plans to renovate the site.<ref name="RBC Meadway">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Culture and community
In the years following the Second World War, Southcote hosted a number of community events on Denton's Field. Many of these fêtes included grasstrack motorcycle racing events, which were held in 1947,<ref name="MoR 1947">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 1948<ref name="MoR 1948">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and 1949.<ref name="MoR 1949 racing">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Speedway stars Bill Kitchen and George Wilks raced at Southcote in 1949 for a Conservative Party fête.<ref name="Gibbons 2008 10">Template:Cite book</ref> The field was also used in 1949 for a gymkhana<ref name="MoR 1949 gym">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a church fundraising fête.<ref name="MoR 1949 church">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Southcote holds an annual May fayre in Coronation Square; the 2015 event was organised by community groups from local churches and community centres.<ref name="Chronicle 2015 MayFayre">Template:Cite news</ref> The event focuses on cuisine, live music and children's entertainment.<ref name="Chronicle 2015 MayFayre" />
The Reading branch of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust meet at Southcote for talks and meetings, and undertake maintenance work on the canal through the Southcote area.<ref name="KA Trust 2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Public services
Southcote is within Thames Valley Police's catchment, and is grouped as a neighbourhood with Norcot.<ref name="TVP 1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Residents identified nuisance and illegal parking and excessive speed as of concern in the area, as well as the antisocial use of mini motos, quad bikes and motorcycles on the Kennet towpath.<ref name="TVP 1" /><ref name="Globe minutes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Measures to alleviate nuisance parking were introduced in early 2015 with a ban on parking on the road verge.<ref name="RBC verge">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In June 2015, signs were installed on the lane to Southcote Mill to warn motorcycle users of their prohibition on that right of way.<ref name="TVP Aug 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
The majority of reported crime in Southcote is categorised as either violent or sexual attacks, where 46 incidents of this nature were reported in June 2015 within a Template:Convert radius of Coronation Square.<ref name="Crime Statistics">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The highest concentration of crime occurs near the service station on the A4 road.<ref name="Crime Statistics" /> Neighbourhood liaison sessions (known as "Have Your Say" meetings) are held in Coronation Square.<ref name="TVP 2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
A surgery, operated by the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is located at the junction of Circuit Lane and Southcote Lane. In late 2014 the practice was the subject of significant local media coverage when all five of the surgery's general practitioners resigned.<ref name="Get Reading CLS 1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Get Reading CLS 2">Template:Cite news</ref> Other NHS facilities in Southcote include Prospect Park Hospital (catering for in-patient mental health and psychiatric intensive care)<ref name="Prospect Park Hospital">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Dutchess of Kent Hospice, which is also part of the Sue Ryder group.<ref name="Duchess of Kent Hospice">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The NHS's North and West Reading Clinical Commissioning Group's headquarters is located in Southcote on the Bath Road.<ref name="North West Reading CCG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Southcote has a number of council-funded community facilities, including a library,<ref name="RBC 2015 Library">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a community centre,<ref name="RBC 2015 CC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a children's centre.<ref name="Reading Voluntary Action 2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A number of community organisations, such as an elderly residents' social club,<ref name="Chronicle 2015 OAP">Template:Cite news</ref> litter picking groups,<ref name="Southcote Globe 2008" /> and allotments<ref name="RBC 2015 Allot">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> are in existence in the area. Reading's RESCUE (Rivers and Environmental Spaces Clean-Up Event), a rural litter-picking initiative, operates periodically in the parks and along the tracks and towpaths in Southcote.<ref name="RESCUE 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Transport
Southcote is situated north of the M4 Motorway, approximately halfway between junctions 11 (Reading central) and 12 (Reading west).
The Reading to Taunton branch of the Great Western Mainline railway bisects Southcote laterally. At the eastern boundary of the settlement is Southcote Junction, where the Reading to Taunton and Reading to Basingstoke Lines diverge.<ref name="Rosier 2014 1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A third line—the Coley branch line—ran from the junction until its closure in the 1980s.<ref name="Rosier 2014 3" /> There are a number of Brunel-designed brick arch bridges along the Reading to Taunton line through Southcote, two of which have been described as "notably well preserved examples"<ref name="NR elec AD">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> and are designated "heritage assets" by Network Rail.<ref name="NR elec 1b" /> A third bridge, which carries the main Burghfield to Reading road, may have originally been timber before being replaced with a steel deck by the Great Western Railway company.<ref name="NR elec AD" />
Southcote is linked to Reading by a number of Reading Buses services along the A4 Bath Road, with some services stopping within Southcote itself.<ref name="Reading Buses 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One service, named "Jet Black", links Reading to Newbury via Southcote.<ref name="Reading Buses 2015" />
The Kennet and Avon Canal at Southcote is still used for pleasure boating; moorings for narrowboats are located between Southcote Lock and Burghfield Bridge.<ref name="CRT 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The canal is accessible from footpaths near Burghfield Bridge, Southcote Mill and Fobney Lock,<ref name="BPC 2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Sustrans Route 4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the towpath through Southcote is a designated portion of National Cycle Route 4.<ref name="Sustrans Route 4" />
During the First World War, an aerodrome was established near to Southcote at Coley Park. Aviator Henri Salmet based himself at Woodley Aerodrome, from which he gave "joyrides" in his Blériot Aéronautique aeroplane,<ref name="woodley 2010">Template:Cite journal</ref> but also gave flights in a Blériot XI from the Kennet meadows in Southcote.<ref name="Hill 1995 104">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1915 a Farman aeroplane crash-landed at Southcote Farm next to Southcote Junction. The pilot was able to jump from the plane before it crashed, and ran alongside it until it collided with a hedge near the railway embankment.<ref name="Lee 1973">Template:Cite book</ref>
Education
Three primary schools are situated in Southcote—Manor Primary School,<ref name="Ofsted Manor">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Holy Brook Special Educational Needs School,<ref name="Ofsted Holybrook">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Southcote Primary School.<ref name="Ofsted Southcote">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In each of their most recent Ofsted inspections, the schools achieved a "good" rating.<ref name="Ofsted Manor" /><ref name="Ofsted Holybrook" /><ref name="Ofsted Southcote" />
Three secondary schools are in operation in Southcote. King's Academy Prospect is a specialist sport and ICT school run under the academy system.<ref name="Prospect School">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Ofsted Prospect">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In its latest Ofsted report, the school was judged to require improvement. The other secondary school in Southcote is The Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School, a Catholic school named after the Reading abbot Hugh Cook alias Faringdon. The school was deemed to be "good" in its latest Ofsted inspection.<ref name="Ofsted Hugh Faringdon">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In September 2015, the third school —The Wren School— opened on the site of the former Elvian School.<ref name="Get Reading WREN 2015-09-18" /><ref name="The WREN School">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This operates as a free school, and was envisaged by a volunteer network after Reading Borough Council identified a shortfall in school capacity in 2012.<ref name="The WREN School" />
Educational attainment in Southcote is lower than the Reading and national average.<ref name="ONS 2011 Education">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 47% of students at GCSE (or equivalent) attain five or more A* to C passes, compared to the Reading figure of 57% and 61% nationally.<ref name="ONS 2011 Education" /> The number of students achieving Level 2 writing at Key Stage 1 is 83%—the same as in the wider Reading area—though the national percentage is higher at 85%.<ref name="ONS 2011 Education" /> Overall, the proportion of Southcote residents with no qualifications is higher than Reading.<ref name="RBC Southcote Ward Snapshot" />
Based at Stoneham Court, within the grounds of Prospect School, is the headquarters (and central Berkshire base) of the Berkshire Maestros music school.<ref name="Get Reading Maestros">Template:Cite news</ref>
Religious sites
Southcote is in the Reading Deanery of the Diocese of Oxford.<ref name="A Church Near You 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Southcote's Anglican church is dedicated to St Matthew.<ref name="St Matt's 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A United Reformed Church was built in 1958, shortly after the Southcote housing estate became occupied,<ref name="Grange URC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a Christian Mission was established in Southcote in 1965.<ref name="Southcote Mission">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Catholic Church of English Martyrs is situated adjacent to Prospect Park at the northernmost boundary of Southcote ward.<ref name="OS 2015" /><ref name="English Martyrs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Kennet Valley Free Church is just beyond the Southcote—Fords Farm boundary.<ref name="KVFC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Provision for other faiths is found closer to Reading town centre and in East Reading.<ref name="University of Reading">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Sport
Southcote's main football club is Southcote Colts. The under-13 team won the 2014–15 East Berkshire Third Division without being beaten.<ref name="H Fort 2015">Template:Cite news</ref> The under-14 and under-16 teams both currently play in their respective Premier Division of the Peter Houseman Youth League.<ref name="FA U14">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref><ref name="FA U16">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The under-15 team is currently in the "A" league of the Oxford Mail Youth Football League.<ref name="FA U15">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Notable people
- The Blagrave family:
- John Blagrave (c.1561–1611), mathematician
- Daniel Blagrave (1603–1668), Member of Parliament and signatory of Charles I's death warrant
- John Blagrave (1630–1704), Member of Parliament
- Derek Watkins (1945–2013), trumpeter who appeared on every James Bond film soundtrack until his death after Skyfall.<ref name="Adkins 2013">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Michael Bond (1926–2017), author and creator of Paddington Bear<ref name="McLennan 2013">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Southcote Park Estate 2014 Famous">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>