Beenham

Geography

Beenham is 2 miles north of Aldermaston. The Old Copse is a woodland within the village that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

History

Church history

The history of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary begins in about the end of the 12th century. An old print of the original building shows that it had some 13th century lancet windows and a 16th-century window. and was replaced with a Georgian building of brick.

19th century summary

The following is an extract from the 1870s gazetteer of the British Isles.

However, the suffix, Valence, is erroneous and was mistakenly transferred from the manor surrounding Benham Park.

1960s murderer

Main article: Beenham murders

In October 1966 children's nanny Yolande Waddington, age 17, was found dead having been stabbed and strangled in Beenham. Less than six months later, two nine-year-old girls, Jeanette Wigmore and Jacqueline Williams, were found murdered at a local gravel pit. David Burgess, of Beenham, was jailed for life in 1967 for the murder of the two girls and spent more than 25 years behind bars. Waddington's killer was not identified at the time. Burgess subsequently admitted to the crime but challenged the police to "prove it". Following advances in DNA profiling, in November 2011 the 64-year-old Burgess was re-arrested, and subsequently tried and convicted of her murder. He received his third life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years.

Amenities

Beenham has a primary school catering for approximately 60 pupils aged 4 to 11. There is one pub in the village, the Six Bells. The UK Wolf Conservation Trust is based at Butlers Farm, Beenham, the wolves can be heard howling within a three-mile radius.

Transport

Bus routes 41 and 44 connect the village with Thatcham and Calcot.

Demography

References

Sources

References

1. "Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005".
2. "Beenham online Beenham Village Design Statement". Beenhamonline.org.
3. Page & Ditchfield, 1923, pages 277-279
4. In 1794 the church was struck by lightning and burnt downPevsner, 1966, page 85
5. [http://visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3629 Imperial Gazetteer of Britain] [[John Marius Wilson]] (1870-72). ([[University of Portsmouth]] visionofbritain.org.uk website). Retrieved 2014-12-03
6. (20 July 2012). "Yolande Waddington: David Burgess guilty of nanny's murder". BBC News.
7. "David Burgess jailed for 27 years for 1966 murder of Yolande Waddington".
8. "Soham echoes of Beenham murders".
9. "Beenham Primary School - Compare school and college performance data in England - GOV.UK".
10. "Establishment: Beenham Primary School".
11. "Wolf project is a howling success".