Arborfield is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Arborfield and Newland, in the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is about 5 miles (8 km) south-east of Reading, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Wokingham. It lies about 1 mile (2 km) west of the village of Arborfield Cross and the two villages have become collectively known as Arborfield, with no signs marking their boundary. In 1931, the parish had a population of 348.[1] On 1 April 1948 the parish was abolished and merged with Newland to form "Arborfield and Newland".[2]
Etymology
The name 'Arborfield' is first recorded in 1166 as Edburgefeld, meaning 'Edburga's Field', Edburga being a widespread Anglo-Saxon lady's name. It evolved through variations to the modern Arborfield as first recorded in the 17th century.[3][4]
The present Church of England parish church of Saint Bartholomew is a Gothic Revival building designed by J Picton and built in 1863.[6] The new building replaces an older St Bartholomew's church, known as the 'Wooden Chapel of Edburgefeld',[4] that had been built in the 13th century and altered probably early in the 18th century.[7] When the new church was consecrated the roof of the old one was removed and later layers of plaster stripped from the interior walls, revealing Medievalwall paintings of "figure subjects and geometrical and masonry patterns" that "covered the walls".[8] These have now been lost and the church ruins have greatly deteriorated.[6] The current church is notable for one of its 6 bells. The number one bell (treble) was cast c.1399 at the Wokingham Bell Foundry, it is notable as being the only Wokingham Foundry bell nearby to Wokingham as well as one of the oldest bells still regularly rung.[9] The army garrison has its own garrison church, a 20th-century building dedicated to Saint Eligius.
Arborfield is also known for the School of Electronic & Aeronautical Engineering (SEAE) where the British Army train their Electronic, Aircraft and Avionic engineers for RADAR, Telecommunications, Control Equipment, Aircraft (Airframes and Engines) and Avionic (Aviation electronic and weapon system) modalities. Arborfield Garrison is about 1 mile (1.6 km) the other side of Arborfield Cross and which is mostly in the civil parish of Barkham.
International Cocoa Quarantine Centre
Since 1985, Arborfield has also been the home of the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre whose aim is to investigate and reduce diseases in cocoa plants worldwide.
^ abBullock, Llewellyn C W, Memoirs of the Bullock Family, A J Lawrence 1905
^ abBerkshire Federation of Women's Institutes (1939). The Berkshire Book. Watlington House, Reading, Berks.: The Berkshire Federation of Women's Institutes. p. 6.
