The Anglo-Saxon settlement is first mentioned in a 7th century charter granting a parcel of land there to Bradfield Abbey. The ford and ferry became one of the major crossing points between the kingdoms of Wessex (west side) and Mercia (east side). In AD 871, the Vikings had invaded England and made nearby Reading their base for attacking Wessex. When the two sides set out to clash at the Battle of Ashdown, on the Berkshire Downs (probably at Compton, East Ilsley or Aldworth), the Vikings would have marched through Streatley to join the Ridgeway. An Anglo-Saxon warrior burial discovered in the village in 1932 may have been a local man who died in the battle.

Before the Norman Conquest, Streatley belonged to Esgar the Staller, Master of the King's Horse, whose main Berkshire manor was in the west of the county at East Garston (originally Esgar's Town). When King William's army arrived, they marched through Streatley on their way to Wallingford to cross the Thames and take London. Esgar survived the regime change for a few years but his lands were eventually confiscated. At the time of the Domesday Survey (1086), Streatley village was recorded as quite large, consisting of 35 men and their families, and included a mill. In the 13th century, King Henry III issued a number of decrees preventing the miller from holding up important watercraft at his weir. Eventually a flash lock was constructed which allowed a 'flash' of water regularly to carry boats over the weir.

The original manor house at Streatley is thought by some to have been Place Manor in the High Street, near the crossroads. It has a 16th century core and a beautifully preserved dovecote of the same date. At this time, it was leased it to the Berington (or Buriton) family who have a brass memorial in the parish church. In 1607, an inventor called William Bush made an attempt to travel in a single vessel, by air, land and water through Berkshire. He started by descending from the tower of Lambourn Church in his 'ship'. Giving this a series of wheels, he travelled on across the Downs to Childrey, Aldworth and down to Streatley. There, the vessel entered the River Thames but Mr Bush was so harassed by a group of local bargemen that, in fear for his life, he was forced to flee to his lodgings in the village. The bargemen, meanwhile, scuppered his ship. It took the poor man a month to make repairs but he did eventually manage to sail his ship to London.

In the late 17th century, Captain Thomas Harwood RN (died 1713), who had fought valiantly in the Dutch Wars, retired to Streatley Farm, a handsome brick house dated 1673, where his descendants lived for several generations. He also acquired land in Maryland in the United States, where his son, Richard, has many descendants. Another fine property, Streatley House, in the High Street, represents the Rectory estate. It was built in 1765 for the Stone family and later passed to the Morells. This latter family owned almost two-thirds of the village and dominated life there for most of the early 20th century. However, double death duties due in quick succession eventually forced them to sell up. The Royal Veterinary College were there in the 1940s and 50s.

The backwater in front of the medieval mill at Streatley is said to have been the setting for Mole and Ratty's picnic in the opening scene of 'The Wind in the Willows', although it is more likely that it was the inspiration for EH Shepard's illustrations, as the author, Kenneth Grahame, was by that time living in Pangbourne. He wrote the book in Cookham Dean. The mill was a famous beauty spot for centuries but it burnt down in 1926, shortly after being converted for electricity generation. Streatley and the Bull Inn (formerly the Turnpike post house) feature in Jerome K Jerome's 'Three Men in a Boat' and Oscar Wilde is said to have stayed at the Swan Inn, on the river. This building was first turned into a pub in 1698 by Francis Swan who gave it his family name. He was the grandfather of architect, Sir John Soane. In the 1970s, it was owned by entertainer, Danny La Rue, and saw many visitors from the world of show business.

Read more history of Streatley and other nearby settlements, like Upper Basildon, Tutts Clump, Rotten Row & Bradfield Southend, in David Nash Ford's book, 'Mid-Berkshire Town and Village Histories'.Click to Order direct from the Author.

 

NEW BOOK Whether you are from Mid-Berkshire or just visiting, this book is the place to find out all about the history of some 113 different towns, suburbs, villages and hamlets in the Boroughs of Reading and of Wokingham and the eastern portion of the District of West Berkshire. From Streatley to Padworth and Ruscombe to Finchampstead, join David Nash Ford from berkshirehistory.com in his second volume examining the structures, people and events that have shaped each place. Some of these histories were first published in part here on this website, but they have all been considerably expanded and are joined by many new histories of places often missed by historians, including those which only joined Berkshire in 1911 or later. Click for full details and purchase options.