Sonning
Sonning (traditional: /ˈsʌnɪŋ/;[2] modern: /ˈsɒnɪŋ/) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading.In other directions, this would put it within the Reading suburban sprawl, but Sonning remains a clearly delineated small village.There were a number of ancient hostelries where they could have stayed, notably the Great House on the site of the original ferryman's cottage.The Bull Inn had the added bonus of being near the church where pilgrims could venerate a relic of Saint Cyriacus.King Richard II's young bride, Queen Isabella of Valois, was kept captive here during his imprisonment and deposition.It was originally built in the 17th century and, like much of the village, was formerly owned by the Rich family, Lords of the Manor of Sonning, although they did not live there.It was opened in 1840, and was the scene of one of the first railway disasters in 1841, when a mixed passenger and goods train ran into a landslip.Many were stonemasons working on the Houses of Parliament, and the disaster led to changes in the Railways Act, which required that third-class passengers be carried in stoutly constructed carriages rather than open trucks.Built in the home park of the old palace, it replaced a Georgian mansion erected for the Lords of the Manor who eventually superseded the bishops.[14] Notable former and current village inhabitants include: The following recipients of the Victoria Cross are buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church:
Sonning PrizeVillagecivil parishBerkshireOS grid referenceDistrictWokinghamShire countyRegionSouth EastCountryEnglandSovereign statePost townPostcode districtDialling codePoliceThames ValleyRoyal BerkshireAmbulanceSouth CentralUK ParliamentEarley and WoodleyRiver ThamesReadingJerome K. JeromeThree Men in a BoatOld EnglishSunningasDomesday BookparishCharvilWoodleyEarleycivil parishesSonning EyeDunsden GreenPlayhatchOxfordshireThames Valley ParkSt Patrick's StreamSt PatrickGolf CourseHolme ParkSonning Hillbusiness parkSonning BridgehamletSonning LockA4 Bath RoadReading Blue Coat SchoolConservation AreaAnglo-Saxon timesbishopric of RamsburyRamsburycathedralSt Andrew's ChurchAnglo-Saxonparishesminstersminster systemhostelriesGreat HouseBull InnpilgrimsSaint CyriacusBishops of Salisburybishop's palaceKing Richard IIIsabella of ValoisGrade II listedRich familyLords of the ManorGreat Western RailwaySonning Cuttingrailway disastersHouses of ParliamentRailways ActParliamentary trainsmanor houseGeorgianbishopscloth merchantJohn Kendrickcountry houseDeanery GardenEdwin LutyensGertrude JekyllCountry LifeGreat Western Main LineSt Andrew's Church, Sonningparish councilunitary authoritytwinnedLigugéFranceGeorge VA4 roadReading Hockey ClubReading R.F.C.Sonning Lanesquash courtstennis courtsRams RFCSonning RegattaCaversham LakesRedgrave Pinsent Rowing LakeTerence RattiganThe Red HouseNigel BroackesTrafalgar HouseGeorge ClooneyAmal ClooneyDwight D. EisenhowerAnthony FarindonRoyalistUri GellerphilanthropistNeil Hamilton FairleyGlenn HoddlefootballmanagerWilliam Holman HuntPre-RaphaeliteRichard IIRic Lee