Speen, Berkshire

Description
Speen, a village and a parish in Berks. The village stands on Icknield Street, 1 1/2 mile NW of Newbury railway station, occupies the site of the Roman station Spinae, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Newbury. The parish includes the tithings of Bagnor, Stock Cross, Speenhamland, Church Speen, Marsh Benham, and Wood Speen. Acreage, 3862; population, 3540. Speen and Stock Cross conjointly have a parish council consisting of nine members. Speen Manor belongs to Earl Graven, and Bagnor Manor to the Best family. Benham Park is a mansion in the Italian style, very pleasantly situated in a park of 200 acres. It was formerly the residence of the late Margrave of Brandenburg-Anspach and Bayreuth, and is now the property of the Sutton family. The living is a vicarage in The diocese of Oxford; net value, £370 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Oxford. The church, which was partially rebuilt in 1860, is a building of flint in the Decorated style, consisting of N aisle, N and S porches, and a western tower, which was rebuilt in 1871. The vicarages of Speenhamland and Stockeross are separate benefices.