NOTE: this goes with the Newbury peace garden story The old crane near the waterfront in Newbury comes down this week – for a refurb.
NOTE: this goes with the Newbury peace garden story
The old crane by Newbury waterfront is coming down this week – but only for a refurb.
Wharf Crane at Newbury Wharf was built for goods handling at the canal, making it around 160 to 180 years old as it dates from the canal’s heyday before the railway’s dominance. Though its exact construction date is unclear, it’s likely to have gone up in the 1850s or 1860s.
Newbury’s prosperity got a boost in 1725 when work on the Kennet Navigation was completed, making the river navigable between Reading and Newbury. In the late 18th century, the River Kennet Navigation was opened up, followed by the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal.
A basin and wharves were built on the east side of the town centre to handle bulky materials and food. Following late 20th-century redevelopment, only a few buildings remain: Wharf House (formerly Kendrick House), the Stone Building and the Grain Stores, which are now part of the museum.
A single crane from the railway goods yard is preserved as a feature on the riverbank. On the Wharf itself, the Stone Building, a 19th-century granary, and a crane are the main reminders of its working past.
Wharf Street predates these changes and still contains several post-medieval buildings, including the former house of the master of the Wharf. On its south side is Cloth Hall, the remains of Kendrick’s Workhouse of 1625, now part of West Berkshire Museum together with a granary range behind it that was likely associated with the Wharf.
Today Wharf Street is a narrow road retaining its historic character from Market Place to Cloth Hall, with the refurbished crane set to return as part of that riverside heritage.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
