| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
The name Woodley means 'a clearing in the wood', probably referring to Windsor Great Forest which was once much bigger than its current size.
Until the 1930s, Woodley was a very small village of no great significance. In that decade, an airfield and flying school was opened in the 100 Acre Field belonging to Sandford Farm. In 1932, F.G. Miles came to Woodley and joined forces with Philips and Powis in the production of the Miles Hawk airplane, leading to the foundation of Miles Aircraft Ltd which continued producing aircraft in Woodley until after the second world war. During the pre-war years many famous aviators landed at Woodley, including Charles Lindbergh and Amy Johnson; Douglas Bader lost his legs in an accident on the airfield.
After the war Woodley continued to grow, with industry relocating from Reading and new housing growing up. In the 1960s a new town centre was created, replacing the old village shops. In the 1980s the airfield site was redeveloped as a major housing area, and Woodley is now largely indistinguishable from Reading to the casual visitor.
In the west of Woodley, the large house of Bulmershe Court was built in 1777 by James Wheble. The house was subsequently bought by Henry Addington, at that time Speaker of the House of Commons and later Prime Minister of the United KingdomIn the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. According to custom, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (which he or she heads) are re. He lived there when not in LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri and was frequently visited by other prominent figures of the age, including William Pitt the YoungerWilliam Pitt the Younger ( 28 May 1759 23 January 1806) was a British politician during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He serve as Prime Minister from 1783 to 1801, and again from 1804 until his death. He is known as William Pitt the and, it is said, King George IIIGeorge III (George William Frederick) ( 4 June 1738 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. He was c. During the second world war, the house was used by the US Army. In the 1960s it was demolished and replaced by a teacher training college which has subsequently become part of the University of ReadingThe University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading. Established in 1892, receiving its Royal Charter in 1926, the University has a long tradition of research, education and training at a local, national and international level. Resea.