Emmer Green is a suburb of Reading located north of Caversham. It has a history of rural mansions that have been converted for other uses. Housing development increased rapidly after World War II, though some efforts have been made to preserve open spaces. There are two primary schools and one secondary school that serve Emmer Green. Other landmarks include St. Barnabas Church and an extensive abandoned chalk mine.

1. History of
Emmer Green
By Asma Mohammad
4NAM

2. Contents
 About Emmer green & its location
 History
 Housing in Emmer green
 The Emmer Green Book
 Education
 St Barnabas Church
 Chalk Mine

3. Emmer Green
Emmer Green is a suburb of Reading in the English
county of Berkshire. It is situated immediately north of
Caversham on the border with Oxfordshire, the county
in which both places formerly stood.
Emmer Green is bordered by the extensive nature
reserve at Clayfield Copse and Blackhouse Woods
and also by the tip of the South Downs at Bugs Bottom
(also known as Hemdean Bottom). There is a cycle
path to Wallingford and access to Balmore Park which
overlooks Caversham, with views as far as the Madjeski
Stadium wind turbine.

4. Map of Emmer Green

5. History
Emmer Green has five former mansions. Two are now
converted for residential use.
 Rosehill House & Notley Place - Standing in 14 acres of
ground, was once part of Caversham Manor, the first
building being erected in 1791. The house has since
been converted into flats and a housing estate built on
the grounds.
 Caversham Park - is owned by the BBC
 Grove House - has become Highdown School
 Caversham Place - was designed by the architect
Clough Williams-Ellis for Major-General Sir Cecil Pereira

6. Housing in Emmer Green
At one time the whole of Emmer Green was rural. Post World
War II housing became a priority and building continued
apace. It was in latter years that over-development was
deemed undesirable. Emmer Green Residents’ Association
was set up in May 1984, primarily to try to monitor planning in
the area by supporting Reading Borough Council in their fight
to preserve a valued stretch of open countryside.
The Hemdean Valley (Bugs Bottom) was the area that
sparked things off. Subsequent interests have included the
redevelopments of the Bison Flats in Scott Close, Gorselands
(former allotments), Wordsworth Court (built on the site of the
former Reading Athletics Club). Lately the focus has been on
garden grabbers and small scale infill development. Housing is
always going to be a fine balance between providing roofs
over people's heads and preserving the status quo.

7. The Emmer Green Book
In the year 2000 Emmer Green Residents' Association
organised and hosted an exhibition on the history of
Emmer Green, as part of the Millennium celebrations.
The exhibition was hailed a triumph and many visitors
asked for a book. There are 120 pages (including 8 in full
colour in the first edition) in the book, plus a detailed
index.

8. Education – Primary School
There are two primary schools
 Emmer Green Primary School
 The Hill Primary which is situated between
Emmer Green and Caversham
There is one Secondary school
 Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre

9. Emmer Green Primary School
The first proper school in Emmer Green was
built from brick and flint on the corner of
Grove Road and School Lane in October
1877. Its name changed over the years, but
the two-room school was finally closed in
1933 due to lack of support. Children from
Emmer Green then had to attend schools in
Caversham.
In the 1950s, the current Emmer Green
Primary School was built in Grove Road. The
building was extended in the 1980s, and had
temporary classrooms added in the 1990s to
cope with demand for places.

10. Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre
Highdown School was established as a comprehensive school in
September 1971. On 1st November 2010, Highdown School became
an independently run academy after being judged outstanding by
Ofsted. Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is an academy in
Emmer Green on the outskirts of Reading, Berkshire, England. It has a
capacity for approximately 1450 students aged 11–18.Highdown
School has three Grade II listed buildings within its grounds. The main
building was altered and extended by Richard Norman Shaw from
1878-80.

11. St. Barnabas Church
Always a prominent local landmark, the first St.
Barnabas Church building was constructed in the
latter part of the 19th Century in the form of a
corrugated iron mission church. This is still used as
the present church hall and has just been
refurbished.
A replacement church was started in
the 1920s and was consecrated on
29th June 1929. The congregation and
the community continue to hold the
present church building in considerable
affection and by its location St.
Barnabas still possesses something of
the character of the “village church”
about it.

12. Emmer Green (Hanover) Chalk Mine
The Emmer Green (Hanover) Chalk Mine is an extensive
abandoned subterranean chalk mine at Emmer Green, north
of Reading in Berkshire, located just north of the junction of
Peppard Road & Kiln Lane. The mine is so named because the
land is now owned by the Hanover Housing Association who
have a development adjacent at Wordsworth Court.
The mine is one of a number of known mines in the Emmer
Green and Reading area where chalk mining was once an
important industry. It is likely other abandoned mines remain
undiscovered. The area was once known as Rose Hill and
contained brickfield and chalk mining works.
The mine was discovered in 1977 during building works.
Access is through a 50ft fixed steel ladder in a narrow vertical
shaft below a locked iron cover.

13. Emmer Green (Hanover) Chalk Mine
There is a marked difference in the The highest section of the mine, here
floor level in some parts of the mine the height is over 20 feet

14. References
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmer_Green
 http://www.egra.co.uk/index.html
 http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-
sites/sites/h/hanover_chalk_mine/index.shtml
 http://www.saintbarnabas.org.uk/
 http://www.emmergreenprimary.com/
 http://www.highdown.reading.sch.uk

15. Thanks for listening