Interpretation Panel for the Second Battle of Newbury

[Administrator]

Interpretation Panel for the Second Battle of Newbury

A new information panel telling the dramatic story of Second Battle of Newbury during the Civil War is to be installed at Speen Recreation Ground on 2 November 2014 at 2:30 p.m.

Newbury Town Council and Speen Parish Council have been working jointly with the Battlefields Trust on the project and a battlefield walk and talks at Shaw House were held last year to raise funds to purchase the Panel.

Simon Marsh, who has been leading the work for the Battlefields Trust said: "The information panel is a great opportunity to raise local awareness about the Second battle of Newbury, which is often overlooked but is a crucial event on the road to Parliament's final victory in the Civil War. The opportunity to work collaboratively with the local councils on this project has been a great experience and the key to its success".

The Panel will be unveiled by the Mayor of Newbury, Cllr Jo Day, and the Chairman of Speen Parish Council, Cllr Caroline Holbrook, and all are welcome to come and watch the event.  It will have the same format as the Interpretation Panel for the First Battle of Newbury which was unveiled at Wash Common Recreation Ground in June 2012.

The Panel gives a map and detailed description of the Battle, which took place in Speen, Speenhamland, and Shaw on 27th October 1644.  Its immediate outcome was inconclusive, but the longer-term result was that Parliament created a professional army, the New Model Army, which eventually won the Civil War.  In this way, the Second Battle of Newbury is as significant a turning point for the Civil War as other better-known battles.

The Battlefields Trust, the national charity for the preservation of Britain's battlefields, provided the design and wording for the Interpretation Panel and led the fundraising efforts with vital support from Shaw House.  Newbury Town Council and Speen Parish Council have assisted with the plans and arrangements, supported by West Berkshire Council Heritage Service.  The Panel will be located on Speen Recreation Ground as one of the focal points of the Battle, and is being erected by Newbury Town Council.

Cllr Julian Swift-Hook, Leader of the Council said, "Newbury has been at the crossroads of history on many occasions, and the Second Battle of Newbury is one of the most significant, even though the battle itself was indecisive.  Today is the 370th anniversary of the 1644 battle, so the unveiling of this new information panel is a fitting commemoration of the battle as well as helping to raise local awareness of this important event in Newbury's colourful history".

NOTES

The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the English Civil War fought on 27th October 1644. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year.
The combined armies of Parliament inflicted a tactical defeat on the Royalists but failed to gain any strategic advantage.

[Old Goat]

Good idea!  These bits of street furniture make the place quite interesting.