California is a village in the north of the civil parish of Finchampstead, in the Wokingham district, in the ceremonial county of Berkshire. It is situated approximately south of Wokingham.

Amenities

There are local shops, restaurants, a chemist, post office and petrol station, doctor's surgery and Ratepayers Hall at California Crossroads.

Nine Mile Ride Primary and Gorse Ride Schools school serve the California end of the parish. Nine Mile Ride has approximately 350 children.

St Mary and St John California is a Church of England church which meets at Gorse Ride Junior School in California. It replaced the old Army church on the Nine Mile Ride. It is a shared ministry with St James' at Finchampstead.

In the early 21st century, the congregation of the Baptist Church at Finchampstead outgrew its capacity and they began worshipping at Waverley School in California instead. In April 2010 the new Finchampstead Baptist Church Centre was opened in Gorse Ride North in California. The centre was built by Finchampstead Baptist Church in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council and Finchampstead Parish Council. The centre provides a cafe, sports hall and conference rooms for community use and is used by an increasing number of community groups.

The place is best known for its country park, centred on Longmoor Lake, on the edge of Barkham Common. As well as the Jackson's Cafe situated by the lake.

Housing

California is a large residential village. Most of Finchampstead parish's housing is located there, most notably the Fernlea Estate, built on private farmland, and the Gorse Ride estate, built on the site of a watercress farm and gorse woodland. Gorse Ride South estate was built as a temporary measure for only 10 years. The properties consist of terraced houses and terraced bungalows. All were designed by the Ministry of Housing known as MOHLG construction. The properties have textured plywood outer wall panels and solid concrete foundations. Although only designed for a lifespan of 10 years, all the dwellings are now permanent properties, after being refurbished in 1977 with timber cladding on the external plywood walls, and tiled roofs over the previous felt roofs. By the 2010s, some of the council housing on the Gorse Ride South estate had fallen into disrepair. The houses have structural problems and poor drainage, and the bungalows have insulation and subsidence issues. In an effort to improve the estate, the large FBC community centre opened in 2010. As of 2018, Wokingham Borough Council has secured funding to redevelop the entire estate, starting 2018. As of 2021, demolition has started on part of the estate at Dart Close and Firs Close.

History

Warren Wood is a secondary woodland of birch, oak and pine with a large meadow, between Nine Mile Ride and Warren Lane. It includes a scheduled monument, a round burial mound, which is the largest example of a bell barrow in Berkshire and dates from between 2000 and 1300 BC.

The village also has a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local Nature Reserve called Longmoor Bog, which is part of California Country Park.

References

  • California Country Park
  • Defunct speedway tracks - California Speedway