Great Shefford

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name = Great Shefford
civil_parish = Great Shefford
lieutenancy_england = Berkshire
unitary_england = West Berkshire
region = South East England
constituency_westminster = Newbury
os_grid_reference = SU383753
latitude = 51.475150
longitude = -1.447980

Great Shefford (or West Shefford) is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.

It is situated in the district of West Berkshire, on the river Lambourn. The modern civil parish includes the historical parish of Little or East Shefford, a small hamlet downstream. The tiny church there contains important monuments to the widespread Fettiplace family. The parish also includes the village of Shefford Woodlands, approximately a mile to the south of Great Shefford and close to M4 junction 14.

The name of both Sheffords is derived from 'sheep ford'. Great Shefford village has a pub, school, shop and petrol station, and about a thousand inhabitants (880 listed on the 'Millennium Stone' located opposite the petrol station).

Great Shefford St. Mary is one of 2 existing round-tower churches in Berkshire, the other one being Welford St. Gregory, in the nearby village of Welford.

External links

* [http://www.greatshefford.org Welcome to Great Shefford]
* [http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/westshefford.html Royal Berkshire History: West Shefford]
* [http://www.birtwhistle.org/ Great Shefford Observatory]
* [http://www.sheffordyfc.org.uk/ Shefford Young Farmers Club]
* [http://www.roundtowerchurches.de/Berkshire/Great_Shefford_St_Mary/great_shefford_st_mary.html Website with photos of Great Shefford St. Mary] , a Round-tower church