The Round Lock-up, Pangbourne Hill, Pangbourne, West Berkshire. - Odd-Shaped Buildings on Waymarking.com

This perfectly round building was built as the village lock-up in the C18th. It is now in the garden of Church Cottage and is approximately 10m to the south-west of it. It is a Grade II listed building.

Built in red brick to a circular plan, with some blue/grey headers for variety, and of one storey. It has a timber, iron-studded door to the east with an iron grill set towards the top and mounted in a sturdy timber frame. There are some missing bricks just below the top string course to provide some ventilation. The roof is conical covered with old tiles, with a lead finial and weathervane. This is an image of a cock above the word 'VIGILANTE' set in a scrolled frame with an arrowhead pointing up-wind, there are no cardinal points shown. There is further ventilation provided by a segmental relief in the roof aproximately one third the way up and facing the north-east.

An aside: Kenneth Grahame, the author of The Wind in the Willows, retired to Church Cottage in Pangbourne and died there in 1932. He used the lock-up as a tool-shed. Although he did not write his famous book whilst in residence here, it is said that the River Thames here abouts was the inspiration for E. H. Shepherd's illustrations for the book.

Building Address: Church Cottage 15 Pangbourne Hill Pangbourne, West Berkshire UK RG8 7AS Is it open to the general public?: no When was it built? (Approximate if you must.): 01/01/1750 What is the name of this building?: Town Lock-up

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