Great Western Coffee Shop

Yesterday I walked alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal east from Theale swing bridge as far as the railway line, where this crossing for pedestrians and cyclists is nearing completion. I guess this must be one of the most popular crossings in the area, giving Calcotians convenient access to the canal.

(For 19 years I did voluntary work at nearby Hosehill Lake and knew there was a WWII airfield close by; indeed, I used to cycle past some of the old buildings, now replaced by a modern industrial estate.) But I'd only just become aware that there were more buildings behind the Fox & Hounds pub. Cue for me to look at postwar maps to see their layout before the site was worked for gravel, then becoming a lake used by Burghfield Sailing Club The construction of the airfield was hampered by flooding, which still affects local roads, which occasionally have to be closed.)