Wasing
Wasing is an agricultural and woodland village, country estate and parish in West Berkshire, England owned almost wholly by the descendants of the Mount family, currently Joshua Dugdale. In local administration such as footpaths and sports facilities, its few people convene their own civil parish, but share many facilities with Brimpton which was in its civil parish at the time of the 2011 Census. Geography. It has fields on the Berkshire-Hampshire border and is approximately south-east of Newbury. Its nearest village with general amenities is Aldermaston and its nearest town is Tadley. Its western boundary is the  River Enborne, which flows through the range of downs starting at the south of the parish which rises to the highest point in the south-east, Walbury Hill west. There is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) close by, called Wasing Wood Ponds. Wasing Place. Wasing Place, Wasing Park, and the Wasing Estate, including woodland, are largely owned and managed by Joshua Dugdale, who inherited them from his mother, Lady Cecilia Dugdale. Its manor is centred on a manor house which was purchased in 1759 by the London nautical publisher John Mount. He built the mansion Wasing Place, completed  in 1770, which became the home of his descendants the MPs, William Mount, William George Mount and Sir William Mount. The house was partially rebuilt in 1954 after a fire in 1945. The Georgian manor house has a 180° panorama. Both its park to the north and the manor is a Grade II listed building. The adjacent church, remaining almost a private chapel due to its isolation, is Grade I listed which is the highest category. These buildings host weddings, business functions, private dining and events. Groups are permitted to go fishing in their ponds on a paid basis . Paths off the public rights of way are available for walking and riding subject to the purchase of annual permits through the family charity, The Mount Charity.