Pingewood is a hamlet in the civil parish of Burghfield, to the south of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It lies to the Southwest of Burghfield Bridge The name Pingewood derives from the old Celtic word 'pen' meaning head, peak, tip or end. The 'ge' is a contraction of the Celtic word for wood, 'coed'. When the Saxons moved into the area in the 5th century, they did not understand the meaning and added their own descriptive word 'wood' on the end. History Until 1938, Pingewood was a peaceful little hamlet with country lanes and high hedges. In the centre of the hamlet was Kirton's Farm, located at the north end of a road that ran north to south, parallel to the Reading to Basingstoke railway but a little further to the west. There were 13 cottages, with a Church school at the southern end of the road, a large village green with a Coronation seat, and a smallholding called Moore's Farm. At both ends of the road, it curved to the east to cross the railway, and there was also a pond by the northern crossing, dug out when the railway bridge was built. Around the copse were more cottages, all being pulled down under a system known as 'quit-rent'. In one of these lived a woman reputed to be a witch. A little further to the north was Cottage Lane, with farm buildings and cottages. Gravel pits By 1938 excavation had begun in the gravel pits. Because of the high water table, these pits then filled naturally with water to form Pingewood Lake which covers about . The footpaths vanished, with trees and cowslips, as more land was taken. The school closed in 1958, the farms disappeared - replaced by sailing, water skiing and other water-sports. In the 1960s, the M4 motorway cut the hamlet in half. Kirtons Farm is now a hotel and Knights Farm is derelict. The original Kirtons Farmhouse was an H-plan building dating from the 16th century, which was subsequently altered in the 18th and 20th centuries. Most of the ground floor is constructed of painted brick, while the first floor is timber framed, with brick infill. Knights Farm dates from the late 18th century, with 19th century additions, and 20th century alterations. It is a 2-storey building with an attic. The land south of Pingewood is a huge landfill. Streams and