Burnt Hill is a hamlet in Berkshire, England. It is just north of the M4 motorway in West Berkshire, in the civil parish of Yattendon, which is also the closest village, and lies in the North Wessex Downs area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). History Burnt Hill is thought to have been established as a brick making settlement in the 18th century and there were several brick works in the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. The hamlet probably takes its name from the glow in the night sky from the firing of bricks. In 1703 one Isaac Jeram is recorded as working in bricks at Burnt Hill. In the south east of the village is Kiln Pond and, as its name suggests, this was probably a source of clay for the brick making. By 1830 in reaction to the introduction of mechanisation to agriculture the South of England erupted in what became known as the Swing Riots. Disturbances started in nearby Yattendon and on 21 November a hard core of rioters met at the Axe and Compass, Burnt Hill. After a night at the pub they acquired a sledge hammer and a horn and at first light set off to local farms to extort money and smash threshing machines, later returning to the Axe and Compass before setting off again at nightfall to other farms in the area. By the early hours of 24 November the troops arrived and arrested eleven of the rioters although none was eventually charged. Landscape Burnt Hill is surrounded by fields of the Yattendon Estate, many of Christmas trees, for which the estate is well known and Burnt Hill Common of mixed woodland. There was a convoy camp stationed at Burnt Hill Common during World War 2 and concrete foundations of many of the building can still be found in amongst the trees. Combined, Ashampstead and Burnt Hill Commons are 80 hectares of mixed woodland. Until the mid 13th century the Commons were pasture woodland. Subsequently, they were enclosed to form a deer park with a substantial bank and inner ditch that can still be traced for some 5.5 km. The main street around which most of the village is arranged is named Scratchface Lane, probably referring to the narrow, bramble strewn track it once was. Buildings There are some notable buildings in Burnt Hill including the Methodist Chapel 1864 which is still