Hungerford Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Berkshire, and around 25 miles west of Reading, is the town of Hungerford. Geographically the town is situated in the North Wessex Downs, adjacent to three separate waterways, namely the River Kennet, River Dun and the Kennet and Avon Canal. A market is believed to have existed in Hungerford since the 13th century. In the 14th century John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, was Lord of the Manor and granted fishing rights to the people of the town. In 1688 the Dutch prince William of Orange stayed at the Bear Inn in Hungerford (seen just after the 11-minute mark). This followed his arrival in Brixham after receiving a letter of invitation from six English noblemen and the Bishop of London. Known as the 'Immortal Seven', these men requested he depose James II. The letter claimed that "the people are so generally dissatisfied with the present conduct of the government, in relation to their religion, liberties and properties". William's claim to the throne came about via his marriage to Mary, daughter of James II. Just days after his stay in Hungerford, William scored a victory at the Battle of Reading where forces loyal to James stationed in the town were blindsided by William's army, with the aid of the disgruntled townsfolk. Following this, William became King William III and joint monarch with his wife, Queen Mary II. In 1794 work began on the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Newbury to Hungerford section was completed by 1798 and the canal opened in 1810. This provided the town with a direct trade link to Bristol to the west and Reading to the east, and by extension, London as it feeds into the Thames. In 1847 the railway arrived in Hungerford. Today the station is situated on the Reading-Taunton Line which is a branch of the Great Western Main Line. Trains to and from Reading take approximately half an hour. In 1987 a tragedy befell Hungerford as a local man (not worthy of naming) shot and killed 16 people in the town before turning the gun on himself. The Hungerford massacre, as it became known, remains one of the UK's deadliest mass shooting events. Famous people from Hungerford include footballer Charlie Austin. 👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇 https://www.youtube.com/4KExplorer?su... Filmed: 30th May 2023 Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/reaPUNwyxh63g1qp9 Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 High Street 6:22 Kennet and Avon Canal 7:07 High Street 7:22 Bridge Street 8:37 River Dun 8:57 Bridge Street 11:04 Charnham Street 16:06 Bath Road 16:30 River Kennet