Ixxvi FLORA OF BERKSHIRE 



about 230 feet. Here the Emborne turns into Berkshire, and the 

 boundary of Hampshire is now an arbitrary line which goes by 

 Brimpton Common (356 feet), and from there follows what was 

 probably a Eoman highway, since at Silchester (334 feet) it passes by 

 the Imp or Nymph Stone. It then passes the amphitheatre of 

 Silchester, and crosses the Basingstoke railway one mile to the east 

 of Silchester. At this point the boundary of the Kennet district is no 

 longer that of the county, but is succeeded by the Loddon district, 

 which is separated from the Kennet district by the road to Forward, 

 Hale's Green, Beech Hill, and Spencer's Wood Common. The high 

 ground of Shinfield and Shinfield Green is then the watershed of the 

 two districts, which from this latter place to Reading, the county 

 town, are separated by the turnpike road. 



The Kennet is divided from the Pang district, as has already been 

 said, by the road which leads from Reading to Tilehurst (300 feet) 

 and Langley Hill, and which then goes across country to North Street. 

 From the latter place to Hermitage the boundary is the road which 

 passes through Englefield over Mare's Ridges and along the southern 

 side of Bucklebury Commons, across Cold Ash Common to Hermitage, 

 and then to Chieveley. From Chieveley the road to East Ilsley 

 separates the Kennet fi-om the Pang district. 



Like the pi-eceding districts, this is not of a homogeneous character. 

 The drainage area is capable of being divided into three portions : 

 first, that which is traversed by the main stream of the Kennet ; 

 secondly, that through which the Lambourn flows ; and thirdly, the 

 country drained by the Emborne stream. The boundary between 

 the Kennet and the Lamboui'n subdivisions is the road from Bciydon 

 in Wiltshire to Wickham in Berkshire, which is practically on the top 

 of the watershed, and is at its highest point nearly 700 feet above sea 

 level ; from Wickham, which is about 450 feet high, the road to New- 

 bury is followed, where the river level is about 260 feet. The Emborne 

 subdivision is bordered on the south by Hampshire, and the water- 

 shed on the northern side of the subdivision is the road from Inkpen 

 to Tidcombe Row, Holt Green, Hampstead Marshall, across Newbury 

 Wash, to Greenham and Ci-ookham Heaths, where an elevation of 

 close upon 400 feet is attained, and thence to Sherbert Bridge near 

 Brimpton. The remaining central portion of the district is drained 

 by the main stream of the Kennet. 



The Lambourn subdivision consists of the Upper Chalk formation, 

 and a great part of it is bare, arable soil, with numerous dry valleys 

 which have been excavated in it. In the upper portion trees are few, 

 and comparatively small bits of the original grassy downs remain. 

 The river springs forth near the base of the ' Seven Barrow Field ' 

 near Upper Lambourn, and passes by the sequestered town of that 



