Avington, Berkshire

Avington is a village in the civil parish of Kintbury, in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England. The village is on the River Kennet, just under northwest of Kintbury village and east of the town of Hungerford. The Kennet and Avon Canal follows the river and passes the village.

Toponym

The toponym is derived from Old English and means "the enclosure of Afas people". The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Avintone and a pipe roll from 1167 records it as Avintona.

Administrative history

Avington was an ancient parish. The parish was abolished in 1934 and its area absorbed into the neighbouring parish of Kintbury. At the 1931 census, Avington had a population of 77.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saints Mark and Luke is an 11th-century Norman building. It consists of only a nave, chancel and late 19th-century north transept. The font is a notable piece of Romanesque sculpture and may be Saxon. The south doorway is a Norman arch. The chancel has Norman vaulting and a Norman arch, both with "beakhead" ornament. A few early Gothic additions to the church were made in the 13th century, including two doorways and a "low-side" window. The church is a Grade I listed building.