2	(i)	The River Thames may have provided a water supply. But a big river like this may well have been polluted by other towns and villages upstream. The River Pang may have provided a better, fresher water supply. However, a really clever answer might have suggested that water could be obtained from springs at the foot of the chalk hills north of Whitchurch. No springs are marked on the map, but you should have seen the evidence that this area is chalk when you were doing Mapwork 3.
	(ii)	This was a bridge point. Two main routes meet here - running east to west and north to south. They meet here partly because Pangbourne lies at a confluence of two river valleys, which provide easy routes through the hills. The bridge may also have been an important factor. The bridge might have been built here because there is an island in the river. That may have provided an easy place to build foundations for one of the bridge spans.
	(iii)	Pangbourne is built on land raised above the river flood plain. It is quite clear that there are several contours running through the village. This is quite different from the area to the east, around Westbury Farm, which would not have been a suitable site. The contour pattern is less clear in Whitchurch, but there is still a contour line running close to the river, which shows that there is a little rise in the ground - probably enough to keep the village dry.

---

3

As explained above, the A329 follows the Thames valley. It runs along flat land through the hills and this makes it an easy route. The A340 also follows an easy valley route, the Pang. The B471 does not follow a valley, and has to go up rather a steep hill to the north of Whitchurch. Did the roads meet here because there was a bridge, or was the bridge built here because the roads met? It is impossible for us to answer that question. However, it is likely that tracks or roads were built along the Thames and the Pang, and then a bridge was built where the two roads met. Then, once the bridge was built, more tracks and roads were built spreading out from the bridge. The bridge therefore became a meeting point and a market, so people from the surrounding countryside went there to trade their produce.

---

4

If people were travelling to the market they needed rest and refreshment. Traders came to buy wheat, etc., from the local producers. Then they sent the goods to the towns and cities nearby - especially to London. These traders needed somewhere to stay, so the inns were built. Probably banks and stores were set up around the bridge and its market. There would also need to be some kind law enforcement, and a magistrate to see that the market ran smoothly. This was how the villages grew.

---

5

The market grew because of the easy access. A market was needed because this was a farming area. In the days before motorised transport, or even trains, markets had to be held within walking distance for everyone. That meant there had to be a market every 10 or 15 miles, as farmers had to be able to walk there and back in a day. They needed time to sell their produce, buy what they needed, have a chat with their neighbours, and probably have a drink or two at the inn before returning home.

---

6

The weir probably dammed back water to be used to power a water mill. The mill at Mapledurham is still preserved, but it seems that any mills built in Pangbourne have been demolished, or have changed their function. The market, where people brought their grain to sell, was an obvious place to have a mill, where the grain could be ground to make flour.

---

7	Once the railway was built it could carry grain to London much more quickly. It also meant that perishable crops could be taken to London. Milk, vegetables and fruit could all be transported to London for sale each day once the railway was built.

---

8

Pangbourne has now become a commuter settlement. People can live here and travel to work in Reading, London or Oxford. Reading is only a few minutes journey away. London can be reached in less than an hour. The site of Pangbourne, on the river but surrounded by hills, make it a very desirable housing area.

---

9	Pangbourne has had more new development, with estates around 637763 and 633760. Pangbourne has grown faster than Whitchurch because:
	(i)	Pangbourne has a railway station; Whitchurch does not. Whitchurch residents have to cross the toll bridge to reach the station - this involves some small expense, but also possible delays.
	(ii)	Pangbourne is built on fairly flat land which is at least 10 metres above the river, so it is a dry site; Whitchurch is on flatter land but it is lower and so may be liable to flood. The land to the north rises quite steeply, and this makes building difficult and expensive.

---

10

This area has a dispersed settlement pattern. There are only two nucleated villages in the area, at Kidmore End (6979) and Whitchurch Hill (6479). One probable reason why villages did not grow here was the presence of chalk rock, which meant there was no surface water to provide a supply of drinking water. Deep wells would have to be sunk, and this was probably too difficult. So why have commuter villages not been built here in the late 20th century, when piped water supplies are available? This is probably because it is very difficult to get planning permission in a rural area like this. It is part of the Chiltern Hills, an area of very attractive scenery.

---