Shaw and Donnington are on the northern edge of Newbury, north of the River Lambourn just before it joins with the River Kennet. Although twin villages, the two villages are very different. Shaw is very much an urban village, and very much a suburb of Newbury, whereas the smaller Donnington has character and is attractive to visit.

St. Mary's Church in Shaw is the parish church. The present Norman Revival building dates from 1840 and replaced a Saxon church. The church has no aisles and the chancel has colourful scenes from the Bible.

Adjacent to the church is Shaw House, a red brick Elizabethan manor house. It is under the ownerhip of West Berkshire Council and is used as a conference centre and visitor attraction.

Donnington Hospital, on the Oxford Road in Donnington, is a series of almshouses built in 1602. The Hospital Trust was originally founded in 1393 and is the oldest charity in Berkshire. The original hospital provides homes for nine single men. The trust has added two further sites in the village providing further accommodation for single people and married couples, as well as a site in Oxford and Bucklebury.

Donnington Castle dates from the late 14th century when the manor was provided with battlements. For most of the Civil War it was in the hands of the Royalists but was besieged for most of the war and badly damaged. By 1647 it was already described as "ruinous". What is left now is the gatehouse and this is looked after by English Heritage.

Both villages had water mills on the River Lambourn but both are now reidential premises.

Shaw is about 2 miles north-east of Newbury on the B4009. Donnington is north of Newbury on the B4494.