Transcriber’s Note: Illustrations have been moved so as not to fall in the middle of paragraphs (leaving them as close to the original position in the book as possible). A few minor printing errors were corrected.
Volume II is available as Project Gutenberg ebook #57366.
THAMES VALLEY VILLAGES
WORKS BY CHARLES G. HARPER
The Portsmouth Road, and its Tributaries: To-day and in Days of Old.
The Dover Road: Annals of an Ancient Turnpike.
The Bath Road: History, Fashion, and Frivolity on an Old Highway.
The Exeter Road: The Story of the West of England Highway.
The Great North Road: The Old Mail Road to Scotland. Two Vols.
The Norwich Road: An East Anglian Highway.
The Holyhead Road: The Mail-Coach Road to Dublin. Two Vols.
The Cambridge, Ely, and King’s Lynn Road: The Great Fenland Highway.
The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford, and Cromer Road: Sport and History on an East Anglian Turnpike.
The Oxford, Gloucester, and Milford Haven Road: The Ready Way to South Wales. Two Vols.
The Brighton Road: Speed, Sport, and History on the Classic Highway.
The Hastings Road and the “Happy Springs of Tunbridge.”
Cycle Rides Round London.
A Practical Handbook of Drawing for Modern Methods of Reproduction.
Stage Coach and Mail in Days of Yore. Two Vols.
The Ingoldsby Country: Literary Landmarks of “The Ingoldsby Legends.”
The Hardy Country: Literary Landmarks of the Wessex Novels.
The Dorset Coast.
The South Devon Coast.
The Old Inns of Old England. Two Vols.
Love in the Harbour: a Longshore Comedy.
Rural Nooks Round London (Middlesex and Surrey).
Haunted Houses: Tales of the Supernatural.
The Manchester and Glasgow Road. This way to Gretna Green. Two Vols.
The North Devon Coast.
Half Hours with the Highwaymen. Two Vols.
The Autocar Road Book. Four Vols.
The Tower of London: Fortress, Palace, and Prison.
The Somerset Coast.
The Smugglers: Picturesque Chapters in the Story of an Ancient Craft.
The Cornish Coast. North.
The Cornish Coast. South.
The Kentish Coast. [In the Press.
The Sussex Coast. [In the Press.
AT ASHTON KEYNES.
THAMES VALLEY
VILLAGES
BY
CHARLES G. HARPER
VOL. I
ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY W. S. CAMPBELL
AND FROM DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR
ISIS
London: CHAPMAN & HALL, Ltd.
1910
PRINTED AND BOUND BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Introduction | [1] |
| CHAPTER I | |
| Cirencester—Source of the Thames—Kemble—Ashton Keynes—Cricklade—St. Augustine’s Well | [8] |
| CHAPTER II | |
| Castle Eaton—Kempsford—By the Thames and Severn Canal to Inglesham Round House—Lechlade—Fairford—Eaton Hastings Weir—Kelmscott—Radcot Bridge | [50] |
| CHAPTER III | |
| Great Faringdon—Buckland—Bampton-in-the-Bush—Cote—Shifford | [110] |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| Harvests of the Thames: Willows, Osiers, Rushes | [128] |
| CHAPTER V | |
| New Bridge, The Oldest on the Thames—Standlake—Gaunt’s House—Northmoor—Stanton Harcourt—Besselsleigh | [138] |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| Cumnor, and the Tragedy of Amy Robsart | [161] |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| Wytham—The Old Road—Binsey and the Oratory of St. Frideswide—the Vanished Village of Seacourt—Godstow and “Fair Rosamond”—Medley—Folly Bridge | [186] |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| Iffley, and the Way Thither—Nuneham, in Storm and in Sunshine | [200] |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| Abingdon | [216] |
| CHAPTER X | |
| Sutton Courtney—Long Wittenham—Little Wittenham—Clifton Hampden—Day’s Lock and Sinodun | [234] |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| Dorchester—Benson | [260] |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| Wallingford—Goring | [272] |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| Streatley—Basildon—Pangbourne—Mapledurham—Purley | [293] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
SEPARATE PLATES
| At Ashton Keynes | [Frontispiece] |
| PAGE | |
| Cirencester Church: Showing the Great Buttress | [11] |
| The Old Mill House, Ashton Keynes | [23] |
| The Infant Thames, Ashton Keynes | [31] |
| Approach to Cricklade | [35] |
| St. Sampson, Cricklade | [39] |
| Strainer-Buttress, St. Sampson’s, Cricklade | [43] |
| “Lertoll Well” | [43] |
| The Iron Girder Bridge, Castle Eaton | [51] |
| The Old Bridge, Castle Eaton | [51] |
| Castle Eaton Church: Showing Sanctus-Bell Turret | [55] |
| The Thames and Severn Canal, Near Kempsford | [55] |
| Kempsford Church | [61] |
| Inglesham Round House | [67] |
| A Street in Fairford | [71] |
| Lechlade | [75] |
| Fairford, from the River Coln | [79] |
| The Great West Window, Fairford, Displaying the “Doom” | [83] |
| Monument in the Park, Fairford, where the Famous Windows were Buried | [87] |
| Kelmscott Manor | [95] |
| Kelmscott Church | [99] |
| Radcot Bridge | [103] |
| A Thames-side Farm | [125] |
| Gateway, Cote House | [125] |
| A Thames-side Farm | [129] |
| New Bridge: the Oldest Bridge across the Thames | [139] |
| Northmoor: Church and Dovecote | [143] |
| Stanton Harcourt: Manor House and Church | [147] |
| Early English Screen (Unrestored), Stanton Harcourt | [153] |
| Cumnor Church | [163] |
| Statue of Queen Elizabeth, Cumnor Church | [167] |
| Tomb of Anthony Forster, Cumnor | [173] |
| Eynsham | [187] |
| Iffley Church: North Side | [201] |
| West Door, Iffley Church | [205] |
| The Bridge, Nuneham Courtney | [209] |
| Carfax Conduit, Nuneham Courtney | [213] |
| Abingdon | [217] |
| The Town Hall, Abingdon | [223] |
| St. Helen’s, Abingdon | [227] |
| Old Houses, Steventon Causeway | [231] |
| Sutton Courtney Church | [235] |
| Sutton Courtney | [239] |
| Interior, Sutton Courtney Church | [239] |
| Ancient Timber Porch, Long Wittenham (Unrestored) | [245] |
| Day’s Lock, and Sinodun Hill | [249] |
| Clifton Hampden | [257] |
| Sedilia, Dorchester Abbey | [261] |
| The East Window, Dorchester Abbey | [265] |
| The Jesse Window (on the left), Dorchester Abbey | [269] |
| Dorchester | [273] |
| Dorchester Abbey | [273] |
| Wallingford | [277] |
| Wallingford: Town Hall, and Church of St. Mary-the-More | [281] |
| Goring Church | [285] |
| Hour-Glass Stand, South Stoke | [285] |
| Pangbourne Church | [291] |
| Basildon Church | [291] |
| Whitchurch | [297] |
| Mapledurham Mill | [301] |
| Mapledurham House | [305] |
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT
| Near Kemble | [19] |
| At Ewen | [21] |
| At Ashton Keynes | [22] |
| Ashton Keynes Mill | [27] |
| Old Woodwork, Castle Eaton | [58] |
| Norman Porch, Kempsford | [60] |
| Inglesham Church | [65] |
| Ancient Carving, Lechlade Church | [73] |
| Fiends | [82], [85] |
| Faringdon Clump | [101] |
| St. Stephen | [107] |
| Clanfield Church | [108] |
| Faringdon Market House | [117] |
| Wooden Bridge across the Upper Thames | [118] |
| Bampton Church | [123] |
| The Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt | [150] |
| Besselsleigh: Church and Fragment of Manor House | [157] |
| Binsey Church | [192] |
| Christ’s Hospital, Abingdon | [221] |
| St. Nicholas, Abingdon | [225] |
| The “King’s Head and Bell,” Abingdon | [233] |
| Norman Belfry-window, Sutton Courtney | [238] |
| Little Wittenham | [245] |
| Wittenham Clumps | [253] |
SWEET THAMES, RUN SOFTLY TILL I END MY SONG
With rushes fenced, with swaying osiers crowned,
Old Thames from out the western country hies;
By daisy-dappled meads his course is found,
Bearing upon his breast brave argosies
Of stately lilies. Poets loved to praise
The stream whose tide doth calmly flow along,
And this the echo of their tuneful lays:
“Sweet Themmes, runne softly till I ende my song.”
Past town and village, cot and lonely farm,
His silver stream with murm’ring music goes;
Singing glad anthems, full of drowsy charm;
Sweet songs of praise, unheeded not by those
Who know his banks full well, who often love
To roam his course, his marge to pace along,
While Spenser’s line re-echoes as we rove:
“Sweet Themmes, runne softly till I ende my song.”