Wantage
Our
local town and birthplace of legendary King Alfred the Great (849AD) whose
statue graces the market place.
Wantage appears in the great Doomsday survey of 1086. Its value was £61
and it was in the King's ownership until Richard I passed it to the Earl of
Albemarle in 1190. During the Civil
War, records from 1644 mention the King dining in the town.
A note from 1645 describes the effects of plague.
The church suffered from Puritan attacks on its
'idolatrous things'. By the beginning of the 19th century, trade was
reduced and poverty hit the town. Wantage had a reputation for lawlessness
causing historians to label it 'Black Wantage'. It took some determined
work to turn this situation around and the efforts of the Reverend Butler gave
the town a renewed respect for itself. An
iron foundry gave work to many inhabitants and canal and tramway links
encouraged greater trade The twentieth century saw great expansion of the
town, the development of a bustling town centre and the growth of the nearby
town of Grove. Wantage is a pretty market town with a good range of shops and services
including cinema, fast food, restaurants, pubs and bars.
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Oxford
has so much to offer. Stunning buildings and a riverside setting are just part
of Oxford's unique appeal. College quadrangles and gardens provide a tranquil
places to visit and a beautiful city centre which is lively all the year
round. Gardens, stained glass, Oxford's waterways and women in Oxford are just a few of
the topics which interest individual and groups of visitors - and you may have a
further special interest to add to the list.
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The
Cotswolds
Cotswolds
is a word that conjures up a vision of honey coloured stone, pretty villages and
a cultivated upland landscape. Indeed most of the Cotswolds region is well
preserved, and that is what we see today.
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Bleinheim
Palace
Given
to John Churchill, first Duke of Malborough as a reward for his decisive victory
over the army of Louis XIV. Bleinheim Palace is also the birthplace of Sir
Winston Churchill.
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Didcot
Railway centre
Home
of the Great Western Society and its unique collection of Great Western Railway
steam engines, coaches, wagons, buildings and small relics. Join us in our rural
setting based around the original engine shed.The Great Western Railway was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, recently
voted the second greatest Briton by television viewers, to link London with
Bristol. Didcot lies about halfway; the
engine shed is home to Great Western steam engines and there is a recreation of
Brunel's original broad gauge railway.
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The
Ancient Ridgeway Trail
Britain's Oldest Road.
Length
137 km/85 miles. Average time to complete 6 days.
Starting in a World Heritage Site much of this 136 km (85 mile) long Trail still
follows the same path over the high ground used since prehistoric times. The Trail's western half travels as a broad, ancient track along the edge of
open, rolling downland where views are dominated by the sky and vast sweeps of
land. Once east of the River Thames the Trail enters more intimate countryside
where, mostly on narrower undulating paths, it passes through valleys,
woodlands, neatly cultivated fields and chalk grassland nature reserves rich in
wildflowers. People have used The
Ridgeway for at least 6,000 years and have left numerous monuments to explore.
Highlights include Wayland's Smithy long barrow and the spectacular Iron Age
forts which line the Trail such as Barbury and Uffington Castles. Add to that
wonderful displays of bluebells in spring, chalk land flowers and birds and The
Ridgeway is always rewarding.
Horseriders and cyclists can ride all of the western half of The Ridgeway whilst
walkers, who can enjoy the whole Trail, take on average 6 days to complete it.
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Uffington
White Horse
The
Uffington white horse is undoubtedly Britain's oldest and most famous hill
figure, which has recently been dated at 3000 years old by the Oxford
Archeological Unit. 1000 years older than previously thought. The earliest
reference to it was in in the 1070's when white horse hill was mentioned, the
first actual reference to the horse itself was in 1190.
The horse is unique in its features, the horse being a very long sleek
disjointed figure and this leads some to believe it represents the mythical
dragon that St. George slain on the adjacent Dragon hill or even his horse.
However others believe it represents a Celtic horse goddess Epona, known to
represent fertility, healing and death.. The scouring of the horse is believed
to have been a religious festival in later times, giving more creditability to
the figure being of religious origin. Also unusual is the fact that the
horse faces to the right while all other horses and other animal hill figures
face left. The earliest record of the white horse is from Abingdon Abbey in the
late 12th century, although White Horse hill was mentioned a century earlier.
There are many records after this period with a very good historical record from
the 18th century in which the horse has changed little in appearance from then
to the present day. There were occasions when the horse became overgrown, 1880
for example and was in danger of being lost like some of the other hill figures.
There is no danger of this happening now, with English Heritage caring for this
Ancient monument.The Uffington white horse can be found 1.5 miles due south of Uffington village
on the Berkshire downs (although now in Oxfordshire). It is situated facing NW
near the top (at approx. 800 ft) of a very impressive steep escarpment below the
Ridgeway long distance footpath.
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