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
Oxford has so much to offer. Honey-gold
buildings and a riverside setting are just part of Oxford's unique appeal.
College quadrangles and gardens provide a tranquil foil to a compact and
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. If you would
like your own guide, with a tailor-made tour, for a morning, afternoon or
even a whole day, please contact the Tourist
Information Centre.
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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
Length 137 km/85 miles. Average time to
complete 6 days.
Britain's Oldest Road.
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
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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