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THAMES UNCOVERED U N I Q U E FAC T S P E O P L E A N D L A N D S C A P E S
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PANGBOURNE T
- 61 MILES | 130 FEET
O TEDDINGTON
T ABOVE SEA LEVEL -
“ BELIEVE ME, MY YOUNG FRIEND, THERE IS NOTHING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HALF SO MUCH WORTH DOING AS SIMPLY MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS.
” KENNETH GRAHAME THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
As the next part of the walk is along a road and away from the river, I jumped from Goring to pick up the path at the east side of Pangbourne and headed straight to Whitchurch Bridge. It is another toll-bridge; more expensive than Swinford at 60p a car, although pedestrians are free. This stretch of the Thames through Berkshire and Buckinghamshire is seen as the upmarket part of the river. From the 1870s it also became the chief pleasure resort for Southern England. Hordes of working class excursionists came to the river and her banks. In the snootier papers of the time these tourists were dubbed as “Arry and Arriet�. Nevertheless this was still regarded as the Golden age of the Thames and it took the outbreak of war in 1914 to bring it to a halt.
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As you walk away from Pangbourne, look upstream to see a view that is almost the same as that photographed on glass plates by Henry Taunt in 1885. His description of this part of the Thames sums the area up: "There are extremely pretty scenes all around Pangbourne. Picturesque cottages and quaint bits are to be seen everywhere. Beautiful walks are found in nearly every direction, up the valleys, through the woods, and over the hills, with great diversity of landscape; while the flora of the neighbourhood is more varied than in any other part of the Thames.” Walking downstream past meadows, the path passes Mapledurham Hall on the north bank. It was built in 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, in the shape of an E in honour of Elizabeth I. The house is shielded by trees, there is a mill and small 15th century church and it is altogether very picturesque. So much so that it was used as inspiration for E.H.Sheperd’s sketches of Toad Hall found in Kenneth Grahame’s famous book The Wind in the Willows.
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Almost immediately after this pastoral scene is passed, the river skirts its way around the northern fringes of Reading. On the north bank is Caversham, home to the award winning gardens of Caversham Court. Heading out of the Reading area, near the start of Kings Meadow, is the Thames Lido. It opened to the public in 1902 as a ladies-only swimming bath and it is believed to be the oldest surviving outdoor pool of the early Edwardian era. The original pool was fed with water from the Thames. The path carries on through King’s Meadow until it meets the Horseshoe Bridge which takes you over the River Kennet. To the north is the Thames and Kennet Marina which is where the 87 mile Kennet and Avon Canal begins. Linking Thames to Bristol, the canal was completed in 1810 and helped bring about the downfall of the Thames and Severn Canal.
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Following on next is Sonning, a pretty village just outside Reading. Its bridge built in 1775 is a classically styled, ten arch construction in warm red brick. It has a single track which is a source of much irritation for local motorists. From here on, all the way to Staines, the area around the river is very rural. Often both banks are tree lined, and when there are trees on only one side the opposite bank will be meadow.
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A common activity along the length of the Thames is rowing. Once considered as 'mere labour best left to the waterman' it rapidly became a desirable social activity among the upper classes. The word regatta was soon adopted as part of the language of the river . No ‘Doggett’s Coat & Badge Wager’ here. New regattas were started at Cookham, Windsor and Eton, Marlow and of course, Henley. The racing scull, with its lowered sides, outriggers, swivel rowlocks and sliding seat has a proud lineage. It can trace its ancestry back through the traditional Thames ‘Wherry and Skiff’ to the Norseman’s raiding longboats that sailed up the Thames. All used the rigid plank construction technique, which has proved itself well suited to the rigours of river use. Incidentally, it was not until 1975 that women coxes were allowed to compete in the Henley Regatta. Some traditions take a long time to change on the river. On the left bank of Henley is Marsh Meadow. Discreetly tucked in its corner is the ‘River and Rowing Museum’, a diverting stop-off. The stretch of river north from Henley Bridge is the longest naturally straight stretch of river on the Thames. It is almost one mile in length and perfect for rowing races. Interestingly, the north bank of the Thames has been the boundary line for Oxfordshire since Lechlade. Then, halfway down the famous regatta course it changes to the county of Buckinghamshire.
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Next begins a most beautiful stretch of the Thames that could be considered supremely English. It becomes a wide slow river lined with lush meadows with its banked wooded hills displaying every shade of green imaginable. Just down from Bisham Abbey, sitting literally on the river’s edge, Bisham Church’s magnificent Norman tower reflected in the water is striking.
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Under half a mile away, on the north bank, is Marlow. It is a very pretty town with its bridge and spired church of All Saints providing an attractive entrance to this typically English town. The bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark and is the only suspension bridge across the non-tidal Thames. It was the prototype for the Széchenyi Bridge in Budapest which was designed in sections that could be easily shipped from the United Kingdom.
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Another claim to fame for Marlow is that Mary Shelley, whilst living in Albion House West Street for a year, wrote her famous book ‘Frankenstein’. Literary links continue. The woods and river at Winter Hill, on the south side of the river, were the inspiration for Kenneth Grahame’s ‘Wind in The Willows’. After his mother’s death when he was only five years old, he was sent to live with his grandmother in nearby Cookham Dean. He later returned with his own family to live in the area. The bedtime tales he told to his son later formed the basis of the stories in his book. The wooded Winter Hill gives way to the common grazing meadow that is Cock Marsh. It is an area of low lying flood-marsh with views that extend across to Bourne End and the Thames. Children’s author Enid Blyton lived in Bourne End until 1938. This stretch of river is truly beautiful, it begins with Formosa Island the largest on the non-tidal Thames. Its deep wooded banks are delightful to walk through. Beautiful from spring to autumn, the trees maintain their majesty when silhouetted against a winter’s sky. To the east, behind a covering of trees, is the site of Cliveden House. It was the home to the 2nd Lord Astor and his wife Nancy in 1919. She became the first women to take her seat as a member of Parliament. In the early 1960s it was one of the locations of politician John Profumo’s indiscretions with Christine Keeler which lead to the politically fuelled Profumo Affair. Further downstream was the infamous Skindles Hotel, now the name of a restaurant. In the early 20th century it was notorious as a place for adulterous assignations. When the Prince of Wales started taking Lily Langtry there, its enduring association with social intrigue was ensured.
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M40
M A R LOW CO O K H A M D E A N BISHAM ABBEY
H E N L E Y R EG AT TA CO U R S E
MAIDENHEAD A4
A4
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4
WA RG R AV E
PA N G B O U R N E SONNING
MAPPLEDURHAM HOUSE
C AV E R S H A M
READING
M OTO RWAY M A I N ROA D RIVER T H A M E S PAT H P O I N T O F I N T E R E ST
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M
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CLIVEDEN HOUSE
B R AY
B R E N T FO R D
DORNEY LAKE
WINDSOR H E AT H ROW A I R P O RT
RU N N Y M E D E
T E D D I N GTO N STA I N E S K I N G STO N LALEHAM
H A M P TO N CO U RT
M3
D E S B O RO U G H C U T
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The next sweep of the Thames is popularly referred to as Millionaires Row. The river flows on past some magnificent villas and modern architectural houses and on into Bray with its two Michelin-starred restaurants. The Thames then passes under the M4 and past the new Olympic rowing complex at Dorney Lake to the east. The river is surprisingly scruffy and a little overgrown, only redeemed by The Royal Windsor Racecourse to the south. Once past the bridge supporting the A322, the Thames offers up one of its most memorable views.
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Aside from Windsor Castle, Windsor was also home to one of the most prolific aircraft designers of all time: Sir Sydney Camm, the designer of the Hurricane, the Hunter and the Harrier. In 2012, a full size replica of a Hawker Hurricane was placed as a memorial to him on the south bank of the river near his childhood home. Soon after leaving Windsor, Runnymede appears on the south bank. It is a National Trust owned water meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey. It was here that one of the most important episodes in British history took place. In June 1215 the Magna Carter was signed by King John in the presence of twenty-five rebellious barons. ‘The Charter’ has resonated throughout history with its ideals of democracy, limitation of power, equality and freedom under law. In the same area stand other memorials: The American Bar Association Magna Carta Memorial is next to the JFK Kennedy Memorial. Further up the hill is the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial. The latest addition, created by artist Mark Wallinger, celebrates Clause 39 of Magna Carta - freedom under law. It also carries an inscription from the poet John Keats's headstone ‘Writ In Water’.
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In mediaeval times, before canalisation, Staines-UponThames was the highest point at which the high tide reached. In 1197 Richard I sold the rights of the river to the Corporation of London to help raise funds for his Crusades. The London Stone is a monument erected in 1285 that marks the upstream limit of the cities' rights and associated privileges. It is located at the Staines Memorial Gardens on the River Thames. The original stone is preserved at The Spelthorne Museum.
The nature of the Thames now starts to change, revealing a more suburban character. For some miles, the river runs through land populated by bungalows until you reach Laleham, known for its flooding and the poet Matthew Arnold (1822–88) who lived there. The river carries on for a while through a flat landscape of reservoirs and meadows. The M3 passes overhead before the handsome Chertsey Bridge comes into view. The present stone bridge was begun in 1783 and was built at a cost of six thousand eight hundred and thirteen pounds, four shillings and eleven pence.
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Pharaoh’s Island is next on our walk. It was owned by Admiral Nelson, bought for him by a grateful nation after his victory at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. He used it as a fishing retreat. Following closely comes the Desborough Cut created in 1935. It was named after Lord Desborough of Taplow who, amongst other things, was was head of the Thames Conservancy for thirty-two years and President of the 1908 London Olympics Court. It provides a very slightly curving course between Weybridge and Walton, and avoids a meandering stretch past Shepperton and Lower Halliford. It halved the distance of travel on that part of the river.
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The river’s outlook now changes once more. Almost up to Hampton Court it is over-crowded with housing, interspersed with playing fields and reservoirs. On the river banks are a number of wooded areas. Sadly there is also the perpetual noise caused by the jet engines of the many planes flying in and out of Heathrow. Next to come into view is Molesey Lock, the Thames’s second longest at 268ft. It precedes Hampton Court bridge which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyen. The fact that it complements the palace so well is testament to the sensitivity of its original design. The palace consists of two different buildings joined together. There is the Tudor palace of Henry VIII and the remodelled Baroque splendour designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The marvellous jumble of chimneys and turrets is remarkable when seen from the river. Carrying on downstream on the right bank are the townships of Thames Ditton and Surbiton. To the left is the vast acreage of Hampton Court Park and Bushy Park. Its most easterly edge meeting Kingston-Upon-Thames. Kingston used to be the first place you can cross the Thames upstream after London Bridge. It is notable as an ancient market town in which Saxon kings were crowned. The earliest throne of England on which seven Saxon kings of England were invested is called The King Stone or Coronation Stone. It is presently located next to the Guildhall in Kingston.
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