About the Village


Whitchurch-on-Thames is a picturesque South Oxfordshire village with a population of about 800, lying within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the village is designated as a Conservation Area. We have an ancient church, a thriving primary school and two welcoming pubs. Our village is linked by a toll bridge across the River Thames to the shops and trains of Pangbourne in Berkshire.

The Toll Bridge

Since 1792 there has been a toll bridge across the Thames, linking Whitchurch-on-Thames in Oxfordshire with Pangbourne in Berkshire. In 2013-14 the Grade II listed bridge was completely rebuilt, while preserving its appearance.

From 1792 to 2019 the bridge was owned and operated by The Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge. In 2019 the company was sold to the General Estates Company of Hythe, near Southampton whose website does not provide any information about the bridge.

The toll for a car in 2022 to use the bridge is 60p each way, or 45p for regular users who buy a bridge card.

The bridge manager is Victoria Willcock, who can be contacted by email.

There is plenty of historic information about the bridge – start at this page.

   

The Pubs

A warm welcome awaits you in the village's two pubs, The Ferryboat and the Greyhound.

 

 

The Ferryboat Country Pub & Restaurant is on the High Street near the toll bridge. This pub has been TEMPORARILY CLOSED from 22nd June 2022, following the sad death of Graham Dednum, the landlord. Heineken/Punch is expected to announce a re-opening date in due course.

The Greyhound is on the High Street at the corner of Eastfield Lane (RG8 7EL). Owned since July 2021 by Oak Taverns, the manager is Lottie and there is a 9-page drinks menu. Street food is frequently on sale. See the FaceBook page. Tel: 0118 984 1485

 

Hardwick House and Estate 

Hardwick House is at the heart of a 900 acre estate of woodland and farmland on the eastern side of Whitchurch. The Elizabethan manor house and its organically managed estate are privately owned. For more on the estate and its many thriving enterprises, go to this page. The first issue of The Hardwick Newsletter, for friends of the estate, was published in July 2023.

Bozedown Camp

Our Iron Age predecessors felt the need to establish a defended area on the chalk hills to the north of Hardwick Road. Traces of the perimeter ramparts can still be made out above the slopes now grazed by alpacas. Find out more here.

Bozedown Alpacas

In fields on both sides of Hardwick Road large numbers of alpacas can be seen. Bozedown Alpacas, founded in 1989, is one of the largest alpaca breeding and stud centres in the country.

The Maze

Installed in 2004, the Maze can be found at the eastern end of the village off Muddy Lane, south of Hardwick Road. Surrounded by a variety of native trees and shrubs and with a sundial at its centre, this is a haven for wildlife and picnickers.

A comprehensive Guide to the Maze was first published in February 2021. This lists all the names on the engraved bricks that form the maze pathways and shows how to find them.

The Picture Gallery

In the High Street, the village shop of earlier times is now Modern Artists Gallery and has a display of contemporary art on two floors.

Hartslock Bridleway

The scenic Hartslock Bridleway links Whitchurch with Goring.  This article describes its ancient role as the Tuddingway and tells the story of new steps on a slippery slope. There is also an article by Pat Preece, published in Oxfordshire Local History in 2006.

The Old (lost) Barn

On the site of the modern houses known as Old Barn Cottages, set back from the High Street near its junction with Manor Road, there was once a magnificent great barn. It disappeared from Whitchurch’s street scene in the early 1960s. Read more about The Old Barn.

Manor Road - once a Polish refugee camp

Anna Szczeponek arrived in Whitchurch shortly after World War Two as the young child of Polish refugee parents and has lived here ever since. Read her story of community life among the Nissen huts of the Coombe Park refugee camp, and contributions by others, on the Polish Church Garden page.

Bell mouth entrances

One of the striking features of Whitchurch High Street is the variety of brick walls. These include several elegant bell mouth entrances. Read about them here.

Coombe Park

The privately-owned Coombe Park estate, situated to the west of the village, dates back to 1795 when the first house was built by the Gardiner family.  The estate has had many owners and after a recent period of dereliction there is now a possibility of recovery.  Read its story here.

Whitchurch Mill

An ancient watermill through which a portion of the Thames flow has passed for over 900 years can be seen from the toll bridge. It provided power to grind corn and produce flour. More about the mill here.

Whitchurch Lock

Whitchurch Lock is one of forty-five locks on the Thames. Sadly, it is thought to be the only lock on the Thames that cannot be accessed on foot, only by boat!