Hotel Angel on the Bridge

Saturday Travel Feature

Henley-on-Thames

England

"Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead. It is near the corner between the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire

"The first record of medieval settlement dates to 1179, when it is recorded that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings". King John granted the manor of Benson and the town an manor of Henley to Robert Harcourt in 1199. A church is first mentioned at Henley in 1204. In 1205 the town received a paviage grant, and in 1234 the bridge is first mentioned. In 1278 Henley is described as a hamlet of Benson with a Chapel. It is probable that the street plan was established by the end of the 13th century.
As a demesne of the crown it was granted to John de Molyns, in 1337 whose family held it for about 250 years. It is said that members for Henley sat in parliaments of Edward I and Edward III, but no writs have been found to substantiate this.

"The existing Thursday market, it is believed, was granted by a charter of King John. A market was certainly in existence by 1269, however, the jurors of the assize of 1284 said that they did not know by what warrant the earl of Cornwall held a market and fair in the town of Henley. The existing Corpus Christi fair was granted by a charter of Henry VI.

"Henley Bridge is a five arched bridge across the river which was built in 1786. The church of St. Mary is located nearby and features a tower built in the 16th century. (See photo above.)

"Henley is a world renowned centre for rowing, each summer holding the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the highlights of the social calendar of the English middle and upper classes. The regatta is held on a stretch of the river that is naturally straight. The event became Royal in 1851. In that year Prince Albert became the patron of the regatta." (See Link 2.)

Captain Alan Wilson, 1st Mate Suzanne Wilson

and Gay Belinda Class Cabin Cruiser, 1978

In the 1970's Bert Bushnell winner of a gold medal for rowing in the 1948 Olympics ran a cabin cruiser for hire at Ray Mead Road in Maidenhead, England.  (See Link 1.) A family could rent a boat to live on for a week and navigate the many locks and visit the many little towns on the Thames River.  After a 30 minute lesson the cabin cruiser was yours, for better or worse.  Ambitions of cruising all the way to Oxford  were turned into the reality of making it as far as Pangbourne, and feel lucky, a total travel distance there and back of 20 miles in one week.  But in that 20 miles you could: moor at the Angel on the Bridge riverside pub , do brass rubbings in tiny old churches, , say hello to the lock master with the black eye patch, visit with the river's swan master, feed the cows in the field next to where you moored for the night, and catch minnows.  The weirs and locks were their own challenge (and reason for the few number of miles travelled).  The weirs (small dams) needed to be dodged and the line up at the locks often necessitated balancing on a 4x4 beam while hanging onto the boat with a rope unit it was your boat's turn to go into the next lock.



Photos:  Of Henley-on-Thames, a 1978 post card.  Map.  Captain and 1st Mate
                 taken in 1978 by Richard Wilson.
Link 1: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/bert-first-struck-gold-in-1948-now-he-wants-it-all-over-again-487686.html

Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henley-on-Thames
Link 3: http://www.rg9.co.uk/angel