Monthly Archives: December 2014

Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still exists

 

Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existsTraveling through the small ancient villages in the picturesque valley of the River Thames we visited the charming village of Shiplake, another village featured by Jerome K. Jerome in his novel Three Men in a Boat. The village is not visible from the river or any road. But hiding behind fences and green trees where you can make out some beautiful mansions from different eras.

The name of Shiplake is possibly derived from the story about a Viking ship, which was Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existsShiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existssupposed to have crashed due to the river being shallow in places. Settlements in this area have been known since1086. Some buildings have been preserved, such as the Church of St. Peter and Paul from the 13th century, which has a belfry with eight bells, The Plowden Arms a Pub from the 1600s and the historic manor house named Shiplake court, a most beautiful building which was converted to a College in 1958. First built in 1265, it has had many owners and was rebuilt many times. In 1890 on the site of this Tudor house a Victorian mansion was built for the Harrison family. It is known that in 1897 the house was equipped with an electricity generating plant. The so-called modern look of Shiplake Court has existed since 1905.

Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existsSituated on the beautiful bank of the river Thames, Shiplake village has a wonderful nature reserve, a lock and a weir. First flash lock at this location was built in the 16th century at the confluence of the Thames and the Loddon. A few renovations have been made to the lock, the last time being just a few yeas ago. Very rare populations of Nile (Egyptian) wild geese live in the beautiful river meadows, considered a sacred bird in Egypt; it was introduced to the United Kingdom in the 18th century from the island of Madagascar.

Shiplake lock was also a favorite place of George Orwell the novelist, who spent his creative Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existsyears in the village of Shiplake and later wrote his best anti-political novel “1984”, where he introduced terms such as “Cold War” and “Ministry of Truth”. The romantic atmosphere in this area is far from that described in the novel “1984”.

Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existsYou can walk or ride a bike all along the Thames Path, which runs for 184 miles, from Thames Head, the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton in London. The trail coincides with the original towpath on the riverbank, which was used to tow boats before the Industrial Revolution. Most of our journeys have been by car, which we found was the best way of visiting all the towns and cities along the river Thames.

Shiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still existsIf you indulge in traveling, you will start to look at the world through different eyes and maybeShiplake, a place where a calming and idyllic atmosphere still exists along the way you will find some oasis of peace and prosperity on earth that will make you want to change the whole world in the same idyllic way. In my next story, this idyllic oasis could be found in the village of Sonning.

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Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghosts

 

Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostsIn the novel by Jerome K. Jerome “Three Men in a Boat” there is a description of the village of Wargrave in the county of Berkshire. “Mellowed in the drowsy sunlight of a summer’s afternoon, Wargrave, nestling where the river bends, makes a sweet old picture as you pass it and one that lingers long upon the retina of memory”.

Wargrave is an ordinary-looking quiet provincial village but it’s Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostshistory begins before the time of the Viking conquests. One version is that the name of Wargrave literally means a war grave. According to historical records in the late 9th century, the Vikings buried their dead soldiers in this village, as the nearby town of Reading, was the center of their conquests in the South of England.

Architecturally, modern Wargrave started to form during the Tudor period when the High Street was built. Many ancient farming families lived in the area of Wargrave for centuries. In the 17th and 18th century, local farmers increased their wealth by selling off old farms that were then converted into manor houses. Some Georgian and Edwardian buildings as well as half-timbered houses have survived to this day. The different types of houses create the charm of this English village, where history is steeped mainly in legends and ghost stories.

Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostsBarrymore house in the High Street was built in 1788 for Lord Barrymore, who was known as a gambler, joker and theatregoer. He Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostseven built a theater in the village, which was visited by the Prince of Wales and King George IV. Barrymore tragically and accidentally shot himself on a visit to Dover with his own gun but his restless spirit still inhabits the house, people say that they could hear him trying to open the front door lock with keys; other visitors claim to have been pushed down the stairs. Even dogs refused to go upstairs in his house.

Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostsIn the old days the village had seven public houses on the High Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostsstreet, where travelers arriving by stagecoach from Henley to Reading stayed for the night. The St George Dragon on the bank of the river Thames was also mentioned in the book by Jerome K. Jerome. It became so popular that many times, countless tourists have inundated the area of the pub fronting the river. From outside the pub still looks the same but the interior has now been completely modernized. A mystical story is told about the winter of 1878 when part of the Thames was frozen and had become a favorite place for ice-skaters. A family decided to hop on a ferry that existed at that time, in order to join the skaters on the other side of the river. Due to some tragic circumstances the ferry sank and a little girl from the family drowned. They say that sometimes the ghost of the little girl still appears to be walking along the riverbank opposite the pub.

There are now only three pubs left in the village. If you go down the main street you will find The Bull at the crossroads, where another resident ghost cannot find peace. Here, in one of the rooms at a particular time of the night usually in summer, people can hear a woman crying. In the 1820s the building belonged to the Gibbs family. Local residents tell that when the owner of the pub discovered that his wife was having an affair, he threw her out unto the streets where she died of a broken heart and that is supposed to be her crying spirit returning to her room during a certain time of the year.

It’s interesting to hear the history of these settlements from their legends, especially the Some history of the village of Wargrave and the resident ghostsunusual ones about ghosts. The oldest existing ghost in Wargrave is a thousand years old. It is supposed to be the ghost of Emma of Normandy, a queen consort of England, Denmark and Norway, which appears in the Gaunt cottage at Wargrave. Remains of one of her palaces still existed in this village until 1827. Her ghost is known as the “Lady in White”.

When I first visited this ancient village, I was amazed how picturesque it was especially with the natural beauty of the river running alongside but the name of Wargrave seemed very strange to me. Having investigated some of it’s history, I believe that ghosts do not live there by chance. But I sincerely hope they do not interfere with the locals and are only reminiscent of old times. Maybe in a hundred years or so, more ghosts will appear to recall the history of our own time.

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The “Old Bell” and the story of Harley village and Henley

 

The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyThe romantic scenery of the River Thames has always fascinated poets, travelers, nobles, and kings. More than a hundred years ago Jerome K. Jerome described his journey along the Thames in a novel called “Three Men in a Boat” it contained so much fun and humor, that many people began dreaming of water travel, since then boats on the River Thames have increased over the years. Riverboats have significantly changed in the last hundred years and today river cruises are one of the most popular forms of leisure and lifestyle.

Cozy river vessels equipped with all modern conveniences become The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and Henleyfloating houses, where one can live whilst floating on the river and enjoying the beautiful scenery dotted with lovely mansions and making stops in small towns for supplies in the Thames Valley. Jerome lovingly describes many of these towns in his book as “magical” or “fabulous” and some as the most beautiful on the river.

The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyPreviously one of my stories of the settlements along the Thames was about the Danesfield hotel with it’s unique landscaped park of Topiaries which overlooks the river and on the opposite side of the river, the ancient settlement of Harley. There are lots of picnic areas equipped with tables and benches along the riverside where boat travelers can stop and in the summer these places are full of nature lovers, because even years ago, Jerome wrote “I could stay a month without having sufficient time to drink in all the beauty of the scene”. By the way the landscape around the village of Harley featured in a film about James Bond “From Russia with Love.”

The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyIn 1086 a Benedictine Priory was founded in Harley as a cell of Westminster Abbey, which existed until 1536, when Henry the VIII closed all the monasteries. Priory church still survives as the parish The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and Henleychurch to this day. Some monastic buildings of the 13th and 14th century are now private homes. The village is very quiet and very provincial, except for their value is considerably higher than the average price in villages nearby. There was once a rich Tudor mansion in this village known as the “Lady Place” which was owned by Baron Lovelace but was demolished in 1837. Another historic building is the pub “The Old Bell Inn” which was established in 1135 as a guesthouse of the monastery. The bell hung above its door and was rung to announce the arrival of guests. One of which was King Henry the IV.

The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyIt is an interesting coincidence that in the neighboring town of The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyHenley-on-Thames there is also has a pub called “The Old Bell“. This is also the oldest building in the town, built in 1325 for a wealthy merchant. From Harley to Henley we traveled by the car past the picturesque and fabulous wooded green hills of the Chilterns. We crossed the old bridge, built in 1234, which has been renewed several times since then. There is evidence that the bridge existed much earlier and that the Romans crossed this bridge in 45 AD, when they invaded Britain, while the settlement of Henley-on-Thames is mentioned in chronicles as far back as 1179 when King Henry II bought land here for building construction.

The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyOn the main streets of Henley you can admire the Gregorian facades The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and Henleyof some buildings; there are about three hundred of them. But the incredibly beautiful old mansion of “Friar Park” is not open to visitors. This Victorian mansion was once owned since 1970 by the guitarist George Harrison of the “The Beatles”. The magnificent Park of the estate, which was landscaped by the musician and his brothers, appears in the Harrison music videos and on the cover of his album. The mansion was closed to the public after the attack on the musician in 1999. But I managed to find a photo on the Internet of this most beautiful and important house in the neighborhood.

The "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyThe "Old Bell" and the story of Harley village and HenleyHenley is not a big town but it is known worldwide for the Royal Regatta, which has taken place there since 1839 and some of the best rowers and sailors from around the world arrive on mass to take part in the competitions. If you should find yourself in the area during the regatta season you will find hundreds of marquis erected along the riverbank to entertain all the visitors with light refreshments and of course champagne.

 

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