Tours > Royal County of Berkshire Towns > Wallingford
Wallingford
Wallingford
is a small market town on the River
Thames. The Bridge has always been a major
crossing point and three of its arches
date back to the 13th century. St.
Leonard's Church nearby may have guarded
the riverside entrance to the town even
way back in the 9th century when King
Alfred the Great founded Wallingford as
one of his defensive burghs
designed to keep out the Danes. Its
pierced spire dates from 1777 and there
are Morris windows inside.
The High Street
spreads out across the town from here and
features many of the town's most historic
buildings. No. 74 has a 14th century
cellar. The 16th century George Inn looks
very picturesque with its double gables.
It is well known for its ghosts and Dick
Tuprin is said to have been a guest. The
Lamb Arcade, once the Lamb Hotel (an
Early Georgian building), is now a highly
popular antiques centre with over 40
shops and cabinets belonging to
individual dealers.
The historic Royal Castle
which once dominated the town has now
almost disappeared, but its grounds are
set out as a beautiful park down Castle
Street. You can still climb to the top of
the old motte and get a fine view of
Wallingford as well as seeing the few
ruined walls remaining in distant fields.
The 14th century ruins of St. Nicholas
Chapel which stood within these walls do
survive and give some impression of the
lost grandeur.
Further up
the High Street, Wallingford Museum tells
something of the history of the castle
and the town. There is a fascinating
model of the former and an excellent
taped commentary. Also a complete
Victorian shop and pub. Opposite, is the
Kinecroft Park where the great earthworks
of King Alfred's burgh can still
be clearly seen.
The main shopping
area radiates out from the old market
place at the centre of Wallingford
(market day on Friday): mainly local and
specialist shops like Colchis Tea and
Coffee Specialists and two excellent
second-hand booksellers. Here sits the
finest arcaded Town Hall in Berkshire,
now also home to the local Tourist
Information Centre. It was erected
alongside St. Mary's Church in 1670,
though the latter was mostly rebuilt in
1854. Nearby is the old Corn Exchange
which has been converted into a theatre
and cinema.
The alignment of
St. Leonard's Church suggests it predates
the Saxon burgh. It certainly
has ancient herringbone work in its
structure. Not far away stands Augier's
delightful set of almshouses in the
Reading Road. They date from 1681.
The town is also the home of the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, an old Great Western Branch Line which runs for two-and-a-half miles through the North Berkshire countryside from St
John's Road to Cholsey Mainline Station. The locamotives are steam powered when available and there is a Railway Museum at the Wallingford terminus.
Click Below for Wallingford:
Click for Wallingford History
Attractions
Accommodations
Pubs & Restaurants
){kind=small}