The River Thames
From Source to Sea
Whitchurch and Pangbourne
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Whitchurch and Pangbourne are on either side of the river, linked by Whitchurch Toll Bridge.
Whitchurch
Height above sea level: 39.65 metres
Whitchurch is a picturesque south Oxfordshire village located on the north bank of the River Thames, five miles north west of Reading. The history of the riverside village can be traced back
to Roman times, and possibly earlier.
An act of parliament in 1792 allowed the building of Whitchurch Toll Bridge, to replace a ferry. The present iron bridge of 1902 replaces two previous wooden tollbridges.
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The Whitchurch Toll Bridge over the Thames between Whitchurch-on-Thames and Pangbourne |
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Whitchurch Toll Bridge is a busy river crossing carrying the B471 over the Thames, and is used by around 6,500 vehicles during a typical working day (over 24 hours) in school term time.
A 20p toll is payable to cross the bridge by car. |
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St. Mary's church is over a thousand years old. |
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Pangbourne
The village of Pangbourne lies on a bend of the River where it meets the River Pang, facing the village of Whitchurch.
The earliest mention of Pangbourne is in a Saxon charter of 844 as Paegingaburnam (meaning 'streams of sons of Paega').
The tiny River Pang flows through the centre of the village before joining the River Thames between the lock and bridge.
Pangbourne has an ornate village sign. On top is a Viking ship. Underneath the name is an open book in a tree landscape with the words: "The Wind in the Willows; By Kenneth Grahame", paying tribute to the author who lived at Church Cottage in Pangbourne from 1924 until he died in 1932.
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| The village lock up in the garden of Church Cottage where Kenneth Grahame lived. | Church Cottage with the church behind |
St. James the Less' Church |
Kenneth Grahame, inspired by the wildlife he observed on the Thames wrote the children's classic 'The Wind in the Willows'. He lived in Church Cottage, next to the church in Pangbourne.
"It was so very beautiful that the mole
could only hold up both fore-paws and gasp, 'O my!, O my!, O my!, "
The Thames leaves Pangbourne in an easterly direction along the base of the Chiltern Hills through pleasant meadows towards Reading.
| Start of Voyage down the Thames | Contents Page | Introduction |
| Facts about the Thames | Flooding | Thames Basin |
| Pollution | Erosion | Tributaries |
| Industries | ||
 © Copyright - please readAll the materials on these pages are free for homework and classroom use only. You may not redistribute, sell or place the content of this page on any other website or blog without written permission from the author Mandy Barrow. |
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