Wantage Historical Facts

Wantage once had two breweries which were taken over by Morlands of Abingdon.

Wantage is home to the Community of Saint Mary the Virgin, founded by the vicar of Wantage William John Butler in 1848. It was once one of the largest communities of Anglican nuns in the world.

Wantage is at the foot of the Berkshire Downs escarpment in the Vale of the White Horse.

The historic market town of Wantage (Oxfordshire) is the "Alfredston" in Thomas Hardy's novel 'Jude the Obscure' which was Thomas Hardy's last completed novel.

In 2014 the market town of Wantage won the award for 'Britain's Best Town Centre' after being nominated for the Government's Great British High Street Award.

In 849, King Alfred the Great was born in the market town of Wantage, Oxfordshire. He was one of only two kings to be given the epithet "The Great", the other being King Canute.