Pictures of England

Search:

Historic Towns & Picturesque Villages

Windsor, Berkshire

Windsor

in the county of Berkshire

Penshaw Monument

Penshaw

in the county of Tyne & Wear

Pictures of Dorchester-on-Thames

a Picturesque Village in the county of Oxfordshire

About Dorchester-on-Thames

This is a delightful village set beside the River Thames at a point where the historic river is joined by the lesser known River Thame.

The village is renowned for its Abbey Church of St.Peter and St.Paul, a place of worship for more than 1300 years. It is one of the largest churches in Oxfordshire and is believed to stand on the site of a former Saxon Cathedral belonging to the 7th-century. The church we enter today is the only remaining part of an Augustinian Abbey founded in 1140.

The church has a somewhat unpretentious exterior which is more than compensated for by an interior showing an exquisite mixture of Norman and Gothic Church architecture. The most interesting features of the church are the three windows in the choir which date from the 14th-century. The window in the north aisle represents the Tree of Jesse, here there is a highly unorthodox use of stone and glass, as the designer sought to use the stonework to suggest the branches. The large east window has a buttress down the middle, and in the lower part of the south window there is a vision of a funeral procession.

Other interesting church features include the cast lead font from 1140, and the magnificent ornamental canopies over senior clergy seats, there is also a stone carving of a crusader.

In the medieval guest house adjoining the abbey there is a museum where visitors can see a window commemorating Sir Winston Churchill. A bright tea-room serving home-made cakes and light snacks makes a pleasant resting place for refreshment.

Past history reveals this may have been a Saxon Cathedral town, it is also known to have been a Roman station. Today, it is a pretty place, with nice shops and pleasant walks along the river paths where it is fun to watch river life and enjoy the entertainment provided by the rich wildlife habitation.

The village has some attractive buildings of which the 400 year old White Hart Hotel is notable

Recommended towns & villages near Dorchester-on-Thames

Another fabulous thatched house in Clifton Hampden

Clifton Hampden (28 Pictures) a Picturesque Village in the county of Oxfordshire

(2.2 miles, 3.5 km, direction NW of Dorchester-on-Thames)

This is a popular Thames side village which was the choice of Jerome K. Jerome for a setting for one of the riotous scenes of his "Three Men in a Boat" and it is easy to see just.....

Red Kite, near Ewelme, Oxon.

Ewelme (52 Pictures) a Picturesque Village in the county of Oxfordshire

(4.6 miles, 7.4 km, direction SE of Dorchester-on-Thames)

Ewelme is a quiet place particularly noted for its historic parish church...

The old town hall, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, now home to Abindon Museum

Abingdon (98 Pictures) a Historic Market Town in the county of Oxfordshire

(5.7 miles, 9.2 km, direction W of Dorchester-on-Thames)

Interesting town, developed around the gates of an abbey founded in 675...

Village Shop - open for many centuries. East Hendred, Oxfordshire

East Hendred (61 Pictures) a Picturesque Village in the county of Oxfordshire

(8.2 miles, 13.3 km, direction SW of Dorchester-on-Thames)

East Hendred is one of the spring line villages nestling just below the Downs in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire...

Balliol College, Oxford

Oxford (771 Pictures) a Historic City in the county of Oxfordshire

(8.5 miles, 13.6 km, direction NW of Dorchester-on-Thames)

Oxford's fame is perhaps second only to Windsor, it is an acclaimed seat of learning with a University whose first college was founded in 1249, almost half a century after the first charter granted to the town by Henry II...

All towns & villages in Oxfordshire
Complete A to Z of towns & villages in England

Nearby attractions..

A picture of Dorchester Abbey

Dorchester Abbey (14 Pictures)

(0.3 miles, 0.5 km)

The wonderful abbey church of St.Peter and St.Paul has a history stretching back to the year 634, but the church we see today.....

Abingdon Abbey - July 2009

Abingdon Abbey (16 Pictures)

(5.3 miles, 8.5 km, direction W)

Abingdon Abbey was founded in 675 and demolished following Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. During the life of the.....

Abingdon Museum (Old Berkshire County Hall), Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Abingdon Museum (6 Pictures)

(5.5 miles, 8.8 km, direction W)

Abingdon museum is housed in the centre of this ancient town in the spectacular 17th century County Hall. It includes displays.....

Distant views of Cowley, Oxfordshire.

Shotover Country Park (52 Pictures)

(7.3 miles, 11.7 km, direction N)

Shotover Country Park covers 117 hectares on the southern slopes of Shotover Hill, and is very popular with walkers, joggers, dog.....

A picture of Nuffield Place

Nuffield Place (2 Pictures)

(7.3 miles, 11.8 km, direction SE)

Nuffield Place is the former home (1933-63) of Lord Nuffield who was the founder of Morris Motors. The house is a rare survival.....

Home of C.S. Lewis

The Kilns (23 Pictures)

(7.9 miles, 12.7 km, direction N)

C S Lewis' former home known today throughout the world as the Kilns was built in 1922. The area surrounding it was in fact a.....

A picture of Champs Chapel Museum

Champs Chapel Museum (3 Pictures)

(8.3 miles, 13.3 km, direction SW)

Displays of Hendred's Millenium history housed in a Grade one Listed ex-Carthusian Chapel (15th Century)...


All attractions in Dorchester-on-Thames
All attractions in Oxfordshire
Complete A to Z of attractions in England