Wallingford (England)

Wallingford is a historic market town on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England.

Understand
The Romans liked Wallingford but proved unreliable tenants. Now the Saxons, they really put the hours in, building the earliest recognizable settlements.

Agatha Christie wrote from Wallingford, led the local amateur dramatics society and is buried nearby in Cholsey. Resident somehow in both mind and body, she’d be happy with the town’s continuing notoriety as it is plagued by heinous murders... the penny drops: this is Midsomer Murders country and Wallingford is the fictional village of Causton.

Before you run for your life, remember: it’s only a television show. That said, a town so touched by history always has a grisly secret to reveal.

William the Conqueror crossed the Thames here and established the castle. After roaming lawless on the open South Oxfordshire roads the murderous Dick Turpin rested up here, the law chasing his blood-stained coat tails.

In 1646 Oliver Cromwell gave the order to sack Wallingford Castle, undoing 600 years of fortifications. Even so, with boats moored under drooping willows that arc into the Thames, Wallingford remains the best example of a Saxon town in England.

The prehistoric road, the Icknield Way, crosses the River Thames at Cholsey.

By car
The town lies on the A4130 which runs to Didcot (6 miles) and the A34 to the W and to Henley-on-Thames (14 miles) and on to Maidenhead (23 miles) to the E. The A4074 connects the town to Reading (15 miles) to the SE and to Oxford (14 miles) to the NW.

By bus
The area is well served by buses from Reading and most local towns.

By boat
Visitors may arrive by riverboat in the summer, from Reading and Abingdon.

By bicycle

 * The town lies on National Cycle Route 5 running from Reading to Holyhead.
 * The town lies on the 170 mile circular Chilterns Cycleway at the SW end of the loop.

On foot
The Ridgeway long distance path (running 87 miles from near Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon) passes only 1 mile SE of the town.

Get around
The town is small enough to see on foot.

See
Plenty of things to see in Wallingford - the Castle, the River Thames, the ancient market town built on Saxon foundations, the Castle Gardens and Castle meadows, quirky antique shops, coffee shops, and places for supper.

Do
Take one of the self-guided historical walks (information from the tourist information office in the Market Place), or visit Wallingford Museum. Have a picnic on the banks of the Thames, or investigate the Saxon ramparts which surround the town. If you visit on a Sunday, why not attend the Sunday Gospel Service held by the Wallingford Christian Assembly, at the Gospel Hall, Atwell Close. (5:00-5:45PM each week.)

Buy
Wallingford has a large number of independent shops, antique shops and specialist shops. Where else can you buy a violin, visit numerous antique shops, purchase a stunning hat to complete a special outfit, or buy lovely clothes and shoes? Wallingford has it all - and many markets.

Crowmarsh Gifford




Go next

 * Didcot
 * Abingdon
 * Newbury and Thatcham
 * Oxford
 * Reading