Henley-on-Thames

Henley-on-Thames
High Street
Henley-on-Thames  Henley-on-Thames shown within Oxfordshire
Population	11,619 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	SU7682
– London	36 miles (58 km)
District	South Oxfordshire
Shire county	Oxfordshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Henley-on-Thames
Postcode district	RG9
Dialling code	01491
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Oxfordshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Henley
Website	Henley-on-Thames Town Council
List of places UK England Oxfordshire

Henley-on-Thames ⁱ/ˈhɛnliː ɒn ˈtɛmz/ is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles (16 km) downstream and 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Reading, 10 miles upstream and 7 miles west from Maidenhead. It is near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 11,619.

History

The first record of Henley is from 1179, when it is recorded that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings". King John granted the manor of Benson and the town and manor of Henley to Robert Harcourt in 1199. A church at Henley is first mentioned in 1204. In 1205 the town received a paviage grant, and in 1234 the bridge is first mentioned. In 1278 Henley is described as a hamlet of Benson with a chapel. The street plan was probably established by the end of the 13th century.

As a demesne of the crown it was granted in 1337 to John de Molyns, whose family held it for about 250 years. It is said that members for Henley sat in parliaments of Edward I and Edward III, but no writs have been found to substantiate this.

The existing Thursday market, it is believed, was granted by a charter of King John. A market was certainly in existence by 1269; however, the jurors of the assize of 1284 said that they did not know by what warrant the earl of Cornwall held a market and fair in the town of Henley. The existing Corpus Christi fair was granted by a charter of Henry VI.

During the Black Death pandemic that swept through England in the 14th century, Henley lost 60% of its population.

By the beginning of the 16th century the town extended along the west bank of the Thames from Friday Street in the south to the Manor, now Phyllis Court, in the north and took in Hart Street and New Street. To the west it included Bell Street and the Market Place.

Henry VIII granted the use of the titles "mayor" and "burgess", and the town was incorporated in 1568 in the name of the warden, portreeves, burgesses and commonalty. The original charter was issued by Elizabeth I but replaced by one from George I in 1722.

Henley suffered at the hands of both parties in the Civil War. Later, William III rested here on his march to London in 1688, at the nearby recently rebuilt Fawley Court, and received a deputation from the Lords. The town's period of prosperity in the 17th and 18th centuries was due to manufactures of glass and malt, and trade in corn and wool. Henley-on-Thames supplied London with timber and grain.

A workhouse to accommodate 150 people was built at West Hill in Henley in 1790, and was later enlarged to accommodate 250 as the Henley Poor Law Union workhouse.

Landmarks and structures

Henley Bridge over the River Thames

Henley Bridge is a five arched bridge across the river built in 1786. It is a Grade I listed building. During 2011 the bridge underwent a £200,000 repair programme after being hit by the boat Crazy Love in August 2010. About a mile upstream of the bridge is Marsh Lock.

Chantry House is the second Grade I listed building in the town. It is unusual in having more storeys on one side than on the other.

Chantry House, next to the church

The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin is nearby, and has a 16th-century tower.

The Old Bell is a pub in the centre of Henley. The building has been dated from 1325: the oldest-dated building in the town.

To celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, 60 oak trees were planted in the shape of a Victoria Cross near Fair Mile.

Two notable buildings just outside Henley, in Buckinghamshire, are:

• Fawley Court, a red-brick building designed by Christopher Wren for William Freeman (1684) with subsequent interior remodelling by James Wyatt and landscaping by Lancelot "Capability" Brown.
• Greenlands, which took its present form when owned by W. H. Smith and is now home to Henley Business School

Transport

Henley-on-Thames from the playground near the railway station

The town's railway station is on a branch line from Twyford. There are direct trains into London Paddington during peak hours. At other times one must change trains at Twyford. There are express mainline rail services from Reading (10 km away) to Paddington. Trains from High Wycombe (20 km away) go to London Marylebone. The M4 motorway (junction 8/9) and the M40 motorway (junction 4) are both about 12 km away. The bus service around the town is operated by Whites Coaches as routes 151, 152, 153 and 154; other routes are provided by Arriva Shires & Essex, Thames Travel and Courtney Coaches.

Well-known institutions and organisations

The River and Rowing Museum, located in Mill Meadows, is the town's one museum. It was established in 1998, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The museum, designed by the architect David Chipperfield, features information on the River Thames, the sport of rowing, and the town of Henley itself.

The University of Reading's Henley Business School is near Henley, as is Henley College.

Rowing

A race during the Henley Royal Regatta

Henley is a world-renowned centre for rowing. Each summer the Henley Royal Regatta is held on Henley Reach, a naturally straight stretch of the river just north of the town. It was extended artificially. The event became "Royal" in 1851, when Prince Albert became patron of the regatta.

Other regattas and rowing races are held on the same reach, including Henley Women's Regatta, the Henley Boat Races for women's and lightweight teams between Oxford and Cambridge University, Henley Town and Visitors Regatta, Henley Veteran Regatta, Upper Thames Small Boats Head, Henley Fours and Eights Head, and Henley Sculls. These "Heads" often attract strong crews that have won medals at National Championships.

Local rowing clubs include:

• Henley Rowing Club (located upstream of Henley Bridge)
• Leander Club (world famous, home to Olympic and World Champions, near Henley Bridge)
• Phyllis Court Rowing Club (part of the Phyllis Court Club and set up for recreational rowing)
• Upper Thames Rowing Club (located just upstream from the 3/4-mile mark/Fawley/Old Blades)
• Henley Whalers (associated with UTRC) focus on fixed-seat rowing and sailing.

The regatta depicted throughout Dead in the Water, an episode of the British detective television series Midsomer Murders, was filmed at Henley.

Other sports

Henley has the oldest Football team Henley Town F.C. recognised by the Oxfordshire Football Association, they play at The Triangle ground. Henley also has a rugby union club Henley Hawks which plays at the Dry Leas ground and a hockey club Henley Hockey Club which plays at Jubilee Park.

Notable people

• Mary Blandy lived at Blandy House her family's home in Henley, now a dental surgery. In 1752, she was hanged for the murder, by poisoning, of her father, Francis Blandy who had opposed her engagement to a Scottish man who was already married. She proclaimed on the day of the hanging in Oxford: "Gentlemen, don't hang me high for the sake of decency". Mary is buried with her parents at St Mary The Virgin's Church, despite that being forbidden at the time for a murderer. She is said to haunt the Kenton Theatre the family house and St Mary's churchyard.
• Winston Churchill led the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars, (C Squadron) who were based at "The White House" on Market Place in 1908 and some years after that.
• Sir Frank Crisp (1843–1919), first baronet, lawyer and microscopist, the ideator of Friar Park. The "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" composed by the former Beatle George Harrison is dedicated to him.
• The American science fiction writer James Blish (1921–1975) lived in Henley from 1968 until his death.
• British engineer Ross Brawn, best known for his role as the technical director of the Scuderia Ferrari f1 team and former team principal of Mercedes Grand Prix.
• Esther Deuzeville (1786–1851), as Esther Copley later a writer of children's books and works on domestic economy addressed to the working people, lived here with her parents until her marriage in 1809. There is a plaque to her and her family in the United Reformed Church.
• French general Charles-François Dumouriez (1739–1823) is buried at St Mary the Virgin parish church.
• The Freeman family of Fawley Court: Several generations of Freemans lived at Fawley Court on the outskirts of Henley from 1684 to 1852. They contributed significantly to the development of Henley and the surrounding area as well as more generally to architecture and the study of antiquities (John (Cooke) Freeman and Sambrooke Freeman), and veterinary science and equitation (Strickland Freeman).
• Humphrey Gainsborough (1718–1776), brother of the artist Thomas Gainsborough, was a pastor and inventor who lived in Henley. A blue plaque marks his house, "The Manse".
• Michael Heseltine, Baron Heseltine of Thenford preceded Boris Johnson as Conservative MP for Henley.
• Musician and former Beatle George Harrison (1943–2001) purchased and restored the buildings and gardens of Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames in 1970, and lived there until his death. His widow, Olivia Harrison, continues to live on the estate.
• Politician Boris Johnson was the Member of Parliament until he resigned after being elected Mayor of London in 2008.
• Politician William Lenthall (1591–1662) was born in Henley-on-Thames. He was Speaker of the House of Commons between 1629 and 1640.
• Author George Orwell (1903–1950) spent some of his formative years in Henley-on-Thames and the nearby village of Shiplake.
• Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł (1917–1976) is buried at St Anne's church, Fawley Court just outside Henley, where he founded the Divine Mercy College.
• Mathematician Marcus du Sautoy lives in Henley.
• Singer Lee Ryan lives in Henley.
• Broadcaster Phillip Schofield lives in Henley with his wife and two daughters.
• Financier Urs Schwarzenbach lives at Culham Court, Aston, east of Henley.
• Entrepreneur, philanthropist and workplace revolutionary Dame Stephanie Shirley lives in Henley with her husband.
• Singer Dusty Springfield (1939–1999) has a gravesite and marker in the grounds of St Mary the Virgin parish church. Her ashes were scattered in Henley and in Ireland at the Cliffs of Moher. Each year her fans gather in Henley to celebrate "Dusty Day" on the closest Sunday to her birthday (16 April).
• Sir Ninian Stephen, Australian judge and Governor-General of Australia (1982–1989) was born in Henley
• Harry Stott, joint winner of I had Do Anything and star of TV show Roman Mysteries.
• Actor David Tomlinson (1917–2000) was born and raised here.
• Actor Orlando Bloom has property in Henley-on-Thames.
• Scriptwriter Richard Curtis owns a holiday home in the parish.
• Actor Jonathan Lloyd Walker was born and raised here. He now lives in West Vancouver, Canada.
• Jonathan Bowden lived in Rotherfield Peppard (post town Henley-on-Thames) throughout the 1970s.

See also

• Brakspear Brewery, founded in 1779 but now moved to Witney;
• Henley Festival, held each July
• Leander Club, one of the world's oldest rowing clubs
• Henley shirt, a garment named after the town because it was the traditional uniform of the rowing clubs

Media

Henley's Local newspaper is the Henley Standard. A local magazine is The Henley Magazine produced for the Town Council.

BBC Radio Berkshire (94.6,95.4,104.1,104.4), Heart Berkshire (97.0, 102.9, 103.4), Reading 107 (107.0), all broadcast from Reading, serve an area including Henley, as does Time 106.6 (106.6) broadcast from Slough. London's radio stations such as Capital FM and Magic 105.4 along with a few others can also be received. Regatta Radio (87.7) is broadcast during Henley Royal Regatta.

Henley is on an overlap of TV regions, It is served by BBC London, BBC South and ITV London, ITV Meridian

Gallery

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  Friday Street Cottages

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  Red Lion Hotel

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  Henley Royal Regatta HQ

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  Henley on Thames New Street Town Houses

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  Henley on Thames Old Fire Station

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  The Argyll

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  Henley St Mary Interior

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  Henley-on-Thames railway station

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  Friar Park Gatehouse detail

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  Gravel Hill

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  Imperial Hotel dragon roof

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  Greys Road Cottage

External links

• Henley-on-Thames travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Henley-on-Thames online