Henley-on-Thames

Henley-on-Thames
Coordinates: 51.5362° N 0.8984° W Image:Uk outline map.png
Population	10,646[1]
OS grid reference	SU7682
District	South Oxfordshire
Shire county	Oxfordshire
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HENLEY-ON-THAMES
Postcode district	RG9
Dial code	01491
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Oxfordshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Henley
European Parliament	South East England
List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire

Henley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead. It is located on the corner between Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

History

Henley-on-Thames was established in the 12th century. It owes much to its location and port that supplied London with timber and grain.

Structures

Henley Bridge is a five arched bridge across the river which was built in 1786. The church of St. Mary is located nearby and features a tower built in the 16th century. About a mile upstream of the bridge is Marsh Lock.

In the vicinity of Henley, there are several notable private buildings:

• Fawley Court is a red-brick building designed by Christopher Wren.
• Greenlands which took its present form when owned by W. H. Smith and is now home to Henley Management College

The town today

Henley is a good base to commute to London from for those with families who don't want to live in the city. The town has its own railway station, with direct service into London Paddington during peak hours. Out of peak service requires a change of train at Twyford. In addition, there are also express mainline rail services from nearby Reading to Paddington and High Wycombe which accesses London Marylebone. A short drive along the M40 motorway leads directly into the city or to Hillingdon for the London Underground.

The town has a museum, established in 1998, the River and Rowing Museum, located in Mill Meadows and designed by the architect David Chipperfield. It covers the River Thames, the sport of rowing, and the town itself. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II attended by the local schools who came out to greet Her Majesty.

Rowing regatta

Henley is a world renowned centre for rowing, each summer holding the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the highlights of the social calendar of the English upper classes. The regatta is held on a stretch of the river that is naturally straight. The event became Royal in 1851. In that year Prince Albert became the patron of the regatta.

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

Local Rowing clubs include:

• Upper Thames Rowing Club (located halfway down the Royal Regatta Course)
• Henley Rowing club (located above upstream of Henley Bridge)
• Leander Rowing Club ( World famous, home to Olympic and World Champions and said to the most successful sporting club in the world)
• Phyllis Court Rowing Club (Part of the Phyllis Court Country Club and set up for recreational rowing)

Historic figures

• Dusty Springfield has a gravesite and marker in the grounds of a church in Henley-on-Thames. Her ashes were scattered in Henley and in Ireland at the Moher Mountains. Every year, fans of Dusty Springfield gather in Henley to celebrate "Dusty Day" on the closest Sunday to her birthday (April 16th).
• The author George Orwell spent some of his formative years in Henley-on-Thames and the nearby village of Shiplake.
• William Lenthall was born in Henley-on-Thames. He was Speaker of the House of Commons between 1629 and 1640.
• Humphrey Gainsborough, brother of the artist Thomas Gainsborough, was a pastor and inventor who lived in Henley; a blue plaque marks his house, The Manse.

Twinning

Henley-on-Thames is twinned with

• Falaise, France, since 1973
• Image:Flag of Germany.svg Leichlingen, Germany, since 1979

See also

• Michael Heseltine, previously Tory MP for the constituency;
• Brakspear Brewery, founded in 1779 but now closed;
• Dusty Springfield, buried at the St. Mary the Virgin Church in Hart Street, Henley;
• David Tomlinson, born and raised here. Played "Mr. Banks" in Mary Poppins;
• George Harrison, past resident of Henley at the Friar Park mansion;
• Leander Club, one of the world's oldest rowing clubs

References

1. ^ Census data

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