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The river Thames at Sandford - Photo:
Sheila Russell
CCL |
This ancient village dominated
by the influence of the River Thames was mentioned
in the Domesday Book and boasts a remarkable
history. The Romans realised its importance as a
fording place and later the Knights Templar owned
land here. The river helped to create trade and
wealth and played a role in the English Civil
when, in 1644, the Earl of Essex had to cross it
to take part in the Battle of Cropredy. Jerome K
Jerome’s famous novel ‘Three Men in a Boat’ refers
to the river here as ‘a very good place to drown
yourself in’. Ironically, it was where the real
Peter Pan – author J.M. Barrie’s son Michael –
drowned as an Oxford student. |
