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'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 near the corner between the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Contents

History

Structures

Present day

Rowing regatta

Notable people

Twinning

See also

References

External links

History

Henley appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Henlei''. It was held by Chertsey Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 5½ hides. 1 church, 6 ploughs, 4 acres of meadows, woodland worth 50 hogs. It rendered £5.^[2]
Henley-on-Thames 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

Present day

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 middle and 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 Henley Royal Regatta course)

★ Henley Rowing Club (located upstream of Henley Bridge)

★ Leander Rowing 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)

Notable people

★ 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''.

★ George Harrison lived in Henley-on-Thames from the 1970s until his death in 2001. He resided in a mansion called Friar Park.

★ Liam Gallagher, Oasis singer, lives in Henley.

Twinning

Henley-on-Thames is twinned with

★ Falaise, France, since 1973

★ Leichlingen, Germany, since 1979

See also

★ Henley Festival, held each July

★ Michael Heseltine, previously Tory MP for the constituency;

★ Boris Johnson, current 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
2. Surrey Domesday Book

External links

★ Henley - aerial photo

★ Henley-on-Thames Town Council - history

★ Henley-on-Thames Organisation

★ A monthly guide to what's on in Henley

★ Official Tourism website

★ Henley Standard local newspaper

★ River and Rowing Museum

★ Henley Royal Regatta

★ Henley Youth Festival held each March