Papist Way Slipway - WHERE THAMES SMOOTH WATERS GLIDE

PAPIST WAY SLIPWAY

There is a current proposal to build 353 houses on the Fairmile Hospital site - this may very well affect the River and slipway - may we make a plea to retain the slipway and preserve the immediate banks as a great community resource?

Maps

Site of Littlestoke Ferry, Right Bank. The road is no longer called Papist Way but Ferry Lane. What a pity to lose an historical reference like that - even if it is not entirely politically correct! As it approaches the river it is just a dirt track, bumpy in dry weather - and don't even think about it after prolonged wet weather!

Usable as a slip for small trailed boats

During the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Roman Catholics of England were persecuted. One of the Catholic families - Hildesley/Hilsley/Ilsley - lived at Littlestoke Manor across the river from Littlestoke ferry. Other significant Catholic groups lived up and down the Thames and as a result the river became a means for them to communicate with each other and meet for mass. The ferry lane here became known as Papist Way.

1673: January 20th -

At Southstoke happen’d so great a flood that a Boat was rowed over the tops of the Moore Hedges down to the Vicarage gate so that most part of the Housen and barnes in this Towne were Drowned.

1787:-

The Little Stoke Ferryman lives near the crossing at Checkenden [Moulsford] Lock, and may perhaps agree to take the horses over.
[ See just above Moulsford Railway Bridge ]

1890: Littlestoke Ferry, Henry Taunt -

Littlestoke Ferry, Henry Taunt, 1890
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT6027

1920: Fred Thacker -

Within the memory of persons living in 1890, wagons laden with corn had been known to cross the Thames here in time of drought.

1999:-

Papist Way Slipway
Experience has shown that Papist Way is now equally suited to Anglicans
and may even be possible, in dry weather, for those of other faiths or none

1881: George Leslie -

And it is all the more aggravating that a large ugly country lunatic asylum should have found a situation here.

[ George, your petticoat is showing ! Actually, what a lovely setting for Fairmile hospital, which was closed in 2003.
Once again we can marvel at George Leslie’s use of language. Where else could “large ugly country lunatics” go? ]

1881: George Leslie -

North Stoke, Little Stoke, and South Stoke, a short distance inland on the Oxfordshire side, are pretty little villages; there are several houses on that side with nice gardens to the river.

Oxford Brookes Boathouse

2010:

Oxford Brookes University Boat Club has won planning permission to extend its boathouse on the River Thames near Wallingford.

The university is seeking to raise £1m to fund the scheme, which will double the size of its training base off Reading Road, Cholsey.

Brookes is one of the UK’s five elite feeder squads for the UK Olympic team and can claim to have the strongest undergraduate rowing squad in the UK, having already produced four Olympic gold medallists.

A spokesman for the university said year-on-year success under director of coaching Richard Spratley meant more room was needed to store world-class boats and build land-based training facilities. The university is aiming to build the extension by Christmas this year [2010] to give its rowers as much use of the new facilities as possible before the London Olympics in 2012. It is hoping to reach the £1m target through a combination of sponsorship, grants and support from donors.

Expanding the boathouse will bring a number of facilities under one roof, including a gym housing rowing machines, as well as warm-up and cool-down areas. The new building will also feature larger changing rooms.

1906: G E Mitton -

This is a long, dull stretch, good for boating, but too unshaded and open to be pleasant for loiterers. The Trial Eights take place here in December.

The Story of the Thames, J E Vincent -

... the Oxford University Trial "Eights" began the practice, still continued, of rowing their annual race over this water. It is perhaps, well to explain that this is a race over a course equal in length to that between Putney and Mortlake between two crews carefully picked with a view to the final selection of the best available crew to uphold the honour of Oxford against Cambridge in the University Boat Race.

Map: Mongewell Park

Mongewell Park was Carmel College, Jewish Independent School, The history and current situation is available here

1792: Picturesque Views on the Thames, Samuel Ireland -

A LITTLE below the town of Wallingford, at Mongewell, on the Oxfordshire side of the river, the late Bishop of Salisbury, Dr. Barrington, has chosen a delightful retreat, richly embosomed, amidst a thicket of trees. Full in view of the house a beautiful verdant lawn skirts the borders of the Thames, which, gliding at a pleasing distance from it, gradually makes its course with a considerable increase of water towards the village of Moulsford, while the distant Oxfordshire hills present a beautiful termination of the scene.

1883: Mongewell Park, Crowmarsh, Henry Taunt -

1893: Mongwell House, Francis Frith, very much redeveloped and extended since 1883 -

1893: Mongwell House, Francis Frith

1881: George Leslie -

As Wallingford is neared, the park-like grounds of Mungwell possess fine trees and considerable beauty.

1906: G E Mitton -

The only interesting place in the stretch below is Mongewell, where a large piece of artificial water joins the river, and near it is a small church quaintly built. Shute Barrington, the well-known Bishop of Durham, married for his second wife the heiress of Mongewell, and lived here before his death.

St John the Baptist, Mongewell is a small riverside church, of possibly Norman origins, redundant, but remaining consecrated, despite having no nave roof. The chancel is watertight however, and services are still held here very occasionally.

1883: St John the Baptist, Mongewell, Henry Taunt -

(Upstream to Winterbrook Bridge)

Introduction
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS