Pinkhill to Northmoor,
Pinkhill to Eynsham, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guides
This section in The Stripling Thames by Fred Thacker
Maps
Right bank, tel: 01865 881452, length: 113'6", width: 16'1"
Camping & picnic site lock island.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
Two miles of winding water lie between Swinford Bridge and Pinkhill Lock.
Pinkhill it is, officially; but Pinkle to all the workaday world.
This little lock mound is the happy isle of the River country; a haven of dreams;
the inner gate of a far off land whose elusive charm quickens the memory more frequently and tenderly
than all the more popular and obvious beauties of the middle river.
The great Wytham and Beacon Hills exclude for ever the whole outer world.
Beyond them lies - Oxford? even London, perhaps; all unlovely hustling and the crowds.
But the loud and brawling voices never surmount those sheltering heights;
and on the hitherward side the deep meadows, emerald green beneath the purple woods,
are broken only by the willowed banks of the immemorial stream.
This scene of the sweet cunning earth is one to be cherished in the memory beyond the very gates of death.
And above all, the quintessential charm of Pinkhill is its arches of rainbows.
Once for me a sudden shower trailed its filmy veil along these grassy levels,
blowing up from the wet southwest.
And the perfect bow was formed, so that the very blades of grass were transformed with the sevenfold glory;
and above the bow shone its reflection hardly less refulgent.
For others also there has been the vision; they too have watched from this River island
the sudden epiphany of celestial colour.
And therefore for them and for me it lives for ever arched in rainbows.
No wet salt wind from off the sea,
Foam laden, loud with life, blows here;
No surges sound upon this lee,
No sea bird's cry wails on the ear.
But softly murmuring glides and gleams
The stately River strong and clear,
Deep loved beyond all other streams,
Beyond all other scenes how dear!
The reeds that rustle in the breeze
Still whisper of the god's pursuit,
Slim Syrinx startled turns and flees,
Great Pan has shrilled his oaten flute!
She flees too late, the god has seen!
All hope is vain, save in the prayer
She breathes to heaven; and lo! the Queen
Turns to a reed the flying fair.
Where lonely meadows fringe the shore,
Or where dim woods the bank ascend,
Will old sweet things shew one sight more;
Are Pan and Syrinx at an end?
The listening ear at noontide heat
May it not hear his cleft foot stamp;
No laughter catch of Naiads sweet
In river grottoes cool and damp?
Between the dripping mossy walls
Of thos old lock such thoughts arise:
The trickling water gently falls,
The gates are closed, there meets the eyes
Of aught beyond no cheering gleam,
The River's course unseen like Fate's:
To mimic grudging Time they seem,
These heavy slowly parting gates.
Luck’s or Lot’s Hole
Left bank side of the lock island.
Fred Thacker’s Map, 1920.
Pinkhill Lock from upstream.
“Pinkle”!
1791: Pinkhill Pound Lock built on the site of a flashlock.
1793: Mylne –
Of no kind of use in itself to the navigation, on account of the old weir of timber in the bed of the river being totally rotten and tumbled into the river, and seemingly deserted.
1832: Fearnside –
No toll house being attached, it is necessary for the aquatic tourist to be provided with a winch.
1872: Taunt –
See Tredwell at Eynsham Lock House close to the bridge, as he will get Pinkle open for you.
1877: Pinkhill Lock partially rebuilt.
1881-91: Pinkhill Lock, Henry Taunt -
Pinkhill Lock, Henry Taunt, 1881-91
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; D263782a
1885: The Royal River -
The weir is a new one, a great contrast in its severe and formal cut to the weather-worn structures [above here]. The lock-house is quite a dainty cottage, and the garden one of the prettiest along the Thames. The lock garden is generally a winsome little preserve, with its kitchen garden, flower-beds, sometimes a beehive, its stack of fagots, and a general air of rusticity; but the lock-keeper, or probably his wife, at Pinkhill Weir has devoted special care and attention to a flower-bed running the whole lengh of the lock, which I found to be bordered by a blaze of summer flowers, prominent amongst which were white and blue cornflowers. From the lock bridge a commanding view is obtained of the hilly country to the right, and the woods and copses around its base, and straggling to the top.
1899: New cut below Lock “to provide for the escape of flood water”.
1920: Fred Thatcher -
H. Smith, Pinkhill Lock Keeper from 1909, has entirely changed the appearance of this lock island. Once a rambling wilderness of a garden, full of vegetable patches and familiar old world flowers, crowded in summer with scores of campers, it is now like a County Council parterre with sloping banks of shaven turf whereupon I have hesitated to tread in leaving my craft, seeing the orderly geraniums, perhaps the merest suspicion out of place in these surroundings, and but a decorous handful of the merry old rout. And so he had the prize in 1910, which for long went to Mr. Williams at Radcot, but also the challenge cup for the best kept lock on the whole river.
Mollie Harris writes in her 'The Stripling Thames' -
Pinkhill Lock has had several lock-keepers over the years, but one notable one was Mr Henry Smith who lived there with his family from 1908 to 1939. Mr Smith, as well as being an excellent lock-keeper, was also a wonderful gardener and for several years won the first prize of £2 for the best-kept garden between Osney lock, Oxford, to St John's lock at Lechlade.
1937: "The Thames and its Story" -
From Pinkhill Lock (so called from a farm of that name in the neighbourhood) a commanding view is obtained of the hilly country [ on the right bank ], and the woods and copses that lie thickly round its base and straggle to the top.
(Upstream to Farmoor)
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