When you’re wandering round an Oxfordshire town centre in 2018, there are certain things you don’t expect. Such as random sightings of replica cows. Milton Keynes, maybe; it has a reputation for concrete bovines. But we saw a few as … Continue reading The cows have come home…?
Today we visited somewhere we have driven past on countless occasions over the years, a classic example of tourist’s doorstep law (you don’t bother looking at things under your nose). After a morning examining two ancient hillfort sites, one at … Continue reading A Chinese president and a non-takeaway
If Rupert Brooke had spent more time drinking in and around Henley rather than Princes Risborough, he might have inverted his most famous line. For, in the little village of Stoke Row, there is some corner of an English field … Continue reading Some corner of an English field…
Along a footpath from an unassuming road in Little Kingshill is a secret treasure trove for tree-lovers. The origins of Priestfield Arboretum lie back in the early 20th century with Thomas Priest, a local solicitor who planted up to 400 … Continue reading The secret arboretum
If it weren’t for the risk of being bumped into, or run over, it would be tempting to wander round Hitchin with one eye shut. The town isn’t ugly – quite the reverse, with over 200 buildings being Grade I, … Continue reading A sight for sore eyes, or an eyesore?
“I don’t like red kites,” says one Chilterns resident of our acquaintance. “Too many of them, and they make that horrible whistling sound.” It’s a point of view. There may now be over 1,000 breeding pairs of red kites in … Continue reading High as a (red) kite
Around the corner from the hubbub and excitement of Whipsnade Zoo lies a remarkable landmark, Whipsnade Tree Cathedral. The site was the original inspiration of Edmund K Blyth, who served in the British infantry in World War I and lost … Continue reading Faith, hope and reconciliation
Inspired by last weekend’s visit to Ewelme Watercress Beds, today we decided to pay a visit to a fully operational watercress bed. E Tyler & Sons have been farming watercress at Sarratt in Hertfordshire since 1886. Today theirs is the … Continue reading Watercress Walk
It looks like a timeless scene, basking in the August sunshine. In reality the Ewelme Watercress Beds ran as a going business concern for only just over a century. George Smith, a publican from South Weston, a small hamlet just … Continue reading Conserving a 20th century industry hub
It looks like a simple memorial stone, until you delve into the story of Stanley Spencer’s life, in which nothing was simple. His was not an especially long life, though the times changed considerably; he was born into a late … Continue reading Stanley, I presume?
Slow Travel: The Chilterns and Thames Valley 