Wallingford Leasing

Did You Know?

Wallingford is a historic market town and civil parish located to the south of Oxfordshire on the River Thames. Originally located in the county of Berkshire, it was transferred to Oxfordshire for the purposes of administration in 1974.

It was the river that first attracted settlers to the area and in the Bronze and Iron Ages the rich soils encouraged farming communities. The Romans in turn left traces of occupation - burials, roads, coins and pottery, but it was left to the Anglo-Saxons to build the first town.

Wallingford dates back to King Alfred the Great who built the town in the 9th Century primarily to use as a defensive position against marauding Viking raiders. Some of the original Saxon ramparts have survived to this day which makes it a fascinating place to visit during your stay. The next visitor of note was William the Conqueror who famously crossed the river where the town’s 300 metre long bridge now stands.

In 1155, Henry II held a Great Council at Wallingford. He openly rewarded the town for supporting his mother Matilda in the civil war, by granting it a magnificent Charter of Liberties - one of the oldest in England.

When the Civil War in England began back in the 1600’s, Wallingford became a stronghold of King Charles. It was actually the last garrison to fall, in 1646. Six years later, in 1652, Oliver Cromwell’s men demolished Wallingford Castle and used stone and timber remains to help build a section of Windsor Castle.

After the demolition of the castle, it settled down to its role as an ordinary market town. Its ironfounding, brewing and malting industries complemented the rural communities in the surrounding area and the last of these, malting, survived until very recently.

In the 18th Century, one of the town’s most frequent visitors was England’s most notorious highwaymen, Dick Turpin who particularly favoured the George hostelry since he could sleep in a first floor room with his trusty steed, Black Bess, tethered in the courtyard below.

Wallingford also has a strong  murder mystery fiction presence. Agatha Christie (who is buried at nearby Cholsey) lived and worked in the town, taking influence from local landmarks and residents in Winterbrook for stories such as Miss Marple.

Wallingford was important historically because of its excellent ford and today the same crossing place has one of the finest bridges over the River Thames.