Streatley and Goring | West Berkshire Villages

About
Amenities & Facilities
History
Links

The Parish of Streatley is located in The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The two historic villages have wonderful countryside and stunning views.

Since Victorian times, Goring & Streatley, situated on the River Thames, has always been a popular holiday destination.

It is a special place for those who want to explore the River Thames and enjoy beautiful and unspoilt scenery.

It is perhaps unique for two villages situated in different counties to operate largely as one interdependent community.

But this is one of the features that make Goring and Streatley a special place. Goring & Streatley have always been special in the geographical sense, as they were the only intersection of three ancient trade routes across southern England (The Ridegway, The Icknield Way and The Thames).

They are still the only intersection of two present-day National Trails (The Ridgeway and Thames Path) and part of two other long distance routes, The Icknield Way and The Swan’s Way.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS | AMENITIES AND FACILITIES

Streatley Village Hall was built in 1973 replacing an old wooden structure.

There is keep fit, pilates, yoga and indoor bowls run regularly .

It is undergoing building work during 2020.

There is a village store in nearby Goring.

There is also a Village Hall at Goring.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS| FOOD & DRINK

Worth a big mention is Goring Gap Wildlife Walks with Steve Gozdz, often teamed up with the local eating and drinking facilities.

The Bull Inn is a lovely, traditional 15th Century Coaching Inn in the heart of the village of Streatley, Reading.

The pub has the traditional characteristics of a Coaching Inn and is famous for being made one of the stops in Jerome K Jerome’s book ‘3 Men in a Boat’.

The menu has a huge selection of pub classics from, and if you’re looking for something a little lighter they have plenty more to take your fancy.

Pop in for a pint of cask ale, a refreshing glass of wine or a soft drink, the friendly staff are always on hand to advise on what they have on offer.

They also have six rooms available.

The John Barleycorn is situated at Goring on Thames in stunning Oxfordshire countryside and witihin a short walk of The River Thames.

A warm and friendly welcome is waiting for all that visit us.

The John Barleycorn’s first recorded use as an ‘ale house’ was in 1810.

It is thought that the railway workers building the line through Goring were its first bunch of regulars.

The building itself dates from the 17th Century. Formerly 3 cottages knocked into one building, it has customary original oak beams, low ceilings and uneven floors!

There are two bars, a public bar with a real fireplace for a warmer in the winter months, also a lounge bar with its own entrance and is situated next to the restaurant where customers can enjoy a pre-dinner drink if they so choose.

The Miller of Mansfield-if you’re stuck for a rural retreat that’s easy to get to, hot on its food, with a serious cellar and perfect for that night or two away from it all, you need the modern inn.

Coppa Club-nestled on the river, and housed in the Swan at Streatley, the beautiful all-day spaces provide a home-from-home for locals to make their own.

The Swan at Streatley- relax with friends, eat good food & enjoy the river.

The Catherine Wheel- the Catherine Wheel (TCW) is an 18th-century award-winning ale house located 2 minutes walk from the Thames Path in the picturesque village of Goring-on-Thames.

Pierreponts café is a café restaurant in Goring-on-Thames, serving fresh and locally sourced breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS| SPORTS

Goring & Streatley Golf Club is a golf course in the village of Streatley, in the English county of Berkshire.

There is also Goring Cricket Club.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS| SCHOOLS

There is Streatley C of E Primary School

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS| HEALTH

Local GP services – Goring & Woodcote Medical Centre and The Boathouse Surgery. There is also the Chiltern Medical Clinic.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS | COMMUNICATION

There is a website for people visiting the area.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS | CHURCH

St Marys in Streatley and St. Thomases in Goring.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS | TRANSPORT

No 133, 134L, 142 and 142 B

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS| PARISH COUNCIL

There is Streatley parish council.

STREATLEY | WEST BERKSHIRE VILLAGERS | ENVIRONMENT

There is the main interest in the river. Streatley was first designated as a conservation area in February 1971.

The Streatley conservation area has, at its core, the gently-curved High Street which is lined with attractive historic buildings, many of them listed, and which contains an open space of importance to the character of the conservation area, directly opposite Streatley House.

High Street is on an east – west alignment, terminating at the River Thames to the east and at the crossroads of High Street, Reading Road, Wallingford Road and Streatley Hill to the west. Along the eastern margins of the village, the conservation area extends southwards along the Thames to encompass the site of the old ford and ferry crossing, and northwards to include a small island (the site of former osier beds).

To the north of High Street and at its eastern end, the conservation area extends to include the Church of St Mary and buildings ancillary to the Swan Hotel.

At the western end of the village, the conservation area extends northwards along the Wallingford Road (A329) to include small developments of 20th- century housing as well as older properties, and southwards along Reading Road (A329) to include The Bull public house and the residential property adjacent.

The core of the conservation area is largely unspoiled. The majority of modern development in Streatley has taken place outside the conservation area.

Late 19th- century and early to mid 20th- century houses have been built to the north/north-west of the historic core of the village, mainly along Wallingford Road, Wantage Road (A417) and in roads leading from them, and to the south/south-west of the historic core along Reading Road.

Additional 20th- century housing, the majority of it constructed within the latter half of the century, has been built to the west of the historic settlement, off Streatley Hill (B4009), and to the north/north-west along Wallingford Road and between Wallingford Road and Wantage Road. (There is also a late 20th- century development at Cleeve Court, to the north-east of the village and separate from it).

The majority of buildings within the core of the conservation area are of historic interest: many are listed.

These include the parish Church, at the eastern end of the village, which is of C13th origin. The High Street, the main street, is lined with historic buildings.

Buildings are typically aligned parallel with the street and close to it.

The conservation area lies within the North Wessex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, adjacent to the River Thames and within the Goring Gap.

The two villages of Goring and Streatley, now in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire respectively, have grown up on opposite banks of the Thames. The Romans built a causeway to ford the river here. In 1000 AD, this area was on the border between Wessex and Mercia when Ethelred the Unready was the Anglo-Saxon King of England.

In 1066, Goring (the name is believed to derive from the Old English word garmeaning spear) was controlled by Wigod, Thane of Wallingford, and Streatley by Asgar the Staller, an official at the court of Edward the Confessor. Following the Norman Conquest, Goring passed to Robert D’Oilley who came over with William and married Wigod’s daughter. Streatley went to Guy de Mandeville, a hard man.

In 1086, the Domesday Book valued Goring (then called Garinges) at £15 and Streatley at £24.

Streatley probably had an Anglo-Saxon church (St. Mary’s) at the Conquest; Goring’s church dates from 1100 and still exhibits its Norman origins. It was probably dedicated to St. Mary but later changed to St.Thomas (Becket). The Augustinian Priory of Goring was founded about 100 years later, and the nuns were given the rights of Streatley ferry and mill. Farming was the major occupation then, and bad harvests meant famine and often death. The Black Death struck in 1348-9 and also reduced the population.

Goring Priory was dissolved in 1536 when only the Prioress and three nuns were left. Its stones and timber were undoubtedly slowly recycled into other buildings in the locality.

The river had always been a major highway as well as a power source for water mills. In the 17th century, interest in Thames navigation was expanding as the growth of London demanded ever more commodities of all kinds, and goods could reach the heart of the capital by river. However, locks and a good flow of water were necessary. In 1787, pound locks replaced the flash locks at Goring and Cleeve.

In the early 19th century, Streatley was larger and more important than Goring because it was on the turnpike road to Reading. The post house is now the Bull Inn.

A toll bridge over the river was built in 1837, and in 1840 the Great Western Railway opened Goring Station. The first school was opened in Streatley in 1834 and in Goring in 1850.

n the early 19th century, Streatley was larger and more important than Goring because it was on the turnpike road to Reading. The post house is now the Bull Inn.

A toll bridge over the river was built in 1837, and in 1840 the Great Western Railway opened Goring Station. The first school was opened in Streatley in 1834 and in Goring in 1850.

As each village became more accessible and fashionable, a number of palatial houses appeared by the end of the century. A new bridge, free from toll, replaced the original in 1923. Streatley Mill burned down in 1926. The Streatley Estate, owned by the Morrell family (brewers in Oxford) was sold and split up in 1939.

In 1955, main drainage arrived in the villages and heralded the changes we see today. The demolition of some of the large houses began and made way for modern estates, enabling the population to double since 1900.

(With acknowledgements to Goring and Streatley Local History Society)