Shillingford a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

on the north bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Warborough Warborough is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, about north of Wallingford and about south of Oxford. The parish also includes the hamlet of Shillingford, south of Warborough beside the River Thames. History The toponym has ...

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in South Oxfordshire, England. Its homes are not quite with Warborough by way of one residential road. It lies mostly on the

A4074 The A4074 is a British A road from the Reading suburb of Caversham to the Heyford Hill roundabout on the Oxford Ring Road. The road starts from a junction with the A4155 close to the northern side of Caversham Bridge (over the River Thames) b ...

between

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, at the junction with the A329.

History

Roads and ford

At various times the river crossing at Shillingford has been a ford, a ferry or a bridge.

Shillingford Bridge Shillingford Bridge is Grade II* listed road bridge near Shillingford, Oxfordshire, carrying an unclassified road (formerly the A329 road) across the River Thames in England on the reach above Benson Lock. The bridge provides access between ...

was built in 1827, replacing a previous one built in 1767. Neighbouring Wharf Road has a slipway, boathouse and 12 listed buildings (at

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

), for their age predominantly), about half of its total. The river crossing has long made Shillingford a junction and coaching stop, just below the confluence of the

River Thame The River Thame is a river in Southern England. A tributary of the River Thames, the river runs generally south-westward for about from its source above the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury to the Thames in south-east Oxfordshire. Course Thr ...

: *The main NW-SE road between

and

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buc ...

through Shillingford was a

turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

from 1736 until 1873.Turnpike Roads in England website
/ref> It became the A415 in 1922, renumbered to the

A423 The A423 road is a primary A road in England in two sections. The main section leads from central Banbury to the A45 near Coventry. Route It starts in Banbury town centre as Southam Road and goes through the Southam Road Industrial Estat ...

in the 1930s, and now forms part of the A4074. The bypasses around Dorchester and Sandford to the north were built in recent years. *The traditional road south rather than southeast, to Wallingford and over the bridge was a turnpike from 1764 to 1874. In the early to late 20th century this was the main road between Reading and Oxford, part of the A42 when roads were first classified in 1922 then renumbered the A329 in 1935. In 1993, when the Winterbrook Bridge enabled traffic to bypass Wallingford, the section between Wallingford and Shillingford was downgraded to become an unclassified road *The road north between

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

and Shillingford was a turnpike from 1770 until 1875. It became the B4013, to be renumbered A329 when the

M40 motorway The M40 motorway links London, Oxford and Birmingham in England, a distance of approximately . The motorway is dual three lanes except for junction 1A to junction 3 (which is dual four lanes) a short section in-between the exit and entry slip-r ...

was opened in the 1970s.

Notable residents

The Quaker minister

Ann Crowley Ann Crowley (1765 – 1826) was a British Quaker minister. Life Crowley was one of the eight daughters of William and Catherine Crowley. She was born on 8 May 1765 in Shillingford in Oxfordshire where her father was a maltster and mealman. Ann w ...

was born here in 1765 as was the artist and performer

Vivian Stanshall Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper ...

in 1943.

Landmarks & Hotels

As well as Wharf Road mentioned, Shillingford has a Guest House, the Kingfisher Inn. Its bridge is in a medieval, simple style built in 1827. It is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

as is Bridge House nearby, as it is an authentic early

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

structure.Bridge House Hotels include the Shillingford Bridge Hotel, which is a three-star hotel by the Shillingford Bridge, but the hotel is not technically within Shillingford, as the hotel is on the opposite side of the

river Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

from Shillingford and thus in the parish of Brightwell cum Sotwell.

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Hamlets in Oxfordshire Populated places on the River Thames