Sandford-on-Thames
Encyclopedia
Sandford-on-Thames is a village and Parish Council beside the River Thames
in Oxfordshire
just south of Oxford
. The village is just west of the A4074 road between Oxford
and Henley
.
counted 18 families as living by the sandy ford over the Thames between Iffley
and Radley
. Six hundred years later the population of the village had barely doubled, and it was still under 200 people at the start of the 19th century. Today the population numbers more than 1,000 and the parish boundaries have undergone considerable revision.
was built on a hill in the Sandford manorial grounds for the use of the nearby Minchery nuns. The original Norman
porch was restored and repaired in 1652 through the generosity of Elizabeth Isham but the majority of the improvement works to the church took place in the 25 years between 1840 and 1865. In the centre of the graveyard stands a fine yew tree planted on Good Friday 1800 and just to the east of the porch is a flat-topped gravestone from which bread was handed out to the poor of the parish.
Four war memorials are on the south wall in St Andrew’s church: a wooden village shrine which lists the fallen of both World Wars, and three individual commemorative plaques to E.G. Wilkins, H.S. Cannon and H.C. Cannon. Each has been recorded and included in the National Inventory of War Memorial
s at the Imperial War Museum
.
enclave in Oxford's Temple Cowley. In the reign of Edward II
the Templars were suppressed and in 1324 the Knights Hospitaller
took over. In 1541 Henry VIII
dissolved the order, and the land passed to Cardinal Sir Thomas Wolsey.
The river dominates Sandford's history, with the fertile meadows promoting agriculture and the water providing both transport and power. Roman pottery
from kilns found on the northern edge of the village hints at Sandford's manufacturing heritage. The toponym
"Sandford" suggests a river crossing, and there are references to Sandford Ferry throughout history. In May 1644, during the English Civil War
, the Earl of Essex
took his troops across the river at Sandford to join the battle of Cropredy
. Within living memory there was still a ferry (later a toll bridge) at the King's Arms public house by the river taking traffic, including horses and carts, over the river to Abingdon
, once the county town of Berkshire
. An ancient mounting block can still be seen on the western river bank just below the lock, which travellers would have used to remount their horses having crossed the river on foot.
Jerome K. Jerome
described Sandford as "a very good place to drown yourself in" in his book Three Men in a Boat
. The watercourse behind the lock-keeper's house (dated 1914) flows from the "big lasher" weir which creates strong currents and eddies. In spite of the danger, this was a favourite swimming place up to the mid-20th century. In 1921 the river here claimed the lives of three Christ Church
students, including Michael Llewelyn Davies, the adopted son of J. M. Barrie
, who was the inspiration for Peter Pan
. An obelisk that has stood here since at least 1821 records the deaths of six Christ Church students who drowned here in three separate incidents between 1843 and 1921. Even into the 1950s the river at Sandford-on-Thames was still regarded as a place to come and relax. On Sundays people came from Oxford to swim at The Lido below the lock and to picnic. The King's Arms had extensive tea-lawns on which to spend lazy Sunday afternoons.
The first lock at Sandford was the navigation weir or flash lock
situated on the old river channel at the site of the lasher today. This was described in 1624 as "Great Lockes" and was replaced in about 1632 by one of the first pound locks to be built in England. Iffley
, Sandford and Culham
locks were built by the Oxford-Burcot Commission
following the Parliament Act of 1623. The old lock has since been filled in but its position can still be seen (the position of the upper gates can be seen in the stonework above the present upper gates). A new lock on the present site was opened in 1836 which lasted until the most recent improvements when the present lock was built in 1972.
Littlemore Brook
joins the River Thames near Sandford-on-Thames.
name lived on until recently in Temple Farm, which was acquired by Magdalen College, Oxford
in 1900. After a long incarnation as Temple Farm Country Club the property burnt down in the 1990s and was restored as a hotel, currently part of the Four Pillars Hotel Group.
Rock Farm, formerly called Sandford Farm, was bought by a Mr. Benfield in 1897. He and his partner Mr Loxley were owners of a building firm and developed the clay on Rock Farm to supply their building works with bricks. Apart from the road name, the last remnant of Rock Farm is now the old dovecote
which was restored in the 1990s and stands in front of one of the houses in the recent Rock Farm development.
. The listed cottages upstream from the lock (now River View) that can be seen across the road from the old wharf were also built in 1826. Occupied by mill workers, they originally boasted flat roofs made of tarred paper, (a first in Britain). The millrace continues to flow under the footbridge that crosses from the King's Arms pub to the lock.
At the beginning of the 20th century the wharf adjacent to and upstream from the King's Arms was used extensively both by the paper mill and also by the brickworks, which developed well until 1914 when the engines were taken for service in the First World War. In 1920 the 126 ft tall brickworks chimney was demolished. The land is now a park home site. The name is preserved in Brick Kiln Lane (formerly Crab or Crab Gate Lane) running east out of the village towards the Oxford Science Park
and Oxford United FC's Kassam Stadium which was completed in 2001.
(Lord Nuffield) as he journeyed between Oxford and Nuffield was on the Henley Road opposite the present garage. The garage served as a Spitfire
wing repair shop in the Second World War.
and Cambridge
was held on the Thames at Sandford. Like the first, it was unofficial and no Blues
were awarded. However, public enthusiasm was high and the river banks were thronged with spectators, all of whom had to reach the course either by bicycle or on foot. Contemporary newspaper reports estimate the crowd at between seven and ten thousand. The Cambridge crew, unusually for the time, included a Dane at bow and a Turk at number four. The Oxford crew included four medical students. The race was rowed between the narrow banks of a 1.25 miles (2 km) downstream course with the start about 0.25 miles (402.3 m) below Sandford Lock and the finish at the Radley College
Boathouse. Oxford won the toss and chose the Oxfordshire
bank, with Cambridge rowing on the Berkshire
side. Oxford set off at 40 strokes compared to Cambridge's 37, and were almost immediately in the lead and a length up in some thirty seconds. Despite being left at the start, Cambridge did not give up and responded well, with the judge’s verdict at the finish recorded as a win for Oxford by just two-thirds of a length.
The village has two public houses: the King's Arms on the river (converted in the 19th century from the Mill malthouse), and The Catherine Wheel on Henley
Road. The Fox (built in 1853 by the Morrell
family) has been closed since 2009.
The village has several public open spaces including a large, fenced recreation ground next to the church containing children's play equipment, a grassed area on the riverside near Sandford Lock
which is the site of the old wharf, and recreation areas off Heyford Hill Lane which also contain children's play equipment. All are maintained by the Parish Council. The Oxford Preservation Trust
owns the land between Broadhurst Gardens and the River Thames.
The village shop and post office was closed in 1987. The nearest local shop is in the Ashurst Clinic grounds, a few hundred yards north along the Henley Road towards Littlemore
.
The Sustrans
cycle path is accessible from the village across the river Thames and offers easy access to Oxford
city centre along the river.
Sandford is a scheduled stop for Salters Steamers
' river boat services between Oxford and Abingdon
.
A regular local bus service between Wallingford and Oxford city centre serves the village.
District Council accepted them. The names adopted are:
Batten Place: Richard Batten was the first Attendant at Littlemore
Hospital, which opened in 1846.
Buckler Place: J.C. Buckler
was one of the original architects of Littlemore Hospital.
Janaway: when the Sandford Link Road was built to pass underneath the Henley Road at the junction with Heyford Hill Lane, a property called Dool House had to be demolished. This large house, which stood at the end of Heyford Hill Lane, was built in 1810 by John Janaway, a wheelwright. The house was purchased by the newly-opened Littlemore Hospital in 1848 to house the Hospital Chaplain. It later became a home for nurses and a residence for doctors.
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
just south of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The village is just west of the A4074 road between Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Henley
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
.
Early history
In 1086 the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
counted 18 families as living by the sandy ford over the Thames between Iffley
Iffley
Iffley is a village in Oxfordshire, England, within the boundaries of the city of Oxford, between Cowley and the estates of Rose Hill and Donnington, and in proximity to the River Thames . Its most notable feature is its original and largely unchanged Norman church, St Mary the Virgin, which has a...
and Radley
Radley
Radley is a village and civil parish about northwest of the centre of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Lower Radley on the River Thames. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
. Six hundred years later the population of the village had barely doubled, and it was still under 200 people at the start of the 19th century. Today the population numbers more than 1,000 and the parish boundaries have undergone considerable revision.
Parish church of Saint Andrew
In the middle of the 12th century a small "field church" dedicated to Saint AndrewSaint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
was built on a hill in the Sandford manorial grounds for the use of the nearby Minchery nuns. The original Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
porch was restored and repaired in 1652 through the generosity of Elizabeth Isham but the majority of the improvement works to the church took place in the 25 years between 1840 and 1865. In the centre of the graveyard stands a fine yew tree planted on Good Friday 1800 and just to the east of the porch is a flat-topped gravestone from which bread was handed out to the poor of the parish.
Four war memorials are on the south wall in St Andrew’s church: a wooden village shrine which lists the fallen of both World Wars, and three individual commemorative plaques to E.G. Wilkins, H.S. Cannon and H.C. Cannon. Each has been recorded and included in the National Inventory of War Memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
s at the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
.
Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller
In 1239 Sir Thomas de Sandford gave land to the Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
enclave in Oxford's Temple Cowley. In the reign of Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
the Templars were suppressed and in 1324 the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
took over. In 1541 Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
dissolved the order, and the land passed to Cardinal Sir Thomas Wolsey.
River and lock
Ancient Roman pottery
Pottery was produced in enormous quantities in ancient Rome, mostly for utilitarian purposes. It is found all over the former Roman Empire and beyond...
from kilns found on the northern edge of the village hints at Sandford's manufacturing heritage. The toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
"Sandford" suggests a river crossing, and there are references to Sandford Ferry throughout history. In May 1644, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...
took his troops across the river at Sandford to join the battle of Cropredy
Cropredy
Cropredy is a village and civil parish on the River Cherwell, north of Banbury in Oxfordshire.-Early history:The village has Anglo-Saxon origins and is recorded in the Domesday Book...
. Within living memory there was still a ferry (later a toll bridge) at the King's Arms public house by the river taking traffic, including horses and carts, over the river to Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, once the county town of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. An ancient mounting block can still be seen on the western river bank just below the lock, which travellers would have used to remount their horses having crossed the river on foot.
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
described Sandford as "a very good place to drown yourself in" in his book Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
. The watercourse behind the lock-keeper's house (dated 1914) flows from the "big lasher" weir which creates strong currents and eddies. In spite of the danger, this was a favourite swimming place up to the mid-20th century. In 1921 the river here claimed the lives of three Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
students, including Michael Llewelyn Davies, the adopted son of J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
, who was the inspiration for Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
. An obelisk that has stood here since at least 1821 records the deaths of six Christ Church students who drowned here in three separate incidents between 1843 and 1921. Even into the 1950s the river at Sandford-on-Thames was still regarded as a place to come and relax. On Sundays people came from Oxford to swim at The Lido below the lock and to picnic. The King's Arms had extensive tea-lawns on which to spend lazy Sunday afternoons.
The first lock at Sandford was the navigation weir or flash lock
Flash lock
Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times....
situated on the old river channel at the site of the lasher today. This was described in 1624 as "Great Lockes" and was replaced in about 1632 by one of the first pound locks to be built in England. Iffley
Iffley
Iffley is a village in Oxfordshire, England, within the boundaries of the city of Oxford, between Cowley and the estates of Rose Hill and Donnington, and in proximity to the River Thames . Its most notable feature is its original and largely unchanged Norman church, St Mary the Virgin, which has a...
, Sandford and Culham
Culham
Culham is a village and civil parish on the north bank of the River Thames, just over south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire.-Manor:The toponym comes from the Old English Cula's hamm, referring to the village's position in a bend of the Thames...
locks were built by the Oxford-Burcot Commission
Oxford-Burcot Commission
The Oxford-Burcot Commission was the first Commission concerned with the management of the River Thames, appointed by an Act of Parliament of 1605 by James I to make the stretch of river from Burcot to Oxford navigable. The Commission took responsibility for the management of the River Thames...
following the Parliament Act of 1623. The old lock has since been filled in but its position can still be seen (the position of the upper gates can be seen in the stonework above the present upper gates). A new lock on the present site was opened in 1836 which lasted until the most recent improvements when the present lock was built in 1972.
Littlemore Brook
Littlemore Brook
Littlemore Brook is a tributary of the River Thames in Oxfordshire, southern England. It runs from the Blackbird Leys estate in the city of Oxford behind the Kassam Stadium and through the Oxford Science Park to the south of the city, near the village of Littlemore after which it is named. It joins...
joins the River Thames near Sandford-on-Thames.
Farms
The Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
name lived on until recently in Temple Farm, which was acquired by Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
in 1900. After a long incarnation as Temple Farm Country Club the property burnt down in the 1990s and was restored as a hotel, currently part of the Four Pillars Hotel Group.
Rock Farm, formerly called Sandford Farm, was bought by a Mr. Benfield in 1897. He and his partner Mr Loxley were owners of a building firm and developed the clay on Rock Farm to supply their building works with bricks. Apart from the road name, the last remnant of Rock Farm is now the old dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
which was restored in the 1990s and stands in front of one of the houses in the recent Rock Farm development.
Industry
Next to and downstream from the lock is a waterfront housing development, Sandford Mill. Built in the 1980s, this occupies the site of the former mill which closed on Christmas Eve 1982. Originally a corn mill belonging to the Abbey of Abingdon and recorded in 1100 as owned by the local monks for bread making, it came into the hands of the Knights Templars at the beginning of the 14th century. It was converted to a paper mill in 1826 in order to supply the increasing demands of the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. The listed cottages upstream from the lock (now River View) that can be seen across the road from the old wharf were also built in 1826. Occupied by mill workers, they originally boasted flat roofs made of tarred paper, (a first in Britain). The millrace continues to flow under the footbridge that crosses from the King's Arms pub to the lock.
At the beginning of the 20th century the wharf adjacent to and upstream from the King's Arms was used extensively both by the paper mill and also by the brickworks, which developed well until 1914 when the engines were taken for service in the First World War. In 1920 the 126 ft tall brickworks chimney was demolished. The land is now a park home site. The name is preserved in Brick Kiln Lane (formerly Crab or Crab Gate Lane) running east out of the village towards the Oxford Science Park
Oxford Science Park
The Oxford Science Park is a science and technology park located on the southern edge of the city of Oxford, England. It was founded jointly by Magdalen College, Oxford and Prudential in 1990...
and Oxford United FC's Kassam Stadium which was completed in 2001.
Henley Road
The road through the centre of the village (now the Henley Road but formerly called both the Nuneham Road and the London Road) also crosses the Northfield Brook. A toll house known as Sandford Gate stood here until it was knocked down in 1920 and the present house was built. One of the earliest petrol stations, which served William MorrisWilliam Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE, CH , known as Sir William Morris, Bt, between 1929 and 1934 and as The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist...
(Lord Nuffield) as he journeyed between Oxford and Nuffield was on the Henley Road opposite the present garage. The garage served as a Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
wing repair shop in the Second World War.
The Second Wartime Boat Race, 1943
In 1943, the second wartime Boat Race between the Universities of OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
was held on the Thames at Sandford. Like the first, it was unofficial and no Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
were awarded. However, public enthusiasm was high and the river banks were thronged with spectators, all of whom had to reach the course either by bicycle or on foot. Contemporary newspaper reports estimate the crowd at between seven and ten thousand. The Cambridge crew, unusually for the time, included a Dane at bow and a Turk at number four. The Oxford crew included four medical students. The race was rowed between the narrow banks of a 1.25 miles (2 km) downstream course with the start about 0.25 miles (402.3 m) below Sandford Lock and the finish at the Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
Boathouse. Oxford won the toss and chose the Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
bank, with Cambridge rowing on the Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
side. Oxford set off at 40 strokes compared to Cambridge's 37, and were almost immediately in the lead and a length up in some thirty seconds. Despite being left at the start, Cambridge did not give up and responded well, with the judge’s verdict at the finish recorded as a win for Oxford by just two-thirds of a length.
Amenities
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
Road. The Fox (built in 1853 by the Morrell
Morrell
Morrell is a surname, and may refer to:* Andy Morrell, English footballer* Arthur Fleming Morrell, English naval officer* Benjamin Morrell, American sealing captain and explorer, after whom is named:...
family) has been closed since 2009.
The village has several public open spaces including a large, fenced recreation ground next to the church containing children's play equipment, a grassed area on the riverside near Sandford Lock
Sandford Lock
Sandford Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, situated at Sandford-on-Thames which is just South of Oxford. The first pound lock was built in 1631 by the Oxford-Burcot Commission although this has since been rebuilt...
which is the site of the old wharf, and recreation areas off Heyford Hill Lane which also contain children's play equipment. All are maintained by the Parish Council. The Oxford Preservation Trust
Oxford Preservation Trust
The Oxford Preservation Trust was founded in 1928 to preserve the city of Oxford, England. The Trust seeks to enhance Oxford by encouraging thoughtful development and new design, while protecting historic buildings and green open spaces....
owns the land between Broadhurst Gardens and the River Thames.
The village shop and post office was closed in 1987. The nearest local shop is in the Ashurst Clinic grounds, a few hundred yards north along the Henley Road towards Littlemore
Littlemore
Littlemore is a district of Oxford, England. It has a parish council that also represents parts of Rose Hill. It is about southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames.-History:...
.
The Sustrans
Sustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
cycle path is accessible from the village across the river Thames and offers easy access to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
city centre along the river.
Sandford is a scheduled stop for Salters Steamers
Salters Steamers
Salters Steamers, formerly known as Salter Bros, is an old family firm based around boating on the River Thames, originally established in 1858. The company runs passenger services in summer along the whole length of the River Thames between Oxford and Staines. They also hire boats from Oxford ,...
' river boat services between Oxford and Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
.
A regular local bus service between Wallingford and Oxford city centre serves the village.
Street names
Despite extensive local research by the Parish Council and local residents, no suitable ancient field names could be found that could be adapted for the new roads created at Heyford Hill Lane in the late 1990s. Consequently, surnames of past local residents were proposed, and they were accepted by South OxfordshireSouth Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Crowmarsh Gifford, just outside Wallingford....
District Council accepted them. The names adopted are:
Batten Place: Richard Batten was the first Attendant at Littlemore
Littlemore
Littlemore is a district of Oxford, England. It has a parish council that also represents parts of Rose Hill. It is about southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames.-History:...
Hospital, which opened in 1846.
Buckler Place: J.C. Buckler
John Chessell Buckler
John Chessell Buckler was a British architect, the eldest son of the architect John Buckler. J.C. Buckler initially worked with his father before working for himself. His work included restorations of country houses and at the University of Oxford.-Career:Buckler received art lessons from the...
was one of the original architects of Littlemore Hospital.
Janaway: when the Sandford Link Road was built to pass underneath the Henley Road at the junction with Heyford Hill Lane, a property called Dool House had to be demolished. This large house, which stood at the end of Heyford Hill Lane, was built in 1810 by John Janaway, a wheelwright. The house was purchased by the newly-opened Littlemore Hospital in 1848 to house the Hospital Chaplain. It later became a home for nurses and a residence for doctors.
People from Sandford-on-Thames
- William StroudleyWilliam StroudleyWilliam Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
, locomotive superintendent of the Highland RailwayHighland RailwayThe Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
and later the London, Brighton and South Coast RailwayLondon, Brighton and South Coast RailwayThe London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
, was born at Sandford-on-Thames on 6 March 1833. - Charlie WaltersCharlie WaltersCharlie Walters was a professional footballer who played for Oxford City, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Mansfield Town. He was also an amateur cricketer. He was born in Sandford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire and died in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.- Football career :The centre half joined Tottenham from...
, footballer, who played for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and won a winners' medal in the 1921 FA Cup Final1921 FA Cup FinalThe 1921 FA Cup Final was contested by Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge. Spurs won by a single goal, scored by Jimmy Dimmock, eight minutes into the second half...
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