Wargrave

The village of Wargrave is situated on the Wokingham to Henley road - A321 - by the Thames, close to its confluence with the River Loddon. It is a small residential village with attractive groups of cottages and houses. Some like Walnut Cottage, date from the 17th century and others may be even older.

The parish church

The parish church was rebuilt after the disastrous fire in 1914 caused by the Suffragettes. The north doorway to the church has been retained from the original Norman church and some of the pre-Conquest work in the lower part of the 16th century brick tower, uncovered during rebuilding operations has been preserved. The font now in use, which dates from the 15th century, is cut from chalk, and has an excellent modern wood cover. Other modern woodwork of interest here includes the pulpit, screen and benches and also the roof.

History of Wargrave

The earliest historical reference to Wargrave is that in the Domesday Book - 1086 - where the village is referred to as Weregrove and valued at a total sum of £28 9s 3d. Although a market charter to Wargrave was granted by Henry III in 1218, the village remained a small and isolated settlement until the 18th century.

The late 18th century witnessed a relatively sudden growth of population in Wargrave and the village adopted the form of a Georgian cruciform focused on the main crossroads and radiating in four directions. The coaching routes gave Wargrave reasonable accessibility to Oxford, Windsor and London, and by the early 19th century brick and tile making and malting had developed as local industries. These activities became less important, however, with the increasing popularity of Wargrave as a residential village, and by the end of the century agriculture had become the only notable source of local employment.

The Henley branch line of the Great Western Railway opened in 1857 but there was no station at Wargrave until October 1900. From this date the village's function became that of a residential village.

Wargrave's parishes and hamlets

Included in the parish are the hamlets of Hare Hatch and Kiln Green on the Bath Road which still have their coaching inns and attractive old houses.

Crazies Hill

Crazies Hill village, a small conservation area of its own, encloses a mix of interesting old buildings. Amongst them Summerfield House - formerly called the Crazies - used to be HenleyTown Hall. It was dismantled and rebuilt in Crazies Hill during the period 1897 to 1900 when the present town hall was erected. The house is in elegant Georgian style with two tiers of bath stone ionic pillars on the facade.

Rebecca's Well

Rebecca's Well and the timber framed pub are on the ramblers route and there is a golf course folded into the landscape commanding views over the Thames to the West. The name of the village is said to have come from the old English word for buttercups 'cragies' or 'crazies' that probably grew in abundance in the leafy lanes.

View an interactive map of Wargrave for more details.