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Oxfordshire
It would be very hard to dispute that the crowning glory of the county of Oxfordshire is its famous city of universities, Oxford. It would be doing less than justice to the county, however, to imagine that Oxfordshire had nothing else to offer. The northern part of the county has the Cotswolds, and they rival in beauty anything that any other part of England can show. There is more even than this, as anyone who has travelled the byways and seen the beauty of the countryside will know.
In what would be expected to be a relatively densely populated part of the country such as this it comes as a surprise to find a large, uninhabited area of moorland, yet such is Ot Moor, a lonely place crossed by the old Roman road and surrounded by a ring of villages. It is not so surprising to find towns and villages of great antiquity. This is most certainly the case with the picturesque old market town of Thame, the age of which considerably precedes the compilation of the Domesday Book!
Of lesser antiquity are the famous cakes of Banbury, although they have probably been made here for over four hundred years. Perhaps it was these delicious cakes that brought children, riding on Cock horses, to Banbury! It seems more likely that the origin of the nursery rhyme lies in a remembrance of some May ceremony. The original cross was, unfortunately, destroyed many years ago but it was replaced over a hundred years ago and this new cross no", marks the site of the original.
Blenheim Palace
Whilst the name Lancelot Brown may not raise a great deal of interest, when the nickname 'Capability' is added then certainly anyone with a love of gardens will recognise it immediately. Capability Brown was born in 1715 in humble circumstances and rose to become the most outstanding landscape gardener of the century. Many gardens throughout the country bear witness to his great skill but his undoubted masterpiece is the lake he created in the gardens of Blenheim Palace.
The palace was named in commemoration of the victory of the Duke of Marlborough over the French and Bavarians at Blenheim in 1704. It was commissioned for the Duke by Sir John Vanbrugh and is a superb complement to Capability's gardens.
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Blenheim Palace would certainly attract man visitors for its interest, and particularly for the beauty of its interior, alone. It has, however, a drawing power for another reason, for it was here, in 1874, that Winston Churchill was born, a man destined to become the greatest Englishman of his day.
Henley
Many years ago there was a royal palace at Henley on Thames, so it must have been considered a very desirable place to live in, even before the advent of the Royal Regatta!
There are, of course, many occasions on which we wish very much to see the sun shining, but there are few that can be transformed more by it than the Royal Regatta. It takes place in early July every year, so there is a fair chance that it will be a sunny occasion and, when it is, the whole scene seems to come to life quite spectacularly. The striped blazers and white flannels worn by the men and the lovely summer dresses and hats by their ladies; the teas served on the lawns against a background of willow trees and marquees; the shouts of encouragement to the various participants in the rowing contests as they strain, back breakingly, *in this, surely one of the most arduous of sports, make for a peculiarly Edwardian spectacle.
Regattas were first introduced into this country in 1775 but it was not until 1839 that one was established at Henley. A further twelve years were to pass before it achieved the title of Henley Royal Regatta, under the patronage of the Prince Consort.
Although the Regatta has become synonymous with Henley it is not for this alone that it is noted. Standing, as it does, halfway between the source and the mouth of the Thames, the town has been of importance certainly since the middle ages, when a stone bridge, a considerable rarity in those days, crossed the river here. Today there is a handsome five arched bridge which dates from the eighteenth century. The view back to the town from the far bank of the river, with the church and bridge seen framed by hanging branches of the willow trees on the bank makes a very attractive picture and has been much photographed.
Upstream to Sonning, and downstream to the lovely rural setting of Marlow, it soon becomes apparent that Henley is in a very favoured position, on one of the most beautiful stretches of the river Thames, and it is little surprise to anyone that it has become the permanent home of the event to which it lends its name, the Henley Royal Regatta.
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