Henley-on-Thames Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Oxfordshire, and around 35 miles west of central London, is the town of Henley-on-Thames, sometimes referred to as, simply, Henley.

Geographically Henley is situated at the southern fringe of the Chiltern Hills and directly adjacent to the River Thames as its name suggests. 'Henley' reflects its geography as it derives from Old English 'hēah', meaning high place and 'lēah', meaning forest or clearing.

Henley-on-Thames is known to have been an established settlement from as early as 1179, as records state that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings" here. The first reference to a church here dates from 1204, while the first reference to a bridge dates from 1234.

Historical industries in Henley included agriculture, wool, glass, brewing and coaching inns. In 1688 William of Orange rested in the town on his march from Brixham in Devon to London. This took place during the Glorious Revolution in which James II was deposed from the throne with very little bloodshed. Thus the Dutch prince, William of Orange, became King William III and joint monarch with his wife Mary II.

In 1786 Henley Bridge was built. Featured at the start of the walk, this 5-arch stone bridge replaced an earlier wooden crossing. The River Thames at this area effectively marks the boundary between the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. A short walk downstream from here, the Thames becomes the dividing line between Buckinghamshire and Berkshire (although only up to a point due to county boundary changes in 1974).

In 1829 Henley-on-Thames became the host of what was effectively the inaugural Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge - England's oldest and most prestigious universities. Oxford won this race easily, and their winning boat can still be seen in the River & Rowing Museum in Henley. The next race wasn't until 1836, and in this instance was held in London - from Westminster to Putney. It would eventually become an annual event from 1856, by which time a course in west London between Putney and Mortlake had become the established location.

As a result of the bustle created in Henley from the 1829 boat race, it was decided that there was much potential to draw in visitors by holding their own rowing event. And so, in 1839, the inaugural Henley Regatta was held. This was a one-day event, but proved so successful that they expanded it to two days for the following year. In 1851, following a visit from Prince Albert, it was renamed Henley Royal Regatta - a name it has maintained ever since. It continued to expand into what is now a six-day annual summer event.

In 1857 the railway arrived in Henley-on-Thames. To this day it is the northern terminus of the Henley Branch Line, which connects to the Great Western Main Line via Twyford at the southern terminus. Travel to or from London typically takes between 50 and 70 minutes, factoring in the change at Twyford.

In additional to the first ever Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and the annual Royal Regatta, Henley-on-Thames has hosted two Olympic Rowing Regattas: London 1908 and London 1948. In 2012 it was passed over for Dorney Lake near Windsor.

Famous people from Henley-on-Thames include actor David Tomlinson, TV historian Adam Hart-Davis and actress Leslie Ash.

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Filmed: 10th June 2022

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/SZ7aG83uiw2dGpUt6

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 White Hill
0:19 Henley Bridge/River Thames
1:28 White Hill
1:43 Thameside
4:42 Station Road
7:35 Reading Road
10:14 Friday Street
14:11 Duke Street
16:29 Bell Street
18:46 New Street
21:48 Thameside
24:11 Hart Street
27:21 Market Place
28:10 Henley Town Hall (built 1901)
28:23 Market Place
30:22 Gravel Hill