Historical Structures, Museums and Memorials
St Mary's Pendon Memorial Saxons Cruck Cottage Publications Pooh Sticks Wittenham Clumps
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The Cross |
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The base of the village Cross dates from the 7th century. St. Birinus, who brought Christianity to this region, preached here. The upper part of the Cross was repaired by Ingram Shrimpton, a printer, in the 1850s, before he emigrated to New Zealand. The small shed behind the Cross was originally built to house the village fire-engine. |
Standing
on the same site as its Saxon predecessor, St Mary's was begun around
1120. The stone was brought from Caen, a reminder of the Norman influence
of the time. Originally there was only a nave and chancel. The side aisles
were added in later centuries in diverse styles, which can be seen in the
different shaped pillars inside. The Chapel, now used as the vestry, was
built in 1295. Tradition has it that this chapel was built as a memorial
to Gilbert the Red. |
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| The three main features of interest in the Church are the lead font, the piscina in the North aisle pillar near the pulpit and the small stone effigy in the vestry. The monument in the vestry, which may or may not have been a memorial to Gilbert the Red (the Wannabe Crusader), is the smallest sculptured monument in the country. |  |
| Next to Church Cottage is the village Pound where stray animals could be put until claimed by their owners. | |
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Pendon Museum |
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The original building (which
had to be pulled down and re-erected as a family dwelling a few years
ago) was built as a working men's pub in about 1850. It was known as
'The Three Poplars' and was run for many years by Christopher Winkfield.
He was also a corn dealer and carrier. In 1954 it closed as a pub and
became a youth hostel with Roye England as warden. Roye's hobby of making scale models of buildings began to take up more and more time and space and in 1964 the youth hostel closed and Pendon Museum opened. Today it houses a superb collection of model buildings, trains and landscapes, and is well worth a visit. For more information see Pendon Museum or phone (01865) 407365 |
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| The War Memorial was erected in Memory of the
men of Long Wittenham who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918
The Inscription reads "They died the Noblest Death a man may die fighting for God and Right and Liberty and such a Death is Immortality". |
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| In the 5th century Saxons, including Witta, had a settlement here and it remained as a Saxon community until the 9th Century. Excavations of the Saxon burial grounds at Saxon Heath in the mid 19th Century indicated a community of some size. More |
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Cruck cottage is believed to be probably 800 years old, the oldest
house in South Oxfordshire. The cruck frame is lasting well, following careful restoration work by the present owners in 1974. Originally this was a single storey, open hall house, without a chimney, which was added during the reign of Elizabeth 1. There are seven cruck-framed buildings in village which may be 600 or more years old. Thatch is a common roofing material in this area. Until the coming of the railways, which made transport of Welsh slate much easier, all the village houses would have been thatched. |
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Guides and Publications Available |
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The Chronicle - The Journal of the Long Wittenham Local History Group
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The Parish of Long Wittenham 1800 - 1920 - A brief history by Kathleen Burk Jewess (Wittenham Women's Institute 1984)
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A guide to St. Mary's Church Long Wittenham
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Millennium Chronicle (£2.50). The eight previous issues of the Chronicle are available priced £1 each or £5 for the set of 8.
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Postcards of the village.
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And nearby...
| Anyone remotely interested in the delightful stories of Winnie the Pooh, written by a.a. Milne, will have heard of the game of Pooh Sticks. This tale is recreated each year in the neighbouring village of Little Wittenham. Normally taking place around Easter each year at Day's Lock and this event attracts visitors from all over the world. Children are especially welcome. BBC news article from March 1998 |
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Castle Hill is the site of an Iron Age Fort. The ditch around it was constructed
around 600 BC. In the trees at the top of Castle Hill is the remains of the Poem Tree. A poem was carved into the trunk in 1844/5 by Joseph Tubb. A nearby plaque gives the poem and a tracing of the tree made in 1965. For more details visit the Northmoor Trust's site, (Under Nature Reserve, Past Land Use). |
| During the summer of 2003, Castle Hill has been the site of archelogical excavations. Click on the picture for more photos, and for more details visit the Northmoor Trust's site. |
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Last updated 1st Sept 2003