The Beetle and Wedge Boathouse is a restaurant set on the site of the Moulsford ferry service, on a bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

on Ferry Lane in

Moulsford Moulsford is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire. Before 1974 it was in the county of Berkshire, in Wallingford Rural District, but following the Berkshire boundary changes of that year it became a part of Oxfordshire. Moulsford is ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

, England. The restaurant has a riverside setting on the stretch of river immortalised in '' The Wind in the Willows'', and also

Jerome K Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue '' Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) ...

's chronicles of the escapades of his friends in ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',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 English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a two ...

.'' The unusual name refers to a ''beetle'', a term for a maul (or hammer) used with a wedge to split wood. In 2005 the restaurant played host to

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...

Dara Ó Briain Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the W ...

and

Rory McGrath Patrick Rory McGrath (born 17 March 1956) is a British comedian, television personality, and writer. He came to prominence in the comedy show ''Who Dares Wins'' and was a regular panellist on the game show ''They Think It's All Over'' for many ...

, and a dog called Loli, during the filming of ''Three Men in a Boat'' – a film broadcast and commissioned by the BBC as a modern-day reinterpretation of the travelogue by Jerome K Jerome. The restaurant was listed amongst Britain's 250 Best Restaurants in the

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the ...

2009 ''Going Out Guide''. The building that houses the restaurant was once a working boathouse and was last used for the ferry in 1967, when the last ferrywoman retired and the service was discontinued. The boathouse retains much of its original fittings and sits on the water's edge with the original slipway still in place. The building dates back to before 1860 when it was a trading inn.

External links

Official websiteOxford Restaurant Guide information
Restaurants in Oxfordshire Pubs in Oxfordshire Buildings and structures on the River Thames Restaurants established in 1967 1967 establishments in England {{UK-restaurant-stub