Shillingford is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

on the north 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, s ...

in Warborough

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

South Oxfordshire South Oxfordshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a p ...

, England. It lies on the A4074 between

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, at the junction with the A329.

History

Roads and ford

At various times the river crossing at Shillingford has been a ford, a ferry or a bridge.

Shillingford Bridge Shillingford Bridge is Grade II* listed road bridge near Shillingford, Oxfordshire, carrying an unclassified road (formerly the A329 road) across the River Thames in England on the reach above Benson Lock. The bridge provides access betwee ...

was built in 1827, replacing a previous one built in 1767. Neighbouring Wharf Road has a slipway, boathouse and 12 listed buildings (at

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

), for their age predominantly), about half of its total. The river crossing has long made Shillingford a junction and coaching stop, just below the confluence of the

River Thame The River Thame is a river in Southern England. A tributary of the River Thames, the river runs generally south-westward for about from its source above the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury to the Thames in south-east Oxfordshire. Course Thr ...

: *The main NW-SE road between

and

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

through Shillingford was a turnpike from 1736 until 1873.Turnpike Roads in England website
/ref> It became the A415 in 1922, renumbered to the A423 in the 1930s, and now forms part of the A4074. The bypasses around Dorchester and Sandford to the north were built in recent years. *The traditional road south rather than southeast, to Wallingford and over the bridge was a turnpike from 1764 to 1874. In the early to late 20th century this was the main road between Reading and Oxford, part of the A42 when roads were first classified in 1922 then renumbered the A329 in 1935. In 1993, when the

Winterbrook Bridge Winterbrook Bridge, also known as Wallingford Bypass Bridge, was built in 1993 as part of a bypass around Wallingford, Oxfordshire, to relieve congestion on the single-lane Wallingford Bridge. It forms part of the A4130, connecting Winterbrook ...

enabled traffic to bypass Wallingford, the section between Wallingford and Shillingford was downgraded to become an unclassified road *The road north between

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the ...

and Shillingford was a turnpike from 1770 until 1875. It became the B4013, to be renumbered A329 when the

M40 motorway The M40 motorway links London, Oxford, and Birmingham in England, a distance of approximately . The motorway is dual three lanes except for junction 1A to junction 3 (which is dual four lanes) a short section in-between the exit and entry hig ...

was opened in the 1970s.

Notable residents

The Quaker minister Ann Crowley was born here in 1765 as was the artist and performer

Vivian Stanshall Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British uppe ...

in 1943.

Landmarks & Hotels

As well as Wharf Road mentioned, Shillingford has a Guest House, the Kingfisher Inn. Its bridge is in a medieval, simple style built in 1827. It is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

as is Bridge House nearby, as it is an authentic early Georgian structure.Bridge House Hotels include the Shillingford Bridge Hotel, which is a three-star hotel by the Shillingford Bridge, but the hotel is not technically within Shillingford, as the hotel is on the opposite side 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, s ...

from Shillingford and thus in the parish of Brightwell cum Sotwell.

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Hamlets in Oxfordshire Populated places on the River Thames