Goring-on-Thames

Goring-on-Thames

Goring-on-Thames (or Goring) is a village and civil parish next to the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England. It is close to the border with West Berkshire, about 6 miles south of Wallingford and 8 miles northwest of Reading.

The land around Goring is mostly farms, with some wooded areas on the Goring Gap part of the Chiltern Hills. The homes in the village are in a flat area beside the river. There is a main street with shops, pubs, and restaurants. The Goring & Streatley railway station is on the Great Western Main Line, making it easy to travel to places like London, Reading, and Didcot.

The village has a church dedicated to St Thomas Becket. The main part of the church was built soon after the saint died, in the early 13th century, and later a bell tower was added. Across the river is the smaller village of Streatley. The two villages are connected by the Goring and Streatley Bridge.

Geography

Goring is on the left side of the River Thames in the Goring Gap between the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills. It is about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Reading and 16 miles (26 km) south of Oxford. Across the river is the village of Streatley. The two villages are connected by the Goring and Streatley Bridge and its nearby lock and weir. Famous paths such as the Thames Path, Icknield Way, and the Ridgeway cross the Thames at Goring.

Transport

The Great Western Main Line has a train station called Goring & Streatley railway station. Trains operated by Great Western Railway go from London Paddington to Reading and Didcot. Trains run every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays.

These trains use British Rail Class 387 electric models, but they don’t go past Didcot Parkway. Work to extend the electric lines to Oxford stopped in 2019. There is a diesel train service that runs between Didcot and Oxford instead.

There is also a local bus service between Goring and Wallingford. It is run by a local group called Going Forward Buses, which started in December 2016. The bus runs every hour on weekdays from Monday to Friday.

Early history

The name Goring first appears in the Domesday Book from the year 1086 as Garinges. Later, it was written as Garingies in a document kept at the British Museum. The name means "Gara's people".

Religious sites

Goring-on-Thames has several important places of worship. The main Church of England church is dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. It has beautiful old stonework and a tall tower with bells. Inside, special wooden work came from an old ship. The church got a hall for meetings in 1901.

There are other churches too. A small group started meeting in 1788 and built their first chapel in 1793. Later, they built a bigger church and turned the old chapel into a hall for activities. The local Catholic church, named for Our Lady and St John the Apostle, was built in 1898.

Amenities

Goring United Football Club plays in the Reading Football League. Goring-on-Thames Cricket Club, started in 1876, has two teams. Goring also has a lawn tennis club. Goring and Streatley Golf Club is nearby.

The village has a Decorative and Fine Arts Society, which is part of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies. Goring also has a Women's Institute.

Awards

In 2009, Goring-on-Thames was named Oxfordshire’s Village of the Year. The village won a £1000 prize. This money helped support a project to create electricity from the River Thames.

Later, in 2011, Goring-on-Thames won two big awards in the Calor Village of the Year competition for South England.

Notable residents

In the summer of 1893, Oscar Wilde stayed at Ferry House in Goring with Lord Alfred Douglas. While there, Wilde began writing his play An Ideal Husband, which has a character named Lord Goring.

Some famous people were born in Goring or lived there. They include architect Sir John Soane, Australian politician Thomas Rome, geologist Aubrey Strahan, and musician Pete Townshend from the Who.

Other well-known residents were Jon Lord, a composer and pianist, and George Michael, a famous musician who lived in Goring in his later years.

Freedom of the parish

The village of Goring-on-Thames gives a special honor called the Freedom of the Parish to people who do good work in the community.

Stephanie Bridle got this honor on 16 October 2017 for her work as a parish councillor. Janet Hurst received the honor on 12 April 2020 for her work in the Britain in Bloom competition and with the Goring Gap Local History Society.

Nearby places

Goring-on-Thames is a village near the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England. It is close to the border with West Berkshire, about 6 miles south of Wallingford and 8 miles northwest of Reading. The village had around 3,187 people in 2011 and grew to about 3,335 by 2019.

Twin towns

Goring-on-Thames has two twin towns.

It has been twinned with Bellême, France since 1979. It is also twinned with Stühlingen, Germany.