Goring-on-Thames

Goring-on-Thames (or Goring) is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England. It is located near the border with West Berkshire, about 6 miles south of Wallingford and 8 miles northwest of Reading. In the year 2011, the village had a population of 3,187 people, and by 2019, this number had grown to around 3,335.

The area around Goring is mostly farmland, with some wooded areas on the Goring Gap part of the Chiltern Hills. The homes of the village are situated in a flat area next to the river, and 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, you will find the smaller village of Streatley, and the two villages are connected by the Goring and Streatley Bridge.

Geography

Goring is located on the left bank of the River Thames in the Goring Gap between the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills. It is about 8 mi (13 km) north-west of Reading and 16 mi (26 km) south of Oxford. Across the river is the village of Streatley, and the two villages are connected by Goring and Streatley Bridge along with its nearby lock and weir. Several famous paths, including 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 because 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 from the 1100s and a tall tower with bells, one of which is very old, made in 1290. Inside, special wooden work came from a famous old ship called HMS Thunderer. 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. One hundred years 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 by an architect named William Ravenscroft.

Amenities

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

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, which 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 includes a main character named Lord Goring.

Some well-known people were born in Goring or lived there at some point. These include architect Sir John Soane, Australian politician Thomas Rome, geologist Aubrey Strahan, and musician Pete Townshend from the Who.

Other notable residents include Jon Lord, a composer and pianist, and George Michael, a famous musician who lived in Goring during his later years.

Freedom of the parish

The village of Goring-on-Thames has given a special honor called the Freedom of the Parish to some people for their good work in the community.

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

Nearby places

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