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Little Wittenham
is a small village on the southern bank of the River Thames on the road
between Long Wittenham and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell,
about three miles north-east of Didcot.
The attractive parish church, St Peter's, was mostly rebuilt in 1862,
although the 14th century tower is original. Adjacent to the church is
Barn Cottage, a former stable but now house probably dating from mid C17,
with C20 alterations. Next to Barn Cottage is The Manor House, a mid C18
red brick house with C19 additions and alterations. The house has grey
brick headers. Elsewhere in the village are several other attractive old
houses, many of them listed and the whole village is within a conservation
area.
Nearby, and just over a footbridge over the Thames, is Day's Lock which
is well known locally for the Annual Pooh Sticks World Chamionships. The
event is inspired by A.A. Milne's tale about Winnie the Pooh and raises
funds for charity. It involves dropping a stick into the river and seeing
how long it takes to get to the finish line. Teams from across the globe
take part in the event.
Overlooking
the village are the Wittenham Clumps which stand on top of the Sinodun
Hills. 'Sinodun' is a Celtic name, Seno-Dunum, meaning 'Old Fort'. In
the Iron Age, the hill fort at Castle
Hill dominated the region, providing protection for the local villagers
and their animals. The only obvious sign of the
fort now is the ditch around the base of the hill. In the clump of trees
at the top of the hill is the Poem Tree in which Joseph Tubb carved a
poem in 1844-45.
Both Castle Hill and Round Hill offer superb view over the Thames and
the village of Dorchester and beyond, and from Round Hill there is a good
view of the village. The Wittenham Clumps and the nearby Little Wittenham
Wood are part of a nature reserve managed by the
Northmoor Trust
who established it in 1982. The reserve is part of an estate of 300 hectares
which includes a conservation farm and a new woodland dedicated to forestry
research.
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Images
of Little Wittenham
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(Click
to view)
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