CHOLSEY

At first glance Cholsey might appear to resemble a suburb rather than an attractive village. However there are still some attractive corners of the village and several fine buildings; attractive flint and brick houses, thatched cottages and barns

The prehistoric road, the Icknield Way, crosses the river Thames at Cholsey and is probably the reason for the original settlement at this place. Certainly the availability of fertile land, pasture and timber would have been attractive to settlers.

The church of St Mary on the northern edge of the town was founded in AD 986, although the present building was built in the early half of the 12th century. Features of the church are the dog-toothed Norman doorway and the sanctus bell which was cast in London between 1290 and 1310. The well-known novelist, Agatha Christie, is buried in the churchyard. For the history and full information about St. Mary's Church click here.

In the centre of the village is the village green known as ‘The Forty’, thought to mean ‘island in the marshland’. The Forty is dominated by magnificent horse-chestnut trees and is perhaps the most attractive part of the village.

The old Fairmile Hospital in the village has been used as a location in the popular TV series Midsomer Murders.
http://midsomermurders.org/cholseyloc.htm

The Cholsey Viaduct was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 19th century and is a distinctive feature in the landscape.

Passenger services on the former Great Western Railway branchline that links Cholsey with Wallingford ceased in 1959. The line, known locally as "The Bunk", has been preserved as the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway and is run by the CWR Preservation Society which took the line over in 1981. The railway runs steam trains where possible, and has a fleet of 08 class diesel locomotives.

Cholsey is about a mile and a half from the River Thames a few miles south of Wallingford just off the A329.