SOUTH STOKE
South
Stoke is a delightful village sandwiched between the River Thames and
the main railway line from Paddington to Oxford and the
south-west. Access to the village from the Goring to Crowmarsh road is by way of one of three arched bridges,
whilst a fourth way through the railway embankment, known
locally as the Bogey Hole, enables a footpath to the hamlet
of Little Stoke.
Unlike the railway, which is very evident
(both visually and audibly!) you may not realise the river
was there unless you looked at a map or wandered down
the track to the old ferry crossing to Moulsford!
Perhaps though the Perch and Pike pub gives the closeness
of the river away, both by its name and its display of
record catches of fish from the river!
From the footpath from South Stoke to Little Stoke you
can still see the remains of a series of fishponds which
provided food for the medieval monks who lived in the
village. These ponds were part of a much larger complex
and were fed by drainage ditches connected to the river.
Close
by is Brunel's Four Arches bridge which takes the railway
across the Thames. This is a listed building.
Parts of Manor Farmhouse date from the 16th century and
the original oak panelling, moulded beams and a fireplace
are even earlier. Outside are several old buildings and
barns including a granary standing on staddle stones and
a medieval square four-gabled brick dovecote, thought
to be one of the largest in the south of England.
Some of the arches on the north side of St Andrew’s Church are thought to be Norman. The font is Early English. In
the south-east window can be seen a small piece of 14th. For the history and full information about St Andrew’s Church click here.
A free chapel was built in South Stoke in 1820, but this
has not been used for worship since 1976.
Scenes
from an episode of the popular TV series Midsomer Murders were filmed in the village.
South
Stoke is off the B4009 between Goring and Crowmarsh.
