DORCHESTER-ON-THAMES WAYSIDE STOPOVER
The romantic tradition of the Coaching Inn
Any
trip across England, in the horse-drawn past or rental car present
required the occasional stopover along the way between cities, and
whether
looking for antiques, a bit of English or even Roman history, or just
a stay in a quaint bit of English
countryside village, Dorchester-on-Thames offers a tranquil charm of
half-wood 17th and 18th Century buildings
and thatched cottages. Lying just off the beaten highway in the heart
of the Upper Thames Valley of Oxfordshire the small village is surrounded
by a variety of scenic and ancient attractions. One of the earliest pre-Roman
archeological sites in England is located on the Thames a short walk
from the town center, and visited by groups
of school children on a regular basis and the Wittenham Clumps, a hilltop
site popular for walks boasts some of the oldest trees in Britain and
a commanding view of the winding Thames River.
Once
an important river town in the Roman period the first ecclesiastical
centre of Wessex and the
seat of Anglo-Saxon Bishops and a stage-coach
stop on the road from London to Oxford, Dorchester is home to one of
the most important historical buildings in the upper Thames, the medieval
Abbey Church of Dorchester. 
The
Abbey Guesthouse is the only surviving building of the Augustinian monastery
which
was an important stopping point for pilgrims.
The tomb of St. Birnius was the attraction to pilgrims, but was destroyed
by Henry III was the Catholic Abbey was dissolved. The cloister gardens
surround the abbey where the monastic buildings used
to be.
A baptismal bath fountain from the middle-ages ramains inside. An impressive
Victorian
era
gate
joins
the Abbey
grounds
to High Street. There were no less than ten coach stop inns at Dorchester
in the 18th century when the town was a coach stopover and two notable
coaching inns remain, the White Hart and The George.
The
George Hotel lies directly across from the Abbey and is perfect for
a romantic getaway or historic stay while exploring Oxfordshire.
The hotel dates from the 15th Century and combines the old world oak-beamed
beauty of history with all the amenities of a modern world hotel with
17 en-suite bedrooms individually decorated and furnished with fine antiques.
The heart of any stagecoach inn was always the tap room bar. The George’s
tap room in fine English tradition with a roaring fireplace and lots
of brass is named The Potboys, which refers to the bell ringers who used
to gather near the fire after ringing the Abbey bells. The hotel’s
Carriages Restaurant raised oak beamed dining room with it’s own
secret garden provides a romantic setting which harkens to older candle-lit
days of the overnight coach stop. And keep an eye out for the sad little
girl in a white dress, hovering around. Yes, the George Hotel is
reputed to be haunted as any good old English coaching inn should be. © Bargain
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George Hotel
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SEE ALSO:
ETTINGTON
PARK MANOR HOTEL
STEAM
RAILWAY DIDCOT OXFORDSHIRE
THE
STRATFORD MAN
