The Pre-Raphaelites' River Thames

On the solitary, willowy banks of the Thames near Lechlade is the grey-stone Tudor manor house which William Morris described as his "heaven on earth". In 1871, this famous founder of the Arts & Crafts Movement leased Kelmscott Manor as his summer home, having discovered it when he and his family rowed up the Thames from London. Here he lived with his wife Jane and her lover, the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The haunting loveliness of the countryside unleashed a new creative talent in both men. Just as Jane's face inspired Rossetti's most powerful art, Morris found his inspiration in the beauty of the garden and the native wildflowers, birds and trees. Local willows translated into his famous "Willow Pattern" whilst the liquid movement of the river and its little tributaries wove itself into the flowing patterns of his carpets and fabric designs.

Your Country Escape

Follow the river and the Thames Path National Trail for 6½ miles between Lechlade and Radcot to capture some of the magic of this inspirational setting. The river begins its working life at Lechlade where a statue of Old Father Thames modelled on Neptune keeps a benign watch over St John's Lock. Cotswold stone from nearby Taynton was despatched from here to build St Paul's cathedral, but you can safely join in today's traffic which is mainly pleasure craft enjoying these peaceful reaches of the Thames. Before leaving Lechlade, cross Ha'penny Bridge (still with its toll house) to the church of St Lawrence which inspired Shelley's Stanzas in a Summer Evening Churchyard inscribed at a stone at the entrance. At St John's Bridge, you come to the Trout Inn and later Buscot Lock. From here paths lead south to Buscot's "model" village, built in 1879 and to the 18th-century Buscot Park (both National Trust properties) which houses the Faringdon Collection including Burne-Jones' series of paintings depicting the Sleeping Beauty, Legend of the Briar Rose, and works by fellow Pre-Raphaelites Rossetti, Watts and Millais. The church has a stained-glass window by Burne-Jones. Next comes secluded Kelmscot; the village and the Manor are both accessible from the river and although the Manor and its grounds have limited opening the Plough Inn is open every day. From here either go on to Radcot, a sleepy hamlet boasting the oldest bridge on the Thames and the Swan Hotel, or leave the Thames Path at Kelmscott Manor to follow the 3¾ mile circular Willow Walk beloved of Morris and his friends. The walk passes the Plough Inn, cutting back across the fields to rejoin the river at the Trout Inn at St John's Bridge. Both pubs have car parks which walkers are welcome to use.

Fact File

Distance 6½ miles; 2 hours; signposted with the Thames Path National Trail acorn symbol. Details of the Willow Walk from The Plough. On the river: holiday boats and boats for day or hourly hire from Riverside Lechlade (Tel: 01367253599, www.riverside-lechlade.co.uk) and Cotswold Boat Hire (Tel: 01793 727083).

To complete your break you might also visit:
Faringdon Folly, panoramic views of four counties;
Great Coxwell Barn;
Buscot Park Fruit Farm;
Cotswold Woollen Weavers, Filkins.

Further Information

For further information on the River Thames visit www.visitthames.co.uk and for the Thames Path National Trail www.nationaltrails.co.uk or 01865 810224.

Tourist Information Centre
Faringdon:
Pump House,
5 Market Place,
Faringdon
SN7 7HL
Tel: 01367 242191
Email: tourism@faringdontowncouncil.org.uk
Website: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/

Travel by train to: Swindon