| Mongewell | |
|---|---|
 Mongewell Park | |
  Mongewell Location withinOxfordshire | |
| OS grid reference | SU611877 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wallingford |
| Postcode district | OX10 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
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Mongewell is a village in thecivil parish ofCrowmarsh in theSouth Oxfordshire district, inOxfordshire, England, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south ofWallingford. Mongewell is on the east bank of theThames, linked with the west bank atWinterbrook byWinterbrook Bridge. The earthworkGrim's Ditch, now part ofThe Ridgeway long-distance footpath, passes through the northern part of it and is a scheduled ancient monument. It has a church calledSt John the Baptist's Church.
The ancient earthwork ofGrim's Ditch has its main section north of the village, aScheduled Ancient Monument.[1] In order to provide a level climb up to the first major hill of the longChiltern Hills range to the east and northeast, this hasembankments andcuttings, with thousands of tonnes of earth displaced perhaps in theBronze Age in order to facilitate access by foot.
The place-name 'Mongewell' is first attested in an Anglo-Saxon will circa 966–75, where it appears asMundingwillæ. It appears asMongewel in theDomesday Book of 1086, and asMungewell in theBook of Fees in 1242. The name means 'the spring or stream of Munda's people'.[2]
The parish of Mongewell was mentioned inDomesday Book.[3] Theparish church of St John the Baptist dates architecturally to the 12th century, with later repairs and additions.[4] Mongewell was astrip parish, a thin strip of land extending into theChiltern Hills[5] including part ofStoke Row. Theecclesiastical parish was joined by acivil parish in the 19th century, but on 1 April 1932 was split, mostly joining a new civil parish named Crowmarsh, but a small part was added toRotherfield Greys parish.[6] In 1931 the parish had a population of 129.[7]
Mongewell Park was once home toShute Barrington,Bishop ofLlandaff (1769–1782). Replacing the originalGeorgian Mongewell House of Barrington, a large brick mansion inWilliam and Mary style was built in 1890 for Alexander Frazer whose initials can be seen on the lodge gates (Pedgley and Pedgley, 1990). After Fraser died in 1916, the house became a hospital for wounded officers inWorld War I. In 1918, it was sold to the American millionaireHoward Gould.[citation needed]
He sold the house in 1939 and theRoyal Air Force occupied it until 1945. In January 1944 it became the headquarters forNo 2 Group RAF ofBomber Command led byAir Vice MarshalBasil Embry. On the staff there for six months before his capture as aPOW was theWorld War IInight fighterace,Wing CommanderBob Braham (Braham, 1984). At the end of the war the house was once more used as a hospital before becoming derelict. AJewishboarding school,Carmel College, occupied Mongewell Park from 1948 to 1997. The school added several buildings, including itssynagogue and the Julius Gottlieb Gallery and Boathouse, which were laterlisted.[8] As of June 2007, it was planned to redevelop the site for housing.
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