| Thame | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Thame Location withinOxfordshire | |
| Area | 12.67 km2 (4.89 sq mi) |
| Population | 13,273 (2021 Census)[1] |
| • Density | 1,048/km2 (2,710/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SP710060 |
| • London | 40 miles (64 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Thame |
| Postcode district | OX9 |
| Dialling code | 01844 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Thame Town Council |
| |
Thame/teɪm/ is amarket town andcivil parish inOxfordshire, about 13 miles (21 km) east of the city ofOxford and 10 miles (16 km) southwest ofAylesbury. It derives its name from theRiver Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border withBuckinghamshire. The parish includes the hamlet ofMoreton south of the town. The2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 11,561.[2] Thame was founded in theAnglo-Saxon era and was in the kingdom ofWessex.
Thame Abbey was founded in 1138 for theCistercian Order: the abbey church was consecrated in 1145. In the 16th centuryDissolution of the Monasteries the abbey was suppressed and the church demolished. Thame Park (the house) was built on the site, incorporating parts of the abbey including the early-16th centuryabbot's house. Its interior is one of the earliest examples of theItalian Renaissance in England. AGeorgian west wing was added in the 18th century. In about 1840 parts of the foundations of the abbey church were excavated: it was 77 yards (70 m) long and 23 yards (21 m) wide, with aLady Chapel extending a further 15 yards (14 m) at the east end.[3]
The earliest feature of theChurch of England parish church ofMary the Virgin is the 12th century base of thefont. The font's octagonal bowl was re-cut in the 13th century.[4] The present church is acruciform building that was built in the 13th century. Thechancel isEarly English Gothic and was built in about 1220, with sixlancet windows in its north wall and presumably a similar arrangement in the south wall. It was twice altered in the next few decades: a three-lightplate tracery window was inserted in its north wall in the mid-13th century and the five-light east window with geometrical tracery was inserted in about 1280. Whatever lancet windows may have been in thechancel south wall were replaced with three two-lightDecorated Gothic windows with reticulated tracery, and a doublepiscina was added at the same time.[5]
Thetransepts and tower arches are also early 13th century.[6] Thenave has five-bay north and southaisles whosearcades were built in about 1260. The aisles were widened in the 14th century, when they acquired their Decorated Gothic windows and doors. The Decorated Gothic south porch has two storeys and a two-bayquadripartite vault.[4]
ThePerpendicular Gothicclerestory is 14th or early 15th century. In the 15th century the tower piers were strengthened and the two upper stages of the tower were built. In 1442 the north transept was rebuilt with five-light Perpendicular Gothic north and east windows with panel tracery. At about the same time the south transept acquired similar windows and was extended eastwards to form a chapel with a 15th-century piscina. The Perpendicular Gothic nave west window was inserted in 1672–73, making it an example ofGothic survival. In 1838 the north aisle north wall was rebuilt under the direction ofGeorge Wilkinson.[4] Thetower has aring of eight bells, all cast by Mears and Stainbank of theWhitechapel Bell Foundry in 1876.[7]
ThePrebendal House is known to have existed by 1234,[8] The Early English Gothic chapel was built in about 1250.[9] Thesolar is also 13th century but was enlarged in the 14th, when the presentcrown-post roof was added. The rest of the Prebendal House is dated from the 15th century. The hall is 14th century in plan but was later divided, and one part now has a fine 15th century roof. In 1661 theantiquaryAnthony Wood reported that the house was ruinous, and early in the 19th century the remains were in use as a farmhouse and barns. It was restored in 1836.[10] The prebendal houses and the Church of St. Mary were both attacked repeatedly in the early 1290s during a violent conflict between the bishop of Lincoln, Oliver Sutton, and a knight of King Edward I, Sir John St. John.[11] The Prebendal House was the home of singer/songwriterRobin Gibb and his wife Dwina from 1984, and Gibb is buried in St Mary's parish churchyard.[12]
In 1550 thecourtierJohn Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame built thealmshouses in Church Lane. He died in 1559, and his will established the localgrammar school. Its original building, completed in 1569, stands next to the almshouses. In 1880 the school moved to its current premises in Oxford Road. In 1971 it became acomprehensive school under the nameLord Williams's School.
TheCivil War in the 1640s saw Thame occupied in turn byRoyalists and byParliamentarians. After theBattle of Chalgrove Field in 1643, ColonelJohn Hampden, who had been educated at the grammar school, died of his wounds at the house of Ezekiel Browne,[13] later to become the Greyhound Inn.
The championbare-knuckle boxerJames Figg was born in Thame in the late 17th century and had his early prize-fights at the Greyhound Inn.[14] In the 21st century the Greyhound Inn was renamed the James Figg and in April 2011 theOxfordshire Blue Plaques Board unveiled ablue plaque there to commemorate him.[15]
In the 18th century many of the buildings in the boat-shaped High Street were re-faced with modern facades built of locally producedsalt glazed bricks. Late in the 18th centuryJohn Wesley preached in Thame. The congregation on that occasion was so large that the floor of the building gave way, and the crowd fell to the lower floor.[16]
By 1813 Thame had aworkhouse in Wellington Street. In 1826 John Boddington, a miller who had been the proprietor of Thame Mill, became master of the workhouse.[17] In 1831 his son, also John Boddington, became a clerk atStrangeways Brewery in Manchester. A younger son, Henry Boddington, who had been born at Thame Mill in 1813, followed his brother and joined the same brewery in 1832. Henry became a partner in the business in 1847 and sole proprietor in 1853,[18] after which its beers were calledBoddingtons. In April 2011 the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board unveiled a blue plaque at the address of the former workhouse commemorating its association with Henry Boddington.[19]
ThamePoor Law Union was established in 1835 and the following year a new workhouse designed by George Wilkinson was built on Oxford Road.[20] In the 20th century the building became the premises of Rycotewood College offurther education. In 2003 with two other colleges of further education to form Oxford and Cherwell College, nowCity of Oxford College.
Thame railway station was opened in 1862 as the temporary terminus of an extension of theWycombe Railway fromHigh Wycombe. The extension was completed in 1864 when it reachedOxford. In 1963British Railways withdrew passenger services betweenPrinces Risborough and Oxford and closed Thame station, leaving Princes Risborough (7 miles) as the nearest passenger station until 1987 (see below)[21] BR dismantled the track between Thame andMorris Cowley, but kept the line between Thame and Princes Risborough open for goods traffic to and from an oil depot in Thame.
Thame Town Hall was designed by the architectHJ Tollit inJacobethan style and built in 1888.[22]
In 1940 Willocks McKenzie, a local lorry driver, found a small hoard of lateMedieval coins and rings beside the River Thame. The coins were tengroats and the rings were five ornate examples ranging from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The countyCoroner declared them to betreasure trove and thereforeCrown property. The Crown placed the hoard on permanent loan to theAshmolean Museum. The most ornate ring was an ecclesiastical one incorporating a smallreliquary. Its lid is decorated with a distinctive cross with two horizontal sections, similar to theCross of Lorraine. Thame Town Council incorporated this cross into its town emblem.[23]
In 1974 theM40 motorway was extended fromHigh Wycombe to Chilworth Farm atGreat Milton. Junction 7 atMilton Common is about 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Thame, giving the town a fast road link to London. In 1990 the M40 extension was completed, giving Thame a fast road link toBirmingham.
In 1987British Rail openedHaddenham and Thame Parkway station atHaddenham, about 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Thame, on theChiltern Main Line.Chiltern Railways now provides passenger services linking the railway station to High Wycombe,London Marylebone,Banbury andBirmingham Snow Hill. The station has a large car park, a taxi office, and regular buses into Thame.
In 1991 Thame oil depot closed, and BR dismantled the railway between Thame and Princes Risborough.Sustrans was allowed to re-use the former trackbed to create thePhoenix Trail which is part ofNational Cycle Network route 57. Reopening the rail line through Thame was an option considered by Chiltern Railways in their plan to open a direct rail route from London Marylebone to Oxford via Princes Risborough in 2015. The cost of reinstating bridges was considered prohibitive.
Bentley Productions used Thame many times as a location for theMidsomer Murders drama series, representing the fictional town of Causton.[24]
There are three tiers of local government covering Thame, atcivil parish (town),district andcounty level: Thame Town Council,South Oxfordshire District Council, andOxfordshire County Council. The town council is based atThame Town Hall in the High Street.[25]
Thame was anancient parish. The parish historically included thechapelries ofSydenham,Tetsworth, andTowersey, each of which had become separate parishes by the early nineteenth century.[26]
In 1871, the parish of Thame was made alocal government district, administered by an elected local board.[27] Thame Town Hall was completed in 1888 to serve as the meeting place and offices of the local board, as well as providing a public hall for the town. It was funded by public subscriptions to commemorate theDiamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.[28] Local government districts were reconstituted asurban districts under theLocal Government Act 1894.[29]
Thame Urban District was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. District-level functions passed to the new South Oxfordshire District Council.[30] Asuccessor parish called Thame was created covering the area of the abolished urban district, with its parish council taking the name Thame Town Council.[31]
The town's two largest employers,CPM Group andTravelodge, both have their head offices on the edge of the town.W. Lucy & Co. moved its base from Oxford to Thame in 2005.[citation needed]
See above for details of Haddenham and Thame Parkway station. As of 2013 the fastest London Marylebone trains took 36 minutes.
Oxford Bus Company route 400 linksOxford railway station and Thame. Route 400 runs daily and servesWheatley andTiddington. Between Oxford & Wheatley, it runs every 10 minutes from Mondays to Saturdays and every 15 minutes on Sundays, extending to Thame every 30 minutes.[32]
Redline Buses route X20 links Oxford andAylesbury viaHaddenham and Thame every 15 minutes on Mondays to Fridays and every 30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays.[33]
Red Rose Travel route 40 links Thame with High WycombeviaChinnor andStokenchurch. Services run hourly from Mondays to Saturdays. There is no Sunday orbank holiday service.[34] In July 2016Oxfordshire County Council ceased all bus subsidies.Buckinghamshire County Council still contracts operators to run subsidised bus routes, a few of which link local villages to Thame. They include route 110 operated by Redline Buses[35] and routes 111, 112 and 113 run by Z&S Transport.[36][37][38]
The 121 bus service route is a circular route that goes hourly around Thame. Until the end of April 2023, Redline Buses operated the route. However, in May it was announced by Thame Town Council that Z & S Transport will take over the service until August.[39] TTC is starting to consider installing a Hopper Bus in the town after this date.
Local news and television programmes areBBC South andITV Meridian. Television signals are received from theOxford TV transmitter.[40]
Thame's local radio stations areBBC Radio Oxford on 95.2 FM,Heart South on 102.6 FM,Greatest Hits Radio on 106.4 FM (formerly Jack FM),Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts (formerly Mix 96) on 96.2 FM and Red Kite Radio that broadcast fromAylesbury.[41]
The Thame Hub[42] andOxford Mail are the local newspapers.
Thame has three primary schools: Barley Hill Primary School,[43] John Hampden Primary School[44] and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.[45] It has one countysecondary school,Lord Williams's School.[46] Both theArmy Cadets and theAir Training Corps have units in the town. 594 (Thame) Air Training Corps was formed in 1994, originally as a detached flight of 966 (Wallingford) Squadron. It became an independent unit in 1997, taking the number 594 Squadron.[citation needed]
Chinnor Rugby Club is based at Thame. Its first XV currently plays inNational Division One.[47]Thame United Football Club first team plays inSouthern League Division One East[48]The Oxfordshire Golf Club is 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Thame. Thecourse was designed byRees Jones and has hosted tournaments including theBenson & Hedges International Open from 1996 until 1999.[49] ThameLeisure Centre, located on Oxford Road, has a 25-metre swimming pool, dance studio, gym and racquet sports facilities.[50]
Thame is twinned withMontesson in France andSinaia in Romania.
John Fothergill, innkeeper, entrepreneur and writer, owned and managed the Spread Eagle Hotel between 1922 and 1931.[51]
ViolinistAlfredo Campoli (1906–91) was married at St Joseph's Catholic Church in 1942 and retired to Thame in 1986.[52] In April 2011 the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board unveiled a blue plaque at 39 North Street to commemorate him.[52]
The Slow Mo Guys, English film-maker and Internet personalityGavin Free (born 1988) and his co-host Daniel Gruchy (born 1988), lived in the town from 1992 until 2012. Free now lives inAustin, Texas.[53]
Robin Gibb of theBee Gees and his wife Dwina Murphy-Gibb lived in Prebendal House in Thame until his death in 2012. Robin's younger brother,Andy Gibb, also lived with Robin in Prebendal House in Thame in the weeks before his death in 1988.[54]
BBC actor, announcer, executiveHarman Grisewood (1908–97) was brought up at the Prebendal House in the 1910s and 1920s. It had a residentCatholic priest, Father Randolph Traill, who served in its chapel. In his autobiography,One Thing at a Time (1968), he described an outing with his brother, nanny, nursemaid andpram, when they were stoned by villagers as they approached theChurch of England parish church.[55]
Poet and playwrightW. B. Yeats (1865–1939) lived in the town for a short time at Cuttle Brook House, 42 Lower High Street. His son was born there in 1921.[56] A blue plaque commemorating him was unveiled in 2011.[57]
The composerHoward Goodall lived in Thame in the 1960s and 70s and, after leavingStowe School, attended Lord Williams's School.
Jonathan More and Matt Black, the duo who make upColdcut both lived in Thame and attended LWS.
Ronald Lee, cricketer.
Fiona Bruce, television presenter.
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Town of Thame.
 |
John Hampden Thame.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
