Wallingford
Wallingford is a lovely market town on the River Thames, rich in history and full of independent shops. It has an excellent tourist information centre with knowledgeable, helpful staff, making this the perfect starting point for any interested visitor.
Castle Gardens is now a lovely peaceful area, perfect for taking a stroll or sitting and enjoying the peace. However, this area was once the site of the one of the strongest and most important castles in England. Work on the castle began in 1067 on the direct instructions of William the Conqueror, who had crossed the River Thames at Wallingford on his way to London to take the throne. The castle was expanded until in 1502, it was inherited by the future Henry VIII. He, however, preferred his manor house at Ewelme and the building fell into disrepair. During the Civil War it was refortified as a Royalist stronghold but, realising the potential danger it threatened, Cromwell’s Council of State ordered its demolition on the 17th November 1652.
Fans of the television show, Midsomer Murders, will recognise Wallingford as Causton, the capital of fictitious Midsomer County and the town where the show’s main characters, Detective Barnaby and Troy, worked.
There are plenty of information boards around the town, celebrating its history and it has a lovely museum. Sadly, this was closed on my latest visit, but will be opening again in March. A life-sized bronze statue of a lady sitting on a bench near to the museum, overlooking the Kinecroft, hints at another of Wallingford’s claims to fame.
Dame Agatha Christie lived on the outskirts of Wallingford for over 40 years and died in her home, Winterbrook House, in 1976. Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha married Archibald Christie in 1914. The Christie marriage ended in divorce in 1928 but two years later, Agatha married Max Mallowan, a young archaeologist. In 1934 the couple bought Winterbrook House. Known locally as Mrs Mallowan, ‘Agatha Christie’ was the best-selling novelist of all time and many of her books were written at this home. Now privately owned, there is a plaque on the house commemorating her time here.
She and her husband, Max, are buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s, Cholsey. An information board at the gate to the church guides visitors to the location of their grave which is visited by admirers of her work from all over the world. A very peaceful resting place for the ‘Queen of Crime’!
You can read about my stay at Greenway, Agatha’s Devonshire holiday home, here and about the brilliant Wallingford Bookshop here.
