Henley-On-Thames
Henley-On-Thames photos (104 available)
Henley-On-Thames maps (2 available)
Map of Oxfordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Personalised maps
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Henley-On-Thames books (11 available)
- 4 photos on Henley-On-Thames appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of Henley-On-Thames
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Henley-On-Thames and Oxfordshire
Henley-On-Thames memories
Read and share memories of Henley-On-Thames and Oxfordshire inspired by Frith photos
Perfect school days
I was also a pupil at Friar Park from 1955 to 1962. I have nothing but wonderful memories of this amazing school. As a little girl the endless drive with rhododendron bushes eventually opening into this huge circle where an Edwardian Gothic mansion stood, will always be etched in my memory. The incredible sweep of the lawns on the West Terrace leading down to carefully contrived pools and bridges which hid amazing caves and tunnels that eventually led back into the school itself, were like a Gothic fairytale. At the Christmas Fair the nuns used to open these faintly lit caves, and around each corner you always expected to see at least a goblin sitting with his legs crossed!
read more here
Contributed by Catherine Edwards
School days
Before becoming the home of George Harrison of the Beatles, Friar Park was run as a school by sisters of the St. John Bosco order. This was my first school and I remember having to walk all the way to the main door along the winding drive each morning, passing by the huge rhododendron bushes which lined each side. As I approached the large arched entrance door, shown in the photograph above, I could see the gargoyles dotted around the building, they seemed so frightening and I would always hold my head down until I could ring the large door bell and then would stand and wait for one of the sisters to come and welcome me in for the day. ...read more here
Contributed by Mandy Lester
Oxfordshire memories
Perfect school days
I was also a pupil at Friar Park from 1955 to 1962. I have nothing but wonderful memories of this amazing school. As a little girl the endless drive with rhododendron bushes eventually opening into this huge circle where an Edwardian Gothic mansion stood, will always be etched in my memory. The incredible sweep of the lawns on the West Terrace leading down to carefully contrived pools and bridges which hid amazing caves and tunnels that eventually led back into the school itself, were like a Gothic fairytale. At the Christmas Fair the nuns used to open these faintly lit caves, and around each corner you always expected to see at least a goblin sitting with his legs crossed!
read more here
A memory of Henley-On-Thames contributed by Catherine Edwards
School days
Before becoming the home of George Harrison of the Beatles, Friar Park was run as a school by sisters of the St. John Bosco order. This was my first school and I remember having to walk all the way to the main door along the winding drive each morning, passing by the huge rhododendron bushes which lined each side. As I approached the large arched entrance door, shown in the photograph above, I could see the gargoyles dotted around the building, they seemed so frightening and I would always hold my head down until I could ring the large door bell and then would stand and wait for one of the sisters to come and welcome me in for the day. ...read more here
A memory of Henley-On-Thames contributed by Mandy Lester
Extracts From Henley-On-Thames & Oxfordshire books
Records indicate that there has been a bridge spanning the Thames at Henley since 1234. The present bridge
was built by William Hayward: it is decorated with carved masks on the keystones showing Father Thames looking
through bulrushes downstream and Isis looking upstream.
An extract from from"Oxfordshire Photographic Memories".
These views show each end of the bridge - two were taken in 1890.
Photograph looks from the Berkshire side, from the balcony of the
Carpenter’s Arms landing stage towards its rival, The Angel, whose
tall 18th-century bay-windowed river elevation and riverside terrace
are a well-known and very popular landmark; the Angel is perhaps
the most photographed building in Henley. The other two views
show the Carpenters Arms landing stage and boathouse, which in
1955 were rented to J G Meakes Ltd. The Carpenters Arms inn
was built in 1714, but it was demolished in 1984 to make way for
the Henley Royal Regatta headquarters.
An extract from from"Henley-on-Thames Town and City Memories".
It all started when the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was held here in 1829, but the first Regatta proper was held in June 1839. This scene shows the 1890 crowds lining the course, which started at Temple Island in the distance. The Firs on the left, with its oriel window, is at the end of Riverside, now private parking for the hotel.
An extract from from"Down the Thames Photographic Memories".
Hundreds of spectators line the Thames riverbank on Regatta Day in this late-Victorian photograph. There are also
launches for hire and boats to let, as the sign advertises. By the turn of the century, the event had become one of
the major attractions of the English Season.
An extract from from"Oxfordshire Photographic Memories".
The Henley Royal Regatta has become one of the key social occasions of the year, on a par with Royal Ascot and Wimbledon. Here, seen from near Poplar Point on the Berkshire bank, the eights race past the houseboats which lined the opposite bank to provide elegant floating grandstands for hospitality and shelter from the rain.
An extract from from"Down the Thames Photographic Memories".