Mapledurham

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Mapledurham Church and House, as seen from the Watermill

Mapledurham Watermill, as seen from the lawns of Maplehurham House

The River Thames, looking upstream from the village

Mapledurham Weir, looking across river from village to lock

Mapledurham is a small village, civil parish and country estate in the English county of Oxfordshire.

It should not be confused with the Mapledurham electoral ward of the nearby Borough of Reading, which is actually a recently created subdivision of that town's suburb of Caversham.

1 Mapledurham village
2 Mapledurham parish
3 Mapledurham estate
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Mapledurham village

The village is located on the north bank of the River Thames some 4 miles (6 km) north west of the town of Reading. The only road access is by a narrow and steep lane from the Caversham to Goring-On-Thames road at Trench Green. Despite the fact that Mapledurham village is closer, as the crow flies, to central Reading than some of that town's suburbs, it remains a remote and rural location.^[1]

The village is the location of both Mapledurham Watermill, the last operational watermill on the Thames, and of Mapledurham House, the stately home that forms the headquarters of the Mapledurham estate. However Mapledurham Lock is in fact situated on the opposite bank of the river, in the Berkshire village of Purley-On-Thames. Although the weir stretches across the river between the two villages, no access is possible across it and, in the absence of a boat, journeys between the two villages require a lengthy detour via Caversham or Whitchurch-on-Thames.

Because of its picturesque situation, and lack of through traffic, Mapledurham has been used as a set for several films, most notably the 1976 film of The Eagle Has Landed. The village, house and mill form something of a local tourist attraction, and on summer weekends the village can be reached by a boat service from Reading.^[2]

[edit] Mapledurham parish

The civil parish of Mapledurham covers a considerably larger area than the village itself, and includes the even smaller settlements of Trench Green and Chazey Heath in the Chiltern Hills above the village. In the 2001 census it had a population of 280 in 112 households.^[1]^[3]

For local government purposes the civil parish forms part of the district of South Oxfordshire. It is within the Henley constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament, and the South East England constituency of the European Parliament.^[1]

[edit] Mapledurham estate

The Mapledurham estate owns much of the village and civil parish, including both the Mapledurham Watermill and Mapledurham House. It belongs to the family of John "Jack" Eyston. At one time the estate included several farms, but farming has now been consolidated on a single farm. The estate has strongly diversified into leisure activities, and includes two golf courses and several holiday cottages. Additionally the house, watermill and surrounding grounds are opened to the public on weekend and bank holiday afternoons from April to September.^[4]