LITTLE WITTENHAM

Little Wittenham is a small village on the southern bank of the River Thames.

The attractive parish church, St Peter's, was mostly rebuilt in 1862, although the 14th century tower is original. For the history and full information about St Peter's Church click here.

Adjacent to the church is Barn Cottage, a former stable but now a house probably dating from mid C17, with C20 alterations. Next to Barn Cottage is The Manor House, a mid C18 red brick house with C19 additions and alterations. The house has grey brick headers. Elsewhere in the village are several other attractive old houses, many of them listed and the whole village is within a conservation area.

Nearby, and just over a footbridge over the Thames, is Day's Lock which is well known locally for the Annual Pooh Sticks World Chamionships. The event is inspired by A.A. Milne's tale about Winnie the Pooh and raises funds for charity. It involves dropping a stick into the river and seeing how long it takes to get to the finish line. Teams from across the globe take part in the event.

Overlooking the village are the Wittenham Clumps which stand on top of the Sinodun Hills. 'Sinodun' is a Celtic name, Seno-Dunum, meaning 'Old Fort'. In the Iron Age, the hill fort at Castle Hill dominated the region, providing protection for the local villagers and their animals. The only obvious sign of the fort now is the ditch around the base of the hill. In the clump of trees at the top of the hill is the Poem Tree in which Joseph Tubb carved a poem in 1844-45.

Both Castle Hill and Round Hill offer superb view over the Thames and the village of Dorchester and beyond, and from Round Hill there is a good view of the village. The Wittenham Clumps and the nearby Little Wittenham Wood are part of a nature reserve managed by the Earth Trust who established it in 1982. The reserve is part of an estate of 300 hectares which includes a conservation farm and a new woodland dedicated to forestry research.

Little Wittenham is on the road between Long Wittenham and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, about three miles north-east of Didcot.