A Towpath Walk in Oxford
The Canal and River Thames between Wolvercote and the City
Mark Davies and Catherine Robinson.
A Towpath Walk in Oxford expands upon its
predecessor, the popular 'Our Canal in Oxford', by taking the
reader on a near-circular walk-approximately seven miles , plus optional
detours, with conveniently spaced pubs-along the Oxford Canal and back
up the River Thames.
Spanning a history of more than 200 years, the canal passes through
a varied landscape: from the peace of the village green at Wolvercote,
through the water meadows of north Oxford to the Victorian suburb of
Jericho, and on to the former coal wharves of the city centre.
The Thames path follows a more rural route, through the tiny hamlet
of Binsey, with its famous church and well nearby, skirting the pastoral
expanses of Port Meadow, and on to the romantic ruins of Godstow Nunnery
to the north.
Drawing on archive records and oral histories, the authors describe
all the notable landmarks and tell the stories of the characters - eccentric,
resourceful, or notorious - who have lived and worked on or beside the
water, both in recent times and long ago.
The Authors
Mark Davies has lived on a canalboat in Oxford since 1991, and contributes articles and photographs on waterways themes to local and national publications.
Catherine Robinson has lived in Hayfield Road, within sight of the canal, since 1982. She is the author (along with Elspeth Buxton) of Hayfield Road: Nine Hundred Years of an Oxford Neighbourhood.
© Oxford Towpath Press 2001.
" at times like a pilgrimage, at times like a historical pub crawl ... the perfect combination. "
Oxford Times Limited Edition magazine
" a remarkable compendium of historical fact and fiction concerning Oxford's waterways. It is equally readable as a practical walk guide or as a history book. "
Canal Boat & Inland Waterways magazine
" beautifully done, a model of its kind "
Margaret Drabble , author