Bablock Hythe is a hamlet in Oxfordshire, England, some five miles (8 km) west of Oxford city centre. There was a ferry across the River Thames at Bablock Hythe from the 13th century. The hand-propelled cable ferry was said to be the first along the Thames and was still in use for cars and other road vehicles up until 1959.[1]
The earliest reference to a ferry is in 1279; later ones continued to cross until the mid-20th century. The ferry was a wide-beamed ferry punt with a rope or chain in the river, which presented something of a hazard to navigation.[2] There was also an ancient inn, described by William Senior in his Royal River in the 1880s. This was rebuilt in the early 1990s.[3] The site is overlooked by the "Warm green-muffled Cumnor Hills", which now holds an extensive caravan site.[4] The poet Matthew Arnold described the area in his 1853 work "The Scholar Gipsy":
bablock, hythe, hamlet, oxfordshire, england, some, five, miles, west, oxford, city, centre, there, ferry, across, river, thames, from, 13th, century, hand, propelled, cable, ferry, said, first, along, thames, still, cars, other, road, vehicles, until, 1959, f. Bablock Hythe is a hamlet in Oxfordshire England some five miles 8 km west of Oxford city centre There was a ferry across the River Thames at Bablock Hythe from the 13th century The hand propelled cable ferry was said to be the first along the Thames and was still in use for cars and other road vehicles up until 1959 1 The ferry in August 2006 The Ferryman Inn Contents 1 Heritage 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHeritage EditThe earliest reference to a ferry is in 1279 later ones continued to cross until the mid 20th century The ferry was a wide beamed ferry punt with a rope or chain in the river which presented something of a hazard to navigation 2 There was also an ancient inn described by William Senior in his Royal River in the 1880s This was rebuilt in the early 1990s 3 The site is overlooked by the Warm green muffled Cumnor Hills which now holds an extensive caravan site 4 The poet Matthew Arnold described the area in his 1853 work The Scholar Gipsy Thee at the ferry Oxford riders blithe Returning home on summer nights have met Crossing the stripling Thames at Bablock hithe Trailing in the cool stream thy fingers wet As the slow punt swings round See also EditCrossings of the River Thames Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bablock Hythe References Edit Correspondence The Autocar London Ilffe amp Sons Ltd 440 30 March 1959 Thacker Frederick Samuel 1968 1920 The Thames Highway A History of the Inland Navigation Vol II Locks and Weirs David amp Charles Winn Christopher 2010 I Never Knew That about the River Thames London Ebury Press p 39 ISBN 0091933579 Goldsack Paul 2003 River Thames In the Footsteps of the Famous Bradt English Heritage ISBN 1841620440 External links EditCanal Plan Gazetteer Where Thames smooth waters glideCoordinates 51 44 06 N 1 22 16 W 51 735055 N 1 371145 W 51 735055 1 371145 This Oxfordshire location article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bablock Hythe amp oldid 1042918694, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
